SCO forum, Smart China Expo kick off in Chongqing

Photo taken on Aug 22, 2021 shows the venue of the 2021 Smart China Expo in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. (Photo/Xinhua)

The China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization forum on the digital economy and Smart China Expo 2021 kicked off at Chongqing International Expo Center in Chongqing on Monday morning.

With themes of "Promoting Common Prosperity by Developing Digital Economy" and "Smart Technology: Empowering Economy, Enriching Life", both events will help to accelerate the the joint efforts of Chongqing and the SCO to build a digital economy industry development and cooperation platform. The events also will fully utilize the edges of the municipality in intelligent manufacturing, digital economy and industrial development to gather more international innovative resources for the city.

The China-SCO forum on the digital economy includes an opening ceremony, agreements' signing, discussion sessions and exhibitions focusing on the digital economy industry and new development directions. Participants will explore new communication models, promote a new ecosystem of cooperation and showcase new development achievements.

"Chongqing serves as a real bridge in cooperation in economy and trade, electronics, transportation, logistics, information technology and tourism for the SCO and ASEAN countries," said Yerik Ashimov, the SCO's deputy secretary-general at a sub-forum on Monday afternoon.

The guests who will attend this forum online and offline come from the organization's 18 member countries, including China, as well as relevant persons in charge of the organization's Secretariat, Business Council and Youth Council.

Six forums, five competitions and more than 100 release activities involving more than 610 companies from 31 countries and regions will participate in the SCE 2021 online and offline.

A total of 92 major programs attracting 252.4 billion yuan ($38.9 billion) of investment were signed at the SCE 2021.

Both events will last from Monday to Wednesday.