On 6 November, Shanghai hosted a conference on the import and export of food and agricultural products. The event was held as part of the Third China International Import Expo and organised by the Jiangsu Provincial Government with the support of the Chamber of Commerce of the People's Republic of China.
SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sherali Jonon delivered a welcome address on behalf of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov.
He noted that strong friendly ties have developed between the Jiangsu Province and the SCO. In December 2019, a roundtable of the SCO member states was held in Lianyungang dedicated to expanding trade and logistics cooperation within the organisation. The SCO Secretariat is a regular participant in the annual exhibition of international agriculture cooperation in the Jiangsu Province. The SCO Secretariat delegation was present at the opening ceremony of the cross-border e-commerce experimental centre in the Lianyungang Free Trade Zone.
Sherali Jonon underscored the need to use the broad opportunities of Jiangsu and Lianyungang to further expand cooperation in agriculture, to harmonise sanitary and phytosanitary standards and requirements, to remove certification and customs barriers, and to explore the possibilities for boosting mutual trade.
For reference: Jiangsu Province, located on the Yellow Sea coast, is one of the most important provinces in China. It is a leader in economic development and in agricultural and industrial output. The province's gross regional product (GRP) grew 6.4% over the past year, reaching 10 trillion yuan (around $1.45 trillion). Investment in local R&D projects exceeded 270 billion yuan (2.72% of the province's GRP), while the number of local high-tech companies grew to 24,000 (a net increment of 6,000 a year). The province is vigorously developing new forms of business, including the digital economy.