Qingdao preps up for SCO summit

Qingdao [China]: Qingdao, a coastal city in China is all set to welcome guests for the18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

During the weekend, leaders of the eight SCO member states, four observer states, the heads of other international organisations are going to exchange views on the development of SCO, according to Xinhua.

This will be the first SCO summit after June 2017, when India and Pakistan were accepted as full members. The summit will be chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Over 2,500 journalists from China and abroad are expected to cover the summit this year.
The leaders of the member states will sign the Qingdao Declaration and some other agreements on security, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

During the summit, the leaders will also analyze international and regional security situations and discuss measures to boost cooperation.
The SCO was founded in Shanghai 17 years ago and it now accounts for nearly half of the world's population and over 20 percent of global GDP.
It is by far the largest regional organisation in the world.