中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
Premier Wen Jiabao proposed greater cooperation on Monday with Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and said China will continue to offer funding for key projects.
The SCO, originally set up in the post-Cold War period to define borders, groups China, Russia and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Addressing SCO prime ministers, Wen said that China hoped to help boost cooperation in trade, finance, transport, agriculture and health. Youth exchange programs will also be strengthened.
China is willing to share its experience to help members establish economic zones, he added. Wen also urged the quick establishment of a development bank for the SCO and a special fund to finance key projects was discussed.
Wen's proposals showed China's determination to boost SCO cooperation for regional growth, analysts said.
"The call for closer economic cooperation and integration within the SCO comes at an important time when the world economy faces the risk of double dip," said Li Xin, director of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
Wen's proposals, especially financial and infrastructure cooperation, are vital areas for further regional integration.
Wen also said that China welcomes the development of clean energy and will continue to provide capital and technology for regional power grids.
The prime ministers of the six member countries adopted a joint declaration on the economic situation, both globally and in the SCO. They also signed several agreements, including a mid-term development strategy of SCO Union Pay.
Jin Canrong, deputy dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University,said that after a decade of development the SCO has hit a bottleneck.
"One factor is Moscow's attitude," Jin said, referring to Russia's foreign policy of prioritizing links with former Soviet republics.
Relations between some Central Asian nations have deteriorated, while "the United States is using various methods to restrict the development of the SCO".
Political instability may endanger economic development of the bloc, as some states face a power transition in the coming years.
Jin said he preferred China to push cooperation in a "low-profile and mild" way to ensure solidarity.
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Emily Cheng is an editor at China Daily. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in Media, English Literature and Politics. She has worked in the media industry since starting university and this is the third time she has settled abroad - she interned with a magazine in Hong Kong 2007 and studied at the University of Leeds in 2009.
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