Pakistan's Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, has expressed optimism about enhanced cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as China's 15th Five-Year Plan begins in 2026. In an interview with China News Network, he linked the SCO's development strategy to China's goals for green growth and regional stability. This follows the 2025 SCO Summit in Tianjin.
The year 2026 marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which emphasizes a people-centered approach and high-quality growth. In late August 2025, member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) gathered in Tianjin for a summit aimed at bolstering regional stability and coordinated development, aligning closely with the plan.
Pakistan's Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, shared his views in an interview with China News Network. Reviewing the 2025 SCO Tianjin Summit, he noted that it focused on two key priorities: maintaining regional stability and pursuing shared development. He highlighted that recent years have seen a turbulent international situation with escalating geopolitical conflicts. Against this backdrop, SCO members have adhered to the Shanghai Spirit, making the principle of shared development particularly valuable.
Hashmi stated that the SCO has injected stability, predictability, and institutional maturity into the region amid complex global changes. During the summit, leaders adopted the Tianjin Declaration, underscoring the importance of regional stability, and the Agreement on the Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States. China's hosting of the summit strengthened political mutual trust among members, providing steady strategic leadership in a period of great uncertainty.
Beyond security consensus, the summit injected impetus into regional economic development, approving practical cooperation initiatives that stress sustainable growth through enhanced connectivity, technological innovation, and green transformation. For instance, the SCO advanced platforms such as the China-SCO Green Industry Cooperation Platform, reflecting a development-oriented and people-centered approach that aligns with the goals of China's 15th Five-Year Plan.
Hashmi noted that the plan represents a critical phase in building a Beautiful China and achieving fundamental improvements in the ecological environment. China has vigorously promoted green development in recent years. The SCO's efforts in green industry cooperation are highly consistent with China's development blueprint, charting a practical path for bilateral cooperation among member states.
Over the past 15 years, China has made significant progress in environmental protection, renewable energy, green industries, and green manufacturing. To deepen Pakistan-China cooperation, Hashmi suggested advancing joint projects, developing industry standards together, and attracting Chinese enterprises to assemble components like solar panels locally while building capacity to store solar-generated electricity.
"I think, more specifically, in the solar industry, in the wind industry, in the electric vehicles, many developing countries need such practical products, which are environmentally friendly, sustainable, but more importantly, affordable," Hashmi said.
Looking ahead, Hashmi expressed full confidence in regional cooperation. "With the advent of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, there will be even greater opportunities for all countries, including China, to enhance more win-win cooperation," he concluded.
Under the SCO's 2026-2035 development strategy, the plan's implementation will create more opportunities for strengthened cooperation and mutual benefits among members amid a complex international environment.
