SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov has a meeting with Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee Chen Min’er

On 24 August 2019, Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, who went to Chongqing for the 2nd Smart China Expo, had a meeting with Chen Min'er, member of the 19th Politburo of the Communist Party of China and Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee.

The officials discussed the strengthening of trade, economic, research, technological, cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Chongqing.

Chen Min'er noted that the Chinese city was interested in promoting mutually beneficial ties with the SCO countries, as one could see from the results of the SCO countries' regional heads forum held in Chongqing in May of this year. The Chinese official spoke about the economically advantageous location of the city and its economic and research potential, as well as about the possibility of deepening cooperation with the SCO. He pointed out the importance of the Smart China Expo and spoke highly of the SCO's pavilion. He said the exhibition brought into sharp relief the growing trade and economic collaboration between the SCO member states.

The SCO Secretary-General thanked Chen Min'er for inviting him to attend the 2nd Smart China Expo as well as for the warm welcome and the traditional Chinese hospitality.

Vladimir Norov noted that Chongqing was one of the most booming and dynamically developing economic centres of China in the spheres of production, transport communications and ICT. He said that Chongqing can become a major link in the development of economic ties between the SCO and ASEAN nations.

The SCO Secretary-General also spoke about the main spheres of multilateral cooperation in the implementation of the Concept of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in Digitalisation and Information and Communication Technology and the importance of the Chongqing exhibition in this respect.

Vladimir Norov expressed his appreciation of the municipal authorities' efforts to boost trade, economic, humanitarian, transport and logistical cooperation between the SCO member states. He also congratulated the municipal government on the success of the May forum of the SCO countries' regional heads, adding that their meeting created conditions for the adoption of the Regulations of the SCO Heads of Regions Forum and the Programme for the Development of Interregional Cooperation of the SCO Member States adopted at the Bishkek summit.