China’s President Xi Jinping has urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to fend off „external interference.“ As Chinese state television CCTV reported on Thursday, Xi Jinping called for member states to protect development rights against „small yard, high fences“ policies at the SCO summit in Astana – apparently alluding to the growing protectionism of Western countries towards China. The regional economic, defense and security bloc includes China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and – since Thursday – Belarus.