China SCO team has fruitful exchanges in Central Asia

The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area from Qingdao drew attention as its publicity activity was hosted in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, on Nov 2.

SCO is short for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which was founded in 2001 and now has eight member countries.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan. The Qingdao government delegation made Uzbekistan an important venue for its foreign visits against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results could be seen at promotional events held recently in several member countries of the SCO.

Liu Jianjun, vice-mayor of Qingdao, said Tashkent and Qingdao have bright prospects for cooperation on logistics, trade, bilateral investment and people-to-people exchanges.

They expect Uzbekistan will use its geographical advantages in Central Asia and establish more stable and efficient logistics partnership networks, Liu said in a speech at the publicity activity in Tashkent.

He also expects more Uzbek companies, chambers of commerce and guilds to establish direct trade channels with the China-SCO demonstration area and promote regional trade.

After the historical Uzbek city of Samarkand had hosted a Meeting of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States in mid-September, Qingdao implemented initiatives of the meeting and organized a delegation to visit Uzbekistan.

The China-SCO demonstration area also held promotional activities in Moscow and in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan between late October and early November.

The area's development achievements were displayed at an opening-up achievements exhibition of the fifth China International Import Expo which kicked off on Nov 5 and ended on Nov 10 in Shanghai.

A miniature of Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center became a highlight in the exhibition area.

The center impressed a commercial counselor from Iran's embassy in China as it houses an area that specifically sells Iranian products and exhibits of the country's environment and customs.

The counselor said the center was definitely an important platform bridging the trade contacts of the two countries.

Zhang Xinzhu, secretary of the China-SCO demonstration area's Party working committee, said: "In the center, we offer cultural and economic display areas to every SCO member and build new comprehensive space for experiencing their cultures."

Wu Zhengping, director of the trade development bureau at the Ministry of Commerce, said the demonstration area has explored sea-land and cross-border transportation and guaranteed the stability of regional industrial and supply chains while promoting economic cooperation with countries and regions involved in the SCO and the Belt and Road Initiative.