Chinese Culture and Tourism Minister Luo Shugang speaks at the press conference of the 15th Cultural Ministers' Meeting of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on May 17. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/Chinaculture.org]

Luo also reviewed achievements of the SCO member states have made in the field of cultural exchanges and cooperation in the past year, and highlighted the positive role of the SCO cultural ministers' meeting in boosting regional cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

Looking into the future, the Chinese minister put forward three suggestions. The first is to further promote the cultural exchanges and cooperation among the SCO member countries, which will lay a solid foundation of public support for the "Shanghai Spirit"; the second is to make innovations in the ways/methods/manners of boosting multilateral cultural exchange methods and strive to build more cultural-related products; the last one is to encourage more cities of SCO member states to actively participate in cultural exchanges and cooperation.

"The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism will, as always, further deepen the exchanges and cooperation with other countries in the cultural field based on the principles of mutual respect and mutual benefit, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship among peoples of all countries, which will provide spiritual motivation and cultural support for the comprehensive, healthy and sustainable development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization," Luo said.

All the member states have agreed that joint activities in the fields of culture and art will help consolidate mutual understanding among people of all countries, protect cultural diversity, and promote the spread of culture in the SCO member states.

The Cultural Ministers' Meeting of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an important mechanism under the multilateral cultural cooperation framework of SCO. The first meeting was held in Beijing in April 2002 and the next meeting will be held in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2019.

The 15th Cultural Ministers' Meeting of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is held in Sanya, Hainan province, on May 17. [Photo by Wu Wei/For Chinaculture.org]