The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) stands firmly against outside interference in the internal affairs of its member states, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said on Wednesday, commenting on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
"The SCO supports the "one China" principle and stands firmly against any interference by external forces in the internal political affairs of [the organization's] member states," he said in a statement on the organization's website.
The secretary-general also pointed out that the "one China" principle is the universal consensus of the international community and the basic norm of international relations.
According to him, the SCO supports measures of the organization's members to protect sovereignty. "We support the measures of [the organization's] member states to ensure national unity and protect their own sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said in a statement on the organization's website.
As Zhang Ming pointed out, the SCO will continue to help strengthen cooperation among member states in this regard to ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
Pelosi arrived in Taiwan Tuesday night, despite protests from Beijing, the visit being the first for an American politician of such rank in 25 years. Republican Newt Gingrich, speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited the island in 1997, and his stay in Taipei lasted only three hours. At his concluding press conference, he said that the US would use every means to "thwart any attempt by mainland China to annex Taiwan by force or threat," and promised to supply the island with modern American weapons. This aroused sharp reactions in Beijing: a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry then expressed dissatisfaction with the statements of the politician, stating that the US has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of China, first of all in the Taiwan issue.
China has repeatedly warned the US side that if Pelosi's trip to Taiwan takes place, there will be consequences and tough measures will be taken.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: sco-russia2020.ru/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS