The 2021 Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Investment and Trade Expo, which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to open by the end of April in Jiaozhou, a county-level city in Qingdao, Shandong province, according to the organizing committee.

The expo, jointly organized by the Qingdao Municipal Government, the China Chamber of International Commerce, and the Shandong Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, is meant to strengthen local cooperation and exchange with SCO member countries, according to local officials.

Local officials are laying the groundwork for the expo in Jiaozhou, Shandong province. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

The China-SCO Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation, located in Jiaozhou, has received approval from the central government to facilitate cooperation with SCO member states, develop a better platform for international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and form collaborations in logistics, trade, investment, tourism, and culture.

The expo has attracted the attendance of 18 SCO member nations, 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and several countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the organizing committee.

The expo is expected to open at the end of April. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

The expo has an exhibition area of 21,000 square meters and includes zones for image and product exhibitions of SCO member nations, exhibitions by major domestic and foreign enterprises, Belt and Road commodity exhibitions, and exhibitions of agricultural machinery and engineering equipment exports.

More than 600 enterprises from SCO countries and other key Chinese and foreign enterprises will participate in the exhibition, while over 1,000 enterprises will participate via online channels.

Preparatory work for the expo proceeds smoothly. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]