“SCO elements” and “international cooperation” are the salient features of the SCO Demonstration Area. This is eloquently illustrated by the data. The SCO Demonstration Area has held nearly 300 economic and trade dialogue events, established a routine liaison mechanism with the embassies of 20 SCO-related countries in China, and hosted the 2021 SCO International Investment and Trade Expo and the Second Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference, totaling more than 50 activities. 13 ambassadors of SCO member states to China and more than 130 diplomatic envoys to China visited the SCO Demonstration Area. The SCO Demonstration Area is expanding channels of foreign exchange in an all-round way, broadening the space for foreign exchanges and cooperation, promoting the conclusion of sister city relations, and enhancing the number and quality of international “circle of friends”.
Zhang Ming, Secretary-General of the SCO, commented that the SCO Demonstration Area has effectively fostered SCO local economic and trade cooperation and united the “SCO forces” with opening up. At the SCO featured commodity exhibition and sales event during the “2022 National Online New Year’s shopping festival”, diplomatic envoys from Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and other SCO member states in China entered livestreaming studios for the first time to flack over 100 kinds of SCO featured products for Chinese consumers. They “endorse” premium SCO goods to contribute to the SCO Demonstration Area. The evergreen tree lacebark pine on the banks of Ruyi Lake in the SCO Demonstration Area, an evergreen tree symbolizing friendship, is the “SCO Demonstration Area Friendship Forest” jointly planted by the diplomatic envoys of SCO member states in China during the 2021 SCO International Investment and Trade Expo, including the former SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, and Tajikistan Ambassador to China Saidzoda Zohir. It records the deep friendship between the SCO Demonstration Area and the SCO member states.
Kanaiym Baktygulova, Kyrgyz Ambassador to China, said that key projects such as the Qingdao SCO Pearl International Expo Center built by the SCO Demonstration Area will help the Chinese people to learn about Kyrgyzstan and foster friendly cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China in economic, trade, cultural and other fields. Moin ul Haque, Pakistan’s ambassador to China, said that “The SCO Demonstration Area has set up China-Pakistan Center, which allows Pakistan and SCO member states to strengthen multilateral and bilateral cooperation”. Saidzoda Zohir Ozod, ambassador of Tajikistan to China, said, “The SCO Demonstration Area is an extremely important platform for economic and trade cooperation, helping Tajikistan products enter the Chinese market. We look forward to further fruitful cooperation.”
The SCO Demonstration Area has held over 50 “Sister City Cooperation and a Better Future” events with 37 cities and parks in 14 countries. It has led Qingdao to forge sister city relations with 4 cities and friendly cooperation cities with 7 cities in the SCO member states.