From July 17 to 19, the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference, hosted by the People's Government of Shandong Province and co-organized by the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province and the People's Government of Qingdao Municipality, opened at the Qingdao·SCO Jewel International Expo Center. Zhou Naixiang, Governor of Shandong Province, Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary-General of the SCO, and other Chinese and foreign leaders and guests delivered speeches. Sheng Li, a distinguished professor from the School of Political Science and Public Administration at Shandong University and executive dean of the SCO Research Institute, was invited to attend the event.

During the conference, Professor Sheng accompanied the delegation on tours of the pavilions representing various countries and regions, attended events such as the Belarus Local Economic and Trade Promotion Conference and the Inaugural Meeting of the Belarus-Qingdao, China Cooperation Working Group, as well as the Shandong-Hong Kong-Macao Technology Innovation Cooperation and Exchange Matchmaking Event. He also granted an interview to the China News Service. During the interview, Professor Sheng emphasized that local economic and trade cooperation plays a fundamental and pioneering role in promoting practical cooperation within the SCO framework. He noted that countries could achieve in-depth alignment in specific projects and industrial sectors, fostering a mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation landscape. Additionally, Professor Sheng engaged in in-depth discussions with participants from Belarus, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Kazakhstan, and also held talks with leaders of the SCO Demonstration Zone Management Committee on issues such as policy research and the organization of academic events.

The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference provided a platform for regional countries to deepen practical local economic and trade cooperation and offered crucial support for building a more closely-knit SCO economic and trade cooperation network. Professor Sheng's participation in discussions and his interview with a central media outlet injected the wisdom of Shandong University into promoting regional cultural exchanges and establishing long-term, stable local economic and trade cooperation relations.