On 25 May 2018, a venue for friendly professional experience exchanges among the SCO family members opened in Beijing, China. Invitations to the opening ceremony, which was organised by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, were accepted by over 30 delegates from the eight SCO member states, four observer countries and six dialogue partners.
The ceremony was also attended by top officials from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Foreign Ministry of China, the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State Administration of Radio and Television (SART), as well as large state-owned Chinese companies.
Opening remarks were delivered by Vice-Chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Jiang Guangping, Deputy Director of the Public Organisations' International Relations Section of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Yuye Yanghua and SCO Deputy Secretary-General Vladimir Potapenko.
The agenda of the first professional experience exchange included several events held in Beijing and Jinan in the Shandong Province, such as lectures, a symposium, visits to local companies, a college and an exhibition, as well as a sightseeing tour of Beijing, which covered the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City.