BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has highlighted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's principle of openness, noting that the current task for the organization is to step up pragmatic cooperation between members.

　　He said China, as host of the SCO summit this June, is consulting with other member nations about inviting guest nations to the summit.

　　Dubbed a new model for regional cooperation, the SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001. Its main focus is regional security and anti-terrorism.

　　The permanent members of the SCO are China, Russia, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its four observer states are Mongolia, Pakistan, India and Iran. Enditem