On February 27, 2026, in Shanghai at the invitation of Ruijin Hospital affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Nurlan Yermekbayev took part in the opening ceremony of the China-SCO Center for Metabolic Disease Cooperation.
In his address Nurlan Yermekbayev noted that metabolic diseases and their complications pose a serious challenge to national healthcare systems and require the consolidation of scientific potential as well as the coordination of efforts at the international level.
The Secretary-General expressed confidence that the Center would become an important platform for conducting joint scientific research, exchanging best practices, training highly qualified specialists and implementing modern medical technologies. He emphasized that China has achieved significant success in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of metabolic diseases, and the new Center will help strengthen sustainable partnerships between medical institutions in SCO countries, as well as expand patient access to advanced treatment methods.
Welcoming remarks were also delivered by Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Liu Bin, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China Zheng Zhe, and Vice Mayor of Shanghai Chen Yujian.
Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government Gong Zheng attended the ceremony. Nurlan Yermekbayev and Gong Zheng jointly unveiled the commemorative plaque for the Center.
The event was attended by heads and staff of diplomatic missions from SCO member states, as well as representatives of the medical and academic communities.
During his visit to the city the Secretary-General also toured the Shanghai Institute of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, where he was introduced with its scientific and clinical activities as well as its facilities and infrastructure.
The establishment of the China-SCO Center for Metabolic Disease Cooperation was initiated by Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang during the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of SCO Member States held in Moscow on November 18, 2025.