On July 3, the 6th Meeting of Environmental Ministers of SCO Member States was held in Tianjin. Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment, attended and chaired the meeting. The meeting adopted the Initiative of SCO Member States on Strengthening Cooperation for Sustainable Development, and signed the Joint Statement of the 6th Meeting of Environmental Ministers of SCO Member States, which made important contribution to implementing the consensus on the SCO Year of Sustainable Development.

Huang Runqiu pointed out that sustainable development concerns the common future of humanity. Faced with such global environmental challenges as climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, and land degradation and desertification, China thoroughly implements Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and consistently acts on a development philosophy featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development for all. China consistently pursues sound development featuring improved production, higher living standards, and healthy ecosystems, continues working on pollution prevention and control, accelerates the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, acts on climate change, and promotes high-quality development. At the same time, China has actively led the development of global environmental and climate governance, contributed to the conclusion of the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), stepped up its participation in global climate negotiations and intergovernmental negotiations on an international instrument to end plastic pollution, carried out high-quality green Belt and Road cooperation, strengthened South-South cooperation on climate change, and advanced global sustainable development with concrete steps.

Huang Runqiu said that, as unprecedented global changes are unfolding at a faster pace, the current international landscape is marked by transformation and turbulence, and unilateralism and protectionism have been on the rise, which are serious impediments to global green and low-carbon transition. All parties should uphold the Shanghai Spirit, bring into full play roles of the Meeting of Environmental Ministers of SCO Member States, and promote cooperation on eco-environmental conservation towards more practical outcomes, while showing firm resolve and positive results in sustainable development to the international community. All parties should practice multilateralism, stay committed to upholding the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law, better coordinate positions on global environmental and climate issues, and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is necessary to better align needs for environmental policy synergy and cooperation, make solid progress in implementing existing cooperation initiatives, tap cooperation potential in the SCO family, keep the circulation channels of environmental technologies, products and services unimpeded, and continuously improve regional eco-environment governance. It is necessary to give full play to the roles of the China-SCO ecology and environment innovation base and the SCO Environment Information Sharing Platform, actively promote multiparty participation, improve a green cooperation network involving multiple actors, and build green prosperity for the region.

Huang Runqiu emphasized that China attaches great importance to SCO cooperation in eco-environmental conservation. China will continue to establish communication and cooperation channels for all parties, in such areas as policy dialogue, technical exchange, capacity building and project alignment, with the support of Member States and the SCO Secretariat, so as to make greater contribution to regional sustainable development with concrete actions and join hands to build a more beautiful home of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The meeting was held under the theme of "Cooperation for Green, Sustainable and Low-Emission Development of SCO Member States". Heads of delegations from China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO Secretariat attended the meeting and delivered keynote remarks.

During the meeting, Huang Runqiu also met with Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan, and Viktor Galanov, Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Belarus.

During his meeting with Aziz Abdukhakimov, Huang Runqiu spoke highly of the sound cooperation in eco-environment between China and Uzbekistan, and expressed the readiness to deepen practical cooperation with Uzbekistan in such areas as solid waste management, ecological conservation and restoration, and climate change response, with an aim to jointly promote regional green and sustainable development. Aziz Abdukhakimov affirmed the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in eco-environment, and hoped to strengthen personnel and technical exchanges with China, further expand the depth and width of cooperation, and improve environmental well-being.

During his meeting with Bahodur Sheralizoda, Huang Runqiu thanked Tajikistan for its strong support for bilateral cooperation in eco-environmental protection. China is ready to further strengthen cooperation with Tajikistan in ecological and environmental monitoring, climate change response, water resources conservation, among other areas, and actively share technology and experience to jointly improve their abilities of eco-environmental governance. Bahodur Sheralizoda appreciated China's efforts and marked progress in eco-environmental protection in recent years, and hoped that the two countries will continue to maintain close exchanges to produce more fruits from bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

During his meeting with Viktor Galanov, Huang Runqiu expressed the readiness to further strengthen cooperation with Belarus in industrial waste management, carbon management and biodiversity conservation based on the SCO and other mechanisms to jointly benefit our people. Viktor Galanov spoke highly of the spirit of openness and cooperation upheld by China in the area of eco-environment, and looked forward to strengthen experience sharing and mutual learning with China, so as to contribute to improved eco-environmental quality and global environmental governance.