On 3 April 2019, a delegation of SCO ambassadors headed by SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov visited the Weihai professional college in the Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Delegation members met with Weihai Deputy Mayor Gao Shuliang and Wu Yonggang, Secretary of the college's Communist Party Committee.
The Weihai professional college employs 1,100 lecturers and office workers and has 15,000 students. It ranks among exemplary state higher education institutions and is an excellent state level facility for training skilled specialists.
Wu Yonggang suggested the establishment of the SCO Youth Exchanges Centre at the college in order to expand cooperation between the college and the SCO member states. He also suggested holding a professional expertise competition and launching exchanges and cooperation with the SCO countries' education institutions.
At their history-making Qingdao summit, the SCO heads of state noted the importance of pooling the international community's efforts to counter attempts to involve young people in the activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups, the SCO Secretary-General pointed out. In this connection, they passed a joint appeal to young people. The document underscored their intention to launch comprehensive intra-SCO work to enlighten the younger generation and to contribute to their spiritual and moral education. In this context, the activities of the Weihai professional college that trains young people in over 50 professions is a very important example of channelling the younger generation's activities in a constructive direction.
Ambassador Xiao Qinghua from the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of European-Central Asian Affairs, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the People's Republic of China Vikram Misri, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the People's Republic of China Masood Khalid, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China Andrei Denisov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan to the People's Republic of China Parviz Davlatzoda and Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the People's Republic of China Yerik Ashimov took part in the event.
The Weihai College cooperates with over 230 major companies and enterprises and has launched fruitful cooperation with partners from the SCO member states. An international education forum has been organised as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The college has also organised international professional expertise competitions for students.
The college's students get degrees in 59 higher-education professions and 18 technical professions. The college has established cooperation with over 230 major companies and enterprises in Weihai and has established extracurricular training centres in partnership with 382 companies and enterprises.