BEIJING, Sept. 11 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit before paying visits to four Asian countries.

Xi is scheduled to attend the SCO summit on Thursday and Friday in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. After the summit, he will visit Tajikistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India.

Xi's trip is yet again another effort to promote China's neighborhood diplomacy of building an "an amicable, tranquil and prosperous neighborhood," with adherence to the principles of "amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness."

STRENGTHENING SCO, PROMOTING COOPERATION

Xi's attendance at the SCO summit will be an important event of his trip.

Founded in 2001, the SCO has continuously grown to be an important force in safeguarding regional peace and promoting common development. At the end of July this year, the SCO foreign ministers adopted a draft strategy to guide the organization's development until 2025. At the upcoming summit, the leaders will further strengthen top-level design for long-term development of the SCO.

The development strategy will make a comprehensive assessment of the various cooperation areas, said Sun Zhuangzhi, secretary-general of the SCO Research Center under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Denis Tyurin, director of the SCO Business Club, told Xinhua that the strategy will plan the future development of the SCO and determine the future direction of the organization's priorities.

The summit will also approve the legal documents of SCO expansion, which indicates an increasing influence and attractiveness of the organization, said Jabin Thomas Jacob, deputy director of India's Institute of Chinese Studies.

Security and economy are the "two wheels" to continuously push forward the SCO. Since the establishment of the SCO, its member countries continue to strengthen political mutual trust and economic cooperation. China's total trade with other SCO members has increased from 10 billion U.S. dollars to 100 billion dollars.

During the 2013 Bishkek summit, Xi advocated an agreement on facilitation of international road transportation within the SCO so as to build transport corridors connecting the Baltic Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and linking Central Asia with the Indian Ocean and with the Gulf. The leaders are expected to witness the signing of this agreement at this summit.

Sergey Sanakoev, secretary-general of the Russia-China Electrical Association, said that the signing of this agreement will be an important part of Xi's proposal to build the "Silk Road Economic Belt," and the SCO member countries will benefit from the agreement.

CONSOLIDATING TIES WITH NEIGHBORS

With exchanges and interconnectivity, China and its neighbors have formed a community of common destiny. Xi's four-nation tour is another major diplomatic move to advance China's relations with its neighbors and promote common development.

During his visit to Tajikistan, Xi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will witness the launch of bilateral large-scale cooperation projects, which will bring tangible benefits to local people.

"When Tajikistan proposed to develop transportation and break traffic bottlenecks as one of its three strategic objectives, the Chinese side immediately offered support," said Sherali Rahmon, first deputy transport minister.

During the visit, China and Tajikistan will also sign a number of cooperation documents in trade, investment, agriculture, justice and education.

Xi will be the first Chinese head of state to visit the Maldives since the establishment of diplomatic relations 42 years ago.

China has been the Maldives' largest source of tourists in the past four years, said Maldives' Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, adding that Chinese tourists have bailed out his country's tourism industry at a time when the number of European tourists suddenly shrank as a result of the sovereign debt crisis.

Infrastructure is the highlight of China-Maldives cooperation. Maldives' Foreign Ministry building and the National Museum, which were constructed with Chinese aid, have become landmarks of the island country. Despite different national conditions and social systems, China is Maldives' most intimate and powerful development partners.

Xi's visit to Sri Lanka takes place one year after Xi and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, announced in Beijing to upgrade bilateral relations to strategic partnership.

The two leaders are expected to discuss plans to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Its construction will have historical basis and practical significance for Sri Lanka, said Asanga Abeygoonasekera, executive director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies.

The negotiations on a free trade agreement between Sri Lanka and China will be a major topic. Such an agreement will greatly facilitate economic and trade exchanges between the two countries, said Asanga.

China and India, the two largest developing countries in the world, as well as the world's major emerging economies, have great cooperation potential.

During his visit, Xi and Indian leaders will plan the development of China-India relations and identify priority areas and directions of bilateral cooperation.

Jacob of India's Institute of Chinese Studies said that Chinese and Indian economies are highly complementary, and that prospects are good for economic and trade cooperation. "China can be more involved in construction projects in India railways, power plants. India can accept more investment from China," he said.

The Chinese president will deliver a speech in New Delhi to expound on China-India relations and China's South Asia policy.