On August 28, the Forum on the Integration of Science, Education and Economy & Trade among SCO Countries was held at Shandong University Qingdao Campus. Ren Youqun, Secretary of the University Party Committee; Ren Gang, Deputy Secretary of the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Qingdao; Jiang Yaoping, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce; Li Gang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Executive Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the SCO Demonstration Area; and Chyntoev, Rector of Kyrgyz National University, attended the opening ceremony.
In his speech, Ren Youqun stated that holding this forum on the eve of the SCO Summit is not only a powerful measure to pool wisdom from all parties and deepen cooperation in the field of education, but also a vivid practice of promoting the building of a SCO Community with a Shared Future through the power of education. Taking the establishment of the "Overseas Joint Research Institute of the SCO" and the "Joint Think Tank Platform for SCO Studies" as an opportunity, Shandong University will strengthen educational cooperation to cultivate high-quality talents, deepen scientific research cooperation to advance technological innovation, and promote economic and trade cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. It will make new contributions to advancing the integrated development of science, education, economy and trade among SCO countries and building a closer SCO Community with a Shared Future.
Ren Gang noted that in recent years, Qingdao has continuously deepened local exchanges with SCO countries, resulting in closer economic and trade cooperation, smoother logistics links, and more dynamic sci-tech, education and cultural exchanges. Accelerating the integrated development of science, education, economy and trade will provide important impetus and support for SCO countries to deepen cooperation and elevate the level and quality of cooperation. He expressed the willingness to take the forum as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and alignment with all parties, make good use of the insights of experts and scholars, strive to implement more practical outcomes in Qingdao, and contribute more to the development of the SCO and regional prosperity.
Li Gang said that the SCO Demonstration Area has always taken building a new platform for international cooperation under the "Belt and Road Initiative" as its mission, and focused on advancing in-depth and practical local economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges among SCO countries. He expressed expectation that participants would focus on the contemporary topic of "the integrated development of education, economy and trade among SCO countries", engage in in-depth exchanges of ideas on science and education, and pool wisdom for the integrated development of economy and trade. The SCO Demonstration Area will continue to deepen cooperation with all parties, promote technology transfer and industrial implementation, advance the integration of science, education, economy and trade, and jointly write a new chapter in the integrated development of science, education, economy and trade among SCO countries.
Chyntoev pointed out that the current era is experiencing global challenges and rapid sci-tech changes, and only the organic integration of science and technology, education and economy can lead to effective solutions that are in line with both national interests and international demands. As the largest education and scientific research center in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz National University has actively carried out multi-faceted cooperation with universities and scientific research institutions of SCO member states. He expressed expectation that all member states would pool wisdom, share opportunities, and work together to build a new pattern of regional development that is open, inclusive, mutually beneficial and win-win.
At the opening ceremony, the licensing ceremony for the "Overseas Joint Research Institute of the SCO" was held. Ren Youqun presented licenses to the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Russia) and Kyrgyz National University.
Li Gang and Xing Zhanjun, Assistant President of Shandong University and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Qingdao Campus, unveiled the plaque for the "Joint Think Tank Platform for SCO Studies".
Jiang Yaoping; Xing Guangcheng, Member of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and former Director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies and the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies under CASS; Sun Zhuangzhi, Director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under CASS; Safin, Vice Rector of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Russia); Men Honghua from Tongji University; Niu Junkai from Sun Yat-sen University; Mi Jian from Beijing Normal University; Kong Tianping from the Institute of European Studies under CASS; Ju Hailong from Jinan University; and Gao Beilei from Nanjing University of Science and Technology delivered keynote reports respectively.
The forum held three parallel sub-forums themed "Current Situation and Opportunities of SCO Economic and Trade Development", "Higher Education and Vocational Education Empowering SCO Economic and Trade Cooperation", and "Deepening Cooperation in Science, Education, Economy and Trade". Experts and scholars in attendance conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on relevant topics.
Li Hucheng, Secretary-General of the Qingdao Municipal Government, participated in the event. Wang Meiqin, Vice President of Shandong University and President of Qingdao Campus, presided over the opening ceremony. Ma Ben, Dean of the School of Political Science and Public Administration of Shandong University and Dean of the Institute of SCO Studies, and Edmund Li Sheng, Distinguished Professor of Shandong University and Executive Dean of the Institute of SCO Studies, presided over the keynote report session. Relevant officials from the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Education, Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Commerce, China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, and China-SCO Institute of Economics and Trade; heads of relevant functional departments and teaching and research units of the university (campus); and more than 60 experts and scholars from countries including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran and China attended the forum.
Hosted by Shandong University and the Administrative Committee of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, the forum was organized by the School of Political Science and Public Administration of Shandong University, the Institute of SCO Studies of Shandong University, and the China-SCO Institute of Economics and Trade. As an important warm-up event before the SCO Summit, the forum, with the theme of "Integration of Science, Education and Economy & Trade among SCO Countries", aims to build a high-end dialogue platform and promote in-depth integrated development of SCO members in the three fields of technological innovation, educational cooperation and economic and trade exchanges.
