On the afternoon of June 18, the 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 
International Round Table was successfully held in Lianyungang city, Jiangsu 
province. The conference was co-hosted by the Secretariat of the SCO and 
Lianyungang Municipal People's Government, with the theme of "enhancing 
international cooperation in economy and trade, and promoting facilitation in 
merchandise exports and imports among SCO member states".

The SCO Secretariat and relevant officials from SCO member states, observer 
countries, and dialogue partner countries participated in the meeting in the 
form of "online + offline". The meeting was chaired by Fang Wei, the Mayor of 
Lianyungang city. Vladimir Norov, Secretary-General of the SCO Secretariat, Hui 
Jianlin, Deputy Governor of Jiangsu Province, and Xiang Xuelong, Secretary of 
the CPC Lianyungang Municipal Committee delivered speeches.

As a strong fulcrum for the Belt and Road intersection and the important node 
city in the New Eurasian Continental Bridge Economic Corridor, Lianyungang 
assumes the role of a two-way opening window and a sea-land conversion hub. In 
recent years, with the vigorous economic development of the SCO countries and 
the in-depth implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, Lianyungang is 
making every effort to build the SCO overseas base and the China-Kazakhstan 
logistics cooperation base. The cooperation effects and demonstration effects 
achieved caused widespread concern.

On the basis of the cooperation results of the first SCO Round Table, using the 
SCO's actual needs and long-term development of international industrial 
cooperation and special product trade as entry point, this year's meeting aims 
at new trends and explores new ideas, new countermeasures, and constructs the 
international logistics cooperation relationship of mutual respect, mutual 
support, and win-win cooperation.

Participants affirmed the important contribution of Lianyungang in the SCO 
member states in fighting the COVID-19 and coping with its negative impact, and 
noted the huge development potential of port of Lianyungang, and believed that 
the urban logistics and industrial clusters should be used more actively. It is 
to strengthen the multilateral cooperation and exchanges in the SCO Free Trade 
Zone, and develop cooperation in the transportation, transshipment and 
processing of transnational goods under the framework of the national strategy 
and the Belt and Road Initiative.

For more details, please visit http://www.scoilp.gov.cn/Default.aspx?mpid=10

Source: Lianyungang Municipal People's Government