On August 13–14, 2026, a delegation from the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation took part in the 16th "Xinjiang Kashi – Central and South Asia" Commodity Fair in Kashi (Kashgar), People's Republic of China, and held talks with representatives of local authorities.
This year's fair brought together representatives from 44 countries. The guest of honour country of the fair was the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In his address at the opening ceremony, SCO Deputy Secretary-General T.R. Midhun noted that the Kashi Trade Fair has served as a useful platform for developing trade and economic ties for over two decades, facilitating the deepening of practical cooperation with SCO member states. Over this period, substantial results have been achieved in a number of areas, including cross-border trade, agricultural imports and exports, new energy, and humanitarian projects.
He emphasised that at the 2025 summit in the People's Republic of China, the leaders of the SCO member states adopted the Tianjin Declaration and approved the SCO Development Strategy for the coming decade, consolidating in these documents the Organisation's course towards promoting the principles of the "Shanghai Spirit" and deepening comprehensive cooperation among member states. The implementation of these priorities is intended to give new impetus to ensuring stability and prosperity in the region.
The Deputy Secretary-General stressed the need to effectively harness the potential of Kashi's advantageous geographical location to build partnership ties with other centres of the SCO countries.