QINGDAO - The 2023 "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summer" Culture and Tourism Week was launched in Qingdao last Friday with various promotional events to further enhance mutual understanding among the SCO member states.

A wide variety of activities including the SCO member states' tourism resource promotion conference was organized during the week in the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area.
During the launch ceremony, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Vladimir Norov emphasized that the SCO is a dynamic international organization with diverse civilizations, and cultural exchanges among the member states have been increasing and their cooperation becoming closer.
The promotion week serves as an opportunity for the SCO member states to strengthen cooperation and deepen understanding in various areas, including tourism interaction and cultural heritage protection.
It is aimed to usher the people-to-people exchanges within the SCO community into a new stage, and foster greater mutual understanding and cooperation among the member states, Norov noted.
The 2023 "SCO Summer" featured nearly 50 special events, including cultural and artistic exhibitions and performances.
The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.