In August 2024, four trucks loaded with medical supplies rolled out of a TIR assembly center in the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in east China's Qingdao. Their destination: Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Their weeklong trip marked the launch of the first TIR international road transport route linking SCODA with Uzbekistan.

TIR, which stands for Transports Internationaux Routiers (International Road Transport), is an international customs transit system that simplifies cross-border logistics, helping transport companies save time and cut costs while easing the burden on customs authorities.

To date, SCODA has established four TIR international road transport routes, linking China with Russia, Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. As of July end, 500 TIR vehicles carrying goods valued at over 341 million yuan (around $47.5 million), covering more than 40 categories of products, have taken these routes.

The SCODA-Uzbekistan TIR route opens up new opportunities for trade between China and SCO countries. It also exemplifies China's efforts to advance cooperation among SCO members since assuming the organization's rotating chairmanship in 2024.

According to China's Customs Administration, trade between China and SCO member countries reached $512.54 billion in 2024, up 2.7 percent year on year. In the first five months alone, trade volume stood at $204.92 billion, marking a 0.8-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Beyond economic engagement, China adopted "SCO in Action" as the motto for its chairmanship, organizing more than 100 meetings and activities under the SCO framework. These include the SCO Green Development Forum, the 42nd meeting of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Council, the 2024 SCO Think Tank Forum, the SCO Women's Forum, and the 2024 SCO Ice Hockey Championship. Through these platforms, China is actively fostering political trust, regional security, shared prosperity, people-to-people exchanges and enhanced institutional effectiveness among SCO countries.

Driving practical cooperation outcomes

On April 10, north China's Tianjin hosted the China-SCO Sustainable Development Industrial Investment Promotion Event, the first major activity supporting the upcoming SCO summit in the city. The event gathered leading institutions and enterprises from SCO member countries to showcase sustainable development projects and cooperation opportunities covering sectors including energy, petrochemicals, mining and infrastructure.  

During the event, contracts were signed for 18 projects spanning eight countries, with a total value of 4.795 billion yuan (around $700 million).

Luan Jianzhang, director of Tianjin's Foreign Affairs Office, emphasized that "pragmatism" is the key theme in preparing for the 2025 SCO Summit. "The SCO summit is an important platform to deepen pragmatic cooperation among SCO countries. We hope to facilitate more practical cooperation through a pragmatic summit."

As one of China's earliest coastal port cities open to international trade, Tianjin has leveraged its strategic advantages to strengthen multi-sector pragmatic cooperation with SCO nations. Since 2016, the city has established 24 Luban Workshops – vocational training centers – across 23 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. Among them, 10 are located in SCO member states, such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Pakistan, India, Cambodia and Egypt, sharing vocational education expertise and fostering skill development.

In 2024, Tianjin's trade volume with SCO countries reached 47.39 billion yuan, marking a 15.6-percent growth over 2023. Between 2018 and 2024, actual investments from SCO countries in Tianjin totaled $136.81 million, with 213 new enterprises established. Moreover, Tianjin has developed 20 sister-city partnerships with SCO member states across 11 countries, encouraging frequent exchanges and yielding substantial cooperation outcomes.