On 21 November 2020, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov attended a session on internet technology in the context of the national leadership's Beautiful China and Healthy China initiatives.
The event was held on the sidelines of the fifth Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou.
The SCO Secretary-General pointed out that the Chinese leaders' close attention to the development of the digital industry, environmental literacy and the healthcare system was proof of the nationwide awareness of the world's new challenges and possibilities.
He noted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation had always prioritised countering the so-called new or non-traditional threats to the region's peaceful and sustainable development, in particular international terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crime.
Vladimir Norov added that amid the COVID-19 pandemic the accelerating digitalisation of nearly all socioeconomic spheres was hampered by increased information security threats, including cybercrime.
He said in this connection that the SCO Moscow summit declaration highlighted the importance of consolidating UN-led international efforts to create universal rules, principles and norms of responsible behaviour of states in the information space and mentioned China's Global Initiative on Data Security.
The SCO Secretary-General pointed out that all of the organisation's member states had reaffirmed their commitment to multilateral cooperation in fighting contagious diseases and to responding to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies in a way aimed at minimising their negative effect on healthcare and on the economic, social and humanitarian situation in the region.
He noted that the green economy, environmental protection technology and renewable energy were among the vital objectives on the SCO's multifaceted agenda.
Vladimir Norov mentioned the importance of uninterrupted cargo delivery amid the pandemic, including for the purpose of food security. He called for priority attention to be paid to the development of the SCO countries' railway network as the kind of transport that has proved to be the most resilient to international logistics restrictions.
The event was attended by former Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Bai Lichen, former Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Shen Jianguo, Deputy Governor of the Guangdong Province Li Hongjun and Vice-Mayor of Guangzhou Li Ming, as well as members of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Another side event of the Understanding China Conference held the same day was a working seminar on the SCO, which was attended by representatives of China's leading think tanks, who mentioned the far-reaching possibilities for the development of multilateral interaction between the member states' political, business and academic communities.