SCO TEMP: Building a New SCO Ecology Marked by the Deep Integration of Digital and Traditional Economies

By Tang Gang

Opening Remarks：

The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI）. Since its inception over three years ago， the Trade and Economic Multifunctional Platform for SCO （Shanghai Cooperation Organization） Countries （SCO TEMP） has been actively promoting interaction and cooperation between Chongqing and the SCO region under the guidance of the in-depth implementation of the joint development of the BRI. These efforts have resulted in innovative achievements in international exchange and cooperation with Chongqing characteristics.

Starting from this issue， our journal will have a column named “SCO Moments”， aiming to lead readers to delve into SCO TEMP and see how the platform promotes interactions and cooperation in commerce and trade on the new journey to build a new Chongqing in a new era.

With the purpose of jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind and driven by the in-depth implementation of the BRI， SCO TEMP， located in Chongqings Liangjiang New Area， has experienced rapid development in recent years.

As of April 2023， SCO TEMP had set up 12 working committees related to education services， mining services， the aluminum industry， digital agricultural trade services， environmental resource services， and agricultural product supply chain， among others. It actively facilitated cooperation between Chongqing and the SCO region in various fields such as education and industry， becoming a new bridge of communication between Chongqing and the SCO region.

Win-Win Collaboration： Settlement of International Exchange and Cooperation Platform in Liangjiang New Area

On June 15， 2001， Shanghai Cooperation Organization or SCO， a permanent intergovernmental international organization was established in Shanghai， China， with China， Russia， Kazakhstan， Kyrgyzstan， Tajikistan， and Uzbekistan as its founding members. Since then， it has become a prominent issue of concern regarding how to expand and enhance the efficiency of economic and trade interactions， cultural tourism exchanges， and people-to-people and cultural exchanges among SCO member states.

On August 24， 2019， SCOs Industrialist Committee， Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing， and some others jointly developed SCO TEMP， which officially settled in the Area. In November 2020， a non-profit organization called the Chongqing Council for Brand Development? was established， responsible for SCO TEMPs construction and operation.

It is reported that SCO TEMP， located in Chongqing and based in China， is aimed to influence the SCO region， link the surrounding areas， and impact the world. It is a multi-domain and multifunctional international platform for exchanges and cooperation that is focused on economic and trade work. Its primary mission is to construct a new SCO ecosystem marked by the deep integration of digital and traditional economies.

Innovation-based Development： Empowering Interactions and Cooperation Between Chongqing and the SCO Region

As one of the significant achievements in SCOs 20-year development process， SCO TEMP has gained the attention and support of multiple parties since its establishment.

In November 2020， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed at the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States that the China-SCO Forum on the Digital Economy Industry would be held in Chongqing in 2021. On August 23， 2021， the Forum took place as scheduled in Chongqing， at the same time as the “Parallel Session： Trade and Economic Multifunctional Platform for SCO Countries （TEMP） in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area”. During the Parallel Session， then Secretary-General of SCO Vladimir Imamovich Norov noted that SCO TEMP played a significant role in further strengthening and developing inter-regional cooperation within the SCO region in Chongqing and it was an essential carrier to enhance mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation between China and SCO.

In the same year， the Presentation of Trade and Economic Multifunctional Platform for the SCO Countries （TEMP） in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area was successfully held at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing， receiving high praise. The attendees all expressed their support and willingness to cooperate.

In January 2022， Chongqings government work report included “Implementing the SCO TEMP concretely and striving to build an import trade innovation promotion demonstration zone” in the municipal government work plan.

Hu Kaiqiang， Deputy Director of the Hong Kong， Macao， Taiwan， and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and Secretary-General of SCO TEMP， said that SCO TEMP would continue to innovate international economic and trade cooperation models and apply advanced digital industry concepts， to provide global supply chain integration services for regional industries international layout and economic and trade cooperation in SCO member states.

Photo/SCO TEMP