Q: SCO Secretary General Zhang Deguang is going to leave office. How does China evalute his work? What is China's expectation for the next Secretary General?

A: As the first Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mr. Zhang Deguang has done a lot for the launch and effective operation of the Secretariat as well as the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Over the past three years when he was in office, the Secretariat worked in an efficient, orderly, well-coordinated way. Now, the member states of the SCO are steadily building political mutual trust, deepening practical cooperation and boosting the international impact of the organization, which can't be accomplished without the efforts of Secretary General Zhang. The heads of all the SCO members are satisfied with and highly appreciate his work.

For the current stage, to further deepen the practical cooperation has become the core task of the SCO. We believe that the new Secretary General Nurgaliev will lead the entire Secretariat to make new efforts to this goal. China will continue to support the work of the Secretary General and looks forward to close cooperation with the Secretariat under his leadership.