The 4th SCO High-end Forum & 2023 Banqiao Forum Opened in Qingdao
On November 17, the 4th SCO High-end Forum & 2023 Banqiao Forum opened at Qingdao·SCODA Pearl International Expo Center.
Zhang Ming, SCO Secretary-General; Song Junji, Vice Governor of Shandong and Secretary General of Shandong Provincial Government; Chen Bo, President of China Institute of International Studies and Director of China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Center; Geng Tao, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Qingdao; and Zhang Xinzhu, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and Secretary of the CPC Working Committee of SCODA attended the event and delivered speeches. Liu Mingche, Permanent Representative of China to the SCO Secretariat and Counsellor of the Department of Eurasian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Li Gang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Working Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of SCODA, delivered keynote reports. Chen Baiwei, Deputy Director General of Shandong Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and Executive Vice President of Shandong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; and Liu Taiguang, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Shandong Provincial Government, attended the event.
Zhang Ming said in his speech that as the SCO family grows, we hope that SCODA could play a more significant role and deliver more results in serving local economic and trade cooperation, facilitating deeper and more solid local economic and trade cooperation, and promoting the high-quality and sustainable development of SCO countries. I hope that in-depth discussions and full exchanges at today's forum will provide valuable intellectual support for the SCO's healthy, stable, and sustainable development.
Song Junji said in his speech that he expects everyone to give full play to their professional advantages, contribute ideas, inspire wisdom, and provide insights to build a world that is clean, beautiful, open, inclusive, and with lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.
Chen Bo expressed the hope that the attendants could pool wisdom and create new ideas to promote the SCO to continuously achieve new development, build an even closer SCO community of a shared future, and contribute wisdom and strength to solve the difficulties and obstacles in the development of SCO and enhance the efficiency of cooperation.
In his speech, Geng Tao hoped that all guests could speak freely, contribute wisdom, deliver substantial and pragmatic results, improve the reputation and recognition of SCODA, and jointly build a new platform for Belt and Road international cooperation.
In his speech, Zhang Xinzhu hoped that based on SCODA's needs for development under various scenarios, experts and scholars can give full play to their respective expertise, support and participate in the construction of SCODA, explore the direction and path of policy innovation, and system innovation, link high-quality resources, and share new opportunities for high-quality development of the Belt and Road.
At the forum, Liu Mingche delivered a report on the situation of the SCO and Li Gang delivered a keynote report entitled Sharing Opportunities of the SCO, Win-Win Cooperation for the Future.
Hosted by the China Institute of International Studies and the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Center, and organized by the Administrative Committee of SCODA and the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade (the SCO Economic and Trade Development Institute), this forum is the first high-level academic forum held in SCODA under the framework of the SCO. Through the exchange and discussion of experts and scholars, a broad range of ideas and consensus were reached and insights were shared. The current situation and prospects of the SCO's development were analyzed in an in-depth manner to promote the steady and long-term prosperity of the organization.
During the opening ceremony, Banqiao Forum, the flagship think tank brand of the SCO Economic and Trade Development Institute, was launched.
Research results were officially released, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Blue Paper The Shanghai Cooperation Organization in a Comparative Perspective: Directions and Paths and the Report on the Construction and Development of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area.
"SCODA is the 'Chinese solution' with 'Chinese wisdom' proposed by China to promote the economic and trade cooperation among SCO countries. It not only opens up a new path and brings new hope for solving the difficult problems of SCO economic and trade cooperation but also provides an important practical platform and useful experience for building an SCO community with a shared future." said Deng Hao, Secretary General of China Shanghai Cooperation Organization Research Center.
"We will take this event as an opportunity to further highlight the demonstrative and leading role, extensively link expert and think tank resources, carry out in-depth academic research, and consulting services for the SCO and countries engaging in building the Belt and Road, and accelerate solving various issues in local economic and trade cooperation. We aim to build a gathering place of experts and scholars with international influence, a hosting place of flagship academic forums and a source of advice for decision-making, provide intellectual support for local economic and trade cooperation among SCO countries, and accelerate the building of a new platform for Belt and Road international cooperation." Li Gang said.
During the forum, the Planning for the Scientific and Technological Innovation Comprehensive Service Base of SCODA was released. The participating experts conducted in-depth discussions on two topics: "Regional hot spot issues and the evolution of the international order" and "the current situation and prospect of SCO cooperation".
Liu Jingming, Zhou Lin, and Fu Zhonghua attended the event.