TheJiaozhouBayBridgeinQingdaoisacross-seamegabridgethatwasdomesticallydesignedandbuilt.byZhengLiangMorethan17yearshavepassedsincethefoundingoftheShanghaiCooperationOrganization(SCO)in2001.Ithasplayedapositiveroleinpromotinggoodneighborlyfriendshipamongmemberstates,cooperationinmanyareas,regionalpeace,securityandstabilityandbuildinganewworldpoliticalandeconomicorderthatisdemocratic,justandequitable.
TheMeetingoftheCouncilofHeadsofMemberStatesoftheSCOisthemostimportantannualactivityofthisorganization.Thisyearwillseethe“ShanghaiSpirit”celebratedontheshoresoftheYellowSea.InJune,the18thMeetingoftheCouncilofHeadsofMemberStatesoftheSCOwillbeheldintheeasterncoastalcityofQingdaoinShandongProvince.Duringarecentnewsbriefing,ZhangJiangting,secretaryoftheQingdaoMunicipalCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),revealed,“Allpreparationworkisalmostfinished.Thecityiswellequippedforthesummit.”May4,2018:AforeigncargoshipattheautomaticcontainerterminalinQingdao,ShandongProvince.XinhuaWhyQingdao?
OnDecember9,2017,ChineseForeignMinisterWangYiannouncedattheopeningceremonyofthe2017SymposiumonInternationalDevelopmentsandChina’sDiplomacythattheSCOsummitin2018wouldbeheldinQingdao.ThisisthefirsttimeforChinatohosttheSCOsummitsince2012,andQingdaobecomesthethirdChinesecityfollowingShanghaiandBeijingtoholdthissummit.
WhywasQingdaochosentohostthissummit?Accordingtomanyobservers,thecity’seconomicvitality,competence,andopennessmadeitparticularlyattractive.LocatedinthecoastalmetropolitanareaoftheShandongPeninsula,QingdaoisthecoreofShandongProvince’seconomicdevelopment.Itspillarindustriesincludethemarineeconomy,manufacturingandporteconomy.IntheGlobalUrbanCompetitivenessReport2017-2018jointlyissuedbytheChineseAcademyofSocialSciencesandtheUnitedNationsHumanSettlementsProgramme,Qingdaoranked164th,anditwas14thamong21Chinesecitiesinthetop200.
Duringpreparationsforthesummit,Qingdaoplacedgreatattentiononthecombinationofpreparationsandimprovementstothecityandmeetingresidents’needs.Guidedbythisprinciple,allvenuesforthesummitwererenovatedfromexistingbuildings.Withtheoriginalstructurepreserved,thespaceinsidewasupgraded.Thispracticenotonlymeetsthedemandsofthesummit,butalsolaysasolidfoundationforsubsequentoperationofthosebuildingsafterthemeetingcloses.
“Thevenueforthemeeting,theQingdaoOlympicSailingCenter,isaniconofQingdao’sscenery,whichischaracterizedbyacombinationofmountains,oceans,cityandbays,”addedZhang.Heexplainedthattheshapeofthevenueimplies“sailingtopursueadream.”
Asforsecurity,Qingdaohasimplementeddetailedmeasuresonallprocedures.Ithasformulatedacomprehensiveemergencyplanandconductedpracticalexercises.Thecityhasalsomadegreateffortsinfoodsafety.Apantrytoholdallthefoodforthesummithasbeenestablished.Ingredientswillbebought,inspected,storedanddeliveredinaunifiedmanner.Theywillbemonitoredatalltimesandinallplaces.
In2017,“goodair”daysinQingdaoreached342,anincreaseof24dayscomparedtothepreviousyearandthebestnumberinthepastthreeyears.Theforestcoveragerateincreasedto40percent,whichwonthecitythetitleofNationalGardenCity.Qingdao’sendeavorsingreendevelopmentandenvironmentalprotectionhavelaidthegroundworkforthesummit.
DemonstrationZone:PromisingFuture
StafferscanhardlybefoundattheautomaticcontainerterminalintheQingdaoPort.Instead,variouskindsofmachinesperformworkinanorderlyway.Pilesofcontainerscomefrom,andgoto,countriesaroundtheworld.
MaWeigang,directorofQingdao’sBureauofCommerce,notedthatasamajorChinesecityandoneofthefirsttoopentotheworld,opennessisQingdao’sbiggestfeatureandadvantage.
QingdaoisamajorpivotonthenewEurasianlandbridgeundertheBeltandRoadInitiative.Itisalsoastrategichubofmarinecooperation.WithsupportfromChina’sMinistryofCommerce,theEurasianEconomicandTradeCooperationIndustrialParkwasjointlybuiltbyQingdaoandtheSCOBusinessCouncil.Bytheendof2017,QingdaohasinvestedUS$500millionin74projectsincountriesinvolvedwiththeSCO.CountriesrelatedtotheSCOsignedinvestmentcontractsvaluedatUS$475millionconcerning226projectsinQingdao,ofwhichQingdaohasusedUS$157millionforeigninvestmentinareasincludinghouseholdappliances,electronics,textiles,apparel,logisticsandtrade.
OnApril3,2018,China’sMinistryofCommercereleasedadocumentsupportingtheconstructionofChina’sfirstdemonstrationzoneforChina-SCOlocaleconomicandtradecooperationinQingdao.Uponcompletionofthedemonstrationzone,traderelationsbetweenQingdaoandcountriesinvolvedwiththeSCOwillbecomeeventighter.Andtheeffectsofmutuallybeneficialpartnershipswillbecomeevenmoreapparent.ItisexpectedthattheQingdaosummitwillserveasamagnificentstartofalongrelationshipwiththeSCO.
May20,2018:ThefamilyofartistLiuShangyishowtheirpaper-cuttingworkthemedontheSCOsummitatacommunityactivitypromotingtraditionalcultureinQingdao.VCG
ThelandscapeofQingdao,acoastalcityineasternChina’sShandongProvince.byXuXun
SCOFilms:AnotherStory
OnOctober31,2017,QingdaowasdesignatedbytheUnitedNationsOrganizationforEducation,ScienceandCulture(UNESCO)asa“CityofFilm,”thefirstinChina.ThefirstSCOFilmFestivalwillbeheldinthecityfromJune13to17,2018.Thefestivalwillinvitefilmdelegations,artistesandrepresentativesfromthefilmindustriesofeightmemberstatesandfourdialoguepartnersoftheSCO.Over30activitieswillbeheldandnearly60outstandingfilmsfromthosecountrieswillbescreenedandcompeteforawardsatthefestival.
In1898,aGermancinematographerventuredtoQingdaoandshotscenesofthecityandthelivesoftheChinesepeople.HisworkbecameoneofthefirstdocumentariesmadeinChina.YuanMeilin,presidentofQingdaoWestCoastDevelopmentGroup,explained,“Qingdao’stitleasa‘CityofFilm’didnotcomefromnowhere.Thecity’srelationswithfilmcantracebacktotheeramovieswerefirstborn.”ThefestivalwillbeheldintheWestCoastNewAreaofQingdao.Over30world-classfilmstudioshavebeensetupthere.
“TheSCOFilmFestivalisforcommunication,interactionandexchange,”saidYuan.“Theculturesofparticipatingcountrieswillbeonfulldisplayonthisplatform.FilmsproducedbycountriesincludingRussia,India,AfghanistanandIranareamazing.”
WhenChina’sreformandopeningupbeganfourdecadesago,QingdaoledChina’scitiesinopeningtotheworldandembracingfastgrowth.In2008,QingdaohostedtheOlympicSailingRegatta.WhentheSCOsummitopens,foreignguestswillagainbewelcomedbythehospitablepeopleofQingdao.
“ThesummitwillnotonlydemonstratethroughShandongProvinceandQingdaotheachievementsofChina’sreformandopeningupanditsmodernization,butalsofueldevelopmentoftourismandtrade,furtherpromotingQingdao’shigh-qualitygrowth,”addedZhang.
QingdaoisindeedreadyfortheSCOsummit.