On the morning ofDecember25, 2023, the5th lecture of the “Cooperation and Development” series, jointly organized by the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University, the Institute of SCO Studies of Shandong University, the Institute for Public Safety Research of Shandong University, was successfully held at the meeting room S436 on the fourth floor of Huagangyuan South Building. This lecture is themed "Looking Ahead to the Belt and Road Initiative and Reenacting the Silk Road Story", and it is delivered by Djoomart Otorbaev, adistinguishedprofessor at the Belt and Road Institute of Beijing Normal University and a renowned expert on SCO issues who has held important leadership positions for a long time. The lecture was chaired by Professor Edmund Li Sheng, Distinguished Professor at the School of Political Science and Public Administration and Executive Dean of the Institute of SCO Studies, Shandong University.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Djoomart Otorbaev introduced the reasons why he paid attention to Chinese studies. Based on his practical observations, he spoke highly of the necessity of the Belt and Road Initiative against the backdrop of globalization, emphasizing that remarkable achievements had been made in the past decade, which promoted infrastructure construction in Central Asia. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway is a prime example: while significantly shortening the distance between China and Europe, it has also strongly boosted the vigorous development of bilateral and multilateral trade in the region. Professor Edmund Li Sheng believed that Professor Djoomart Otorbaev provided Chinese scholars with a different perspective for Eurasian studies.

In the interactive communication session, teachers and students discussed issues such as the challenges faced by the Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia and the forms of cooperation between Central Asian countries and China. At the end of the lecture, Professor Edmund Li Sheng summarized the meeting and once again expressed his gratitude for Professor Djoomart Otorbaev's wonderful speech.

This lecture provided a communication platform for the teachers and students present to further understand and study relevant issues such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the relations between China and Central Asian countries.The School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University remains committed to providing high-quality academic resources for its faculty and students, both domestically and internationally. We encourage continued attention to the school’s updates and the "Cooperation and Development" lecture series organized by the Institute of SCO Studies.