On 11 June 2018, the SCO and ASEAN Secretaries-General met at the SCO Headquarters in Beijing.
Following up on the agreements reached earlier, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, who attended the SCO Summit in Qingdao on 9-10 June 2018, visited the SCO Headquarters on 11 June 2018, on the invitation of SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov, to continue the discussion of practical cooperation between the SCO and ASEAN secretariats on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2005.
The visit of ASEAN's top administrative and executive official to the SCO Secretariat was the first ever in the history of relations between the two organisations.
The officials had a thorough discussion on key aspects of regional cooperation.
They noted the similarity of their organisations' objectives, as well as of their approaches to ensuring the continued development of regional cooperation.
Lim Jock Hoi said that he was impressed by the SCO Summit in Qingdao. According to him, it is clear that the organisation has been developing fast, as new members are being admitted and new opportunities are being created. He added that they appreciated the invitation and were grateful for the opportunity to observe the development of cooperation within the SCO.
He also noted that the "Shanghai spirit" principles help promote the successful development of diversified cooperation and maintain effective dialogue at the SCO.
He said that his organisation attached special importance to strengthening cooperation between the SCO and ASEAN.
"As the largest universal organisations of the Asia-Pacific region, ASEAN and the SCO are acting as the main structures for security, as well as for the further development of cooperation in the region," said Rashid Alimov during his talks with Lim Jock Hoi. "Clearly, further development of cooperation between ASEAN and the SCO will create new opportunities and prospects for the world's largest region that brings together countries with similar traditions, shared spiritual values and the common aspiration for mutually beneficial joint development."
A series of practical measures to step up cooperation between the two organisations' secretariats was also discussed.
The SCO and ASEAN have been partner organisations since 2005. Cooperation between the SCO and ASEAN is based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the secretariats of the two organisations. Meetings between the SCO and ASEAN Secretaries-General serve as a regular format for maintaining dialogue and discussing current international affairs and various aspects of the ongoing cooperation between the SCO and ASEAN.