On 20 November 2020, a delegation of the SCO Secretariat led by SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sherali Jonon took part in the 2nd Siping Development Conference and a conference on promoting an industrial development investment project organised by the People's Government of the Jilin Province.
The events were attended by some 400 people, including the heads of the municipal and provincial authorities and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as representatives of the business community and the public from the cities of Siping and Yitong and the Jilin Province.
SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sherali Jonon read out the address on behalf of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov, who pointed out that the development of an international cooperation zone satisfied with high-level requirements of China's State Council and that its development concept provides for promoting open cooperation in industry, science and technology, humanities and the environment.
The zone will have innovative cooperation standards and mechanisms, as well as a modern industrial infrastructure and a favourable business environment with predictable and reliable legal norms, simplified procedures and efficient management services, as stipulated in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Changchun-Jilin-Tumenjiang regional development plans.
Vladimir Norov expressed the hope that the planned ethnographic park in the Siling zone would become another attraction of Siling, a vital centre in northeast China connecting the country with the entire Far East.
The SCO Deputy Secretary-General praised the high standards of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation of the Jilin Province and the cities of Siping and Yitong with the SCO member states.
Sherali Jonon also had meetings with Siping Municipal Party Secretary Guo Lingji and Zhang Heng, Party Secretary of the Committee of Yitong Manchu Autonomous County.
During Sherali Jonon's meeting with Guo Lingji, the Chinese partners pointed out that the Siping authorities were promoting reforms, innovation and openness and enhancing domestic demand with a focus on investment and project implementation. They are building a pilot national zone of modern agricultural production, a demonstration zone and a logistics distribution hub in Northeast China of crucial importance for the high-quality development of Jilin.
Yitong County Party Secretary Zhang Heng spoke highly about the SCO's role in many spheres of cooperation, including politics, security, the economy and social sciences. He informed the visitors about the promotion of the Yitong ethnographic park project within the framework of the SCO. The project was presented by the local business community. Zhang Heng asked them to convey their request for assistance to the ethnographic park project to the SCO Secretary-General.
SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sherali Jonon thanked the Yitong County party committee and government for the invitation and updated them on the SCO's main activities.
He added that all proposals and ideas about collaboration with the SCO should be forwarded via the country's related agencies for coordination with other SCO member states.
The meetings were held in a friendly atmosphere. The sides agreed to maintain working ties.
The SCO Secretariat delegation included Senior Expert for economic and social matters at the SCO Secretariat Muratbek Azymbakiev.