General Secretary Instructed on SCODA's Development, Qingdao Undertook Important Task Once Again
More important projects of the SCODA were commented by General Secretary Xi Jinping.
On September 17, the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO Member States was held, President Xi Jinping delivered an important statement titled Staying True to Our Founding Mission and Forging Ahead on a New Journey of SCO Cooperation, and made five suggestions. It was mentioned in the statement that China will establish the SCO Business and Trade Institute.
On September 18, the head of the Eurasian Affairs Division of the Ministry of Commerce interpreted the economic and trade initiative and achievements of the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO Member States: During this meeting, China declared the establishment of the SCO Business and Trade Institute. China will give full play to the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area in Qingdao, Shandong, to further strengthen the cultivation of economic and trade talents for SCO and Belt and Road countries, thus facilitating the multilateral economic and trade cooperation.
At this important international occasion, the General Secretary particularly mentioned the SCO Business and Trade Institute, which once again demonstrated the importance of the SCODA.
On the morning of December 9, 2020, Liu Jianjun, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Committee, Secretary of the CPC Jiaozhou Committee, Secretary of the Party Working Committee, and Director of the Administrative Committee of the SCODA, Head of the Leading Group for Building SCO Economic and Trade College, presided over the meeting on the preparation for SCO Business and Trade Institute at Qingdao University.
The meeting conveyed the instruction of Liu Jiayi, Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee on building SCO Economic and Trade College at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPC Provincial Committee on December 4. This means that the principal leader of Shandong Province attaches great importance to SCO Business and Trade Institute. Meanwhile, a Leading Group for Building SCO Business and Trade Institute was established, headed by a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qingdao Committee.
It was also decided that SCO Economic and Trade College should be jointly operated by Qingdao University, Shandong University and Fudan University.
The SCO Business and Trade Institute will focus on economics and trade, and international scientific cooperation. It will create an open platform for cooperation with SCO countries, including talent cultivation, scientific research, research findings transformation, and the building of think tanks.
On July 24, 2019, the meeting of the Commission for Deepening Overall Reform of the CPC Central Committee approved The General Plan for Building China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area which specified that the implementation entity of the SCODA was Qingdao Municipality of Shandong Province. Shandong Province fully supports Qingdao to build the SCODA and will utilize the resources of the whole province to raise the influence and radiation effect of the SCODA.
In addition to talent cultivation and technological exchange, Shandong Province also supports the SCODA by facilitating the collaboration between the SCODA and the other cities within the province, as well as the provinces and cities of the Yellow River basin, so that the whole province and the whole Yellow River basin becomes a vast hinterland for the SCODA's collaboration with SCO countries.
All these require effective and concrete actions.
For both Shandong and Qingdao, this is not only a important task, but also an unprecedented development opportunity.