On 17 May 2018, Tianjin in the People's Republic of China hosted the 8th Meeting of Heads of the SCO Member States' Counter-Narcotics Agencies. The Meeting was chaired by China.

Deputy Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China Liu Yuejin and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Rashid Alimov greeted the meeting participants.

Head of the Drug Control Department at the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China Liang Yun chaired the Meeting that included Mutha Asok Jain from the Republic of India Narcotics Control Bureau, Arystangany Zapparov from the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan, A. Zhaichibekov from the Interior Ministry of the Kyrgyz Republic, Iqbal Mehmood from the Ministry of Narcotics Control of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Kirill Smurov from the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation, Murtazo Haydarzoda from the Narcotics Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and Ahmed Mansurov from the National Information-Analytical Narcotics Control Centre under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The meeting participants exchanged constructive opinions on the narcotics situation in the SCO member states, international and regional narcotics developments and the prospects for expanded international cooperation in countering illegal narcotic drug trafficking.

They stressed that, in connection with the aggravated global narcotics situation, it was necessary to further strengthen cooperation between the SCO member states for a coordinated response to illegal drug trafficking.

It was noted that the admission of the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan into the SCO as full member states would facilitate the organisation's efforts to counter illegal drug trafficking at the global and regional levels.

The participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the current international narcotics-control system and to the three UN conventions, and they also noted the unacceptability of legalising the medical consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

They expressed serious concern over snowballing opium production in Afghanistan and the rapidly expanded opium-poppy plantations there in 2017. This situation threatens the socioeconomic development, stability and security of Afghanistan and other states. They agreed to step up bilateral and multilateral cooperation in combating the drug threat from Afghanistan and to support the international community's coordinated efforts and cooperation to resolve this issue.

The participants noted that new trends in the area of illegal drug trafficking, including the sale of synthetic narcotic drugs and new psychoactive substances, the use of information-communications and other technologies for these purposes, as well as the use of trafficking profits as a possible source of funding for terrorist organisations, impact national, regional and global security.

It was noted that cooperation between the SCO and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime was becoming purposeful and consistent. The sides positively assessed the holding of the second joint high-level SCO-UNODP event, The UN and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the Fight against Narcotic Drugs: New Threats and Joint Actions (Vienna, 12 March 2018).

The participants approved a draft SCO cooperation concept to prevent narcotic-drug and psychotropic-substance abuse.

The participants supported more active cooperation between the counter-narcotics agencies in the SCO member states as regards mutual data exchanges on drug related crimes, control over precursors, efforts to reduce demand for narcotic drugs and to streamline the regulatory legal framework.

They thanked the Chinese side that chaired the meeting for their hospitality and excellent working conditions.