On 18 December 2020, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Zhang Haizhou took part in the Asian Regional Cooperation Forum organised by the China Institute of International Studies.
The event was attended by representatives from the Asian Cooperation Dialogue Secretariat, the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (China, South Korea, Japan), the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and think tanks in China, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.
In his speech, the SCO Deputy Secretary-General outlined the main prospects and areas of focus for interregional cooperation in countering today's challenges and threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic, international terrorism, drug trafficking and criminal activity in information and communications technologies, as well as in the development of economic integration.
Special emphasis was placed on the significant potential of the SCO as a promising format for aligning various cross-border projects and multilateral integration initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Eurasian Economic Union, the North-South project and other national development strategies.
In conclusion, Zhang Haizhou stressed the importance of further expanding the multi-disciplinary dialogue between the SCO and ASEAN, including in the field of digital technology, youth and education policy.