On 12 May, the SCO Secretariat hosted a meeting between Deputy SCO Secretary-General Sherali Jonon and Qu Weixi, Vice President of the Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
They discussed ways of how to invigorate the work of analytical centres of SCO member states and also how to raise their practical role in facilitating the development of SCO countries' economies.
Sherali Jonon noted that the SCO Consortium of Economic Analytical Centres should become an effective platform for analysing data, conducting research and providing member states with economic policy recommendations.
He also noted the need for implementing the provisions of the Consortium's Regulations as soon as possible and holding its first meeting, scheduled for the second half of 2020 in India, as well as fulfilling agreements reached at the SCO Heads of Government Council (HGC) Meeting in 2019 in Tashkent.
In turn, Mr Qu Weixi said that the Academy was ready to closely cooperate with the SCO Secretariat in implementing the provisions of the Regulations and praised the potential role of "think tanks" in the Organisation's work. He invited a delegation of the SCO Secretariat to visit the Academy at a convenient time.