2019 SCO Day & SCO Member States – The Eight wonders Exhibition Tour kicked off in Beijing

On June 21, 2019 SCO Day & SCO Member States – The Eight wonders Exhibition Tour kicked off in Beijing. Sponsored by Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretariat, the event aims to summarise the activities SCO has held in the past year, express appreciation for all social circles’ support and assistance to the organisation, and promote the multi-faceted cooperation. Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary-General, Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China, and Song Yu, Secretary-General of World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) attended the event and made speeches.

Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary-General making a speech

Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary-General said in his speech that the organisation, along with others and countries in the world have been actively conducting conversation and cooperation, which have contributed to remarkable achievements in sustainable development and other fields. From June 12th to the 14th of this year, the Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Heads of State Council was held in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic. Fruitful achievements have been made throughout the meeting, which have convincingly demonstrated that the SCO has been aiming to become a model of solidarity, magnanimousness, equality, and mutual trust in international communication and cooperation. In addition, Norov also introduced the Eight Wonders of the SCO project. The project has successfully connected eight countries such as India, Pakistan, China, and the Kyrgyz Republic with each other through history and culture. It aims to promote the cooperative development in the field of tourism, and to implement the decisions made at the SCO Qingdao Summit.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China addressing attendees

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China spoke highly of the achievements the SCO has made since its creation. “The organisation has been adhering to the Shanghai Spirit by comprehensively promoting cooperation in politics, economy, culture, external association, and effectively promoting the prosperity of all member states.” Shen Yueyue proposed that all parties were supposed to join the building of the Belt and Road, continuously improve the level of cooperation in various fields, promote a greater role of the SCO in regional development, and make positive contributions to the establishment of a new type of international relations, building a community with a shared future for mankind. Shen Yueyue also said that China has been highly valuing the development of the SCO, and was willing to make every effort to promote the works that the organisation implements together with other member and observer states, along with dialogue partners.

Song Yu, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Cities Federation addressing the assembly

Song Yu, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Cities Federation said in his speech that the SCO and the WTCF had signed a strategic cooperation agreement in 2017, in which the two organisations have been jointly playing important roles in the construction of the Belt and Road node cities and the tourism corridor , fostering multilateral exchange and cooperation of world tourism. WTCF is the world’s first international organisation focusing on cities, with its major members from 70 countries, regions, and tourism enterprises with a whole industry chain throughout the world. Guided by the core vision of Better City Life through Tourism, WTCF, since its establishment, has held Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit in many cities, released reports associated with the tourism industry, brought the concept of a shared economy by the evolution of world tourism, and promoted the sustainable, intensive, and efficient development of this global market sector. According to Song Yu, WTCF sincerely wishes to enhance cooperation with all member states of the SCO, and in turn build their cities into world-class tourism destinations.

Vladimir Norov, SCO Secretary-General (right) accompanied Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China (left) in the inspection of the SCO Member States – The Eight wonders Exhibition Tour

During the event, Norov accompanied domestic and overseas guests in the inspection of the SCO Member States – The Eight wonders Exhibition Tour to discuss about necessary resources, tourism projects, cultural products with creative elements and distinctiveness in tourism culture.

It is known that SCO Day is a tradition hosted by the SCO Secretariat. Early this year, Norov proposed that the SCO and the WTCF will jointly hold the Eight Wonders of the SCO, a series of special tourism events from September 2019 to April 2022. The events will include round-table meetings to discuss the tourism potential among member states along with their respective presentations of relative projects. The first of the series of conventions, the SCO Member States – The Eight wonders Exhibition Tour will be held contingently on platforms such as the SCO Pavilion of the 2019 Beijing Expo and the Euro Asia Economic Forum.