Since 2001, members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have upheld the Shanghai Spirit amid steady expansion of regional trade. In 2025, China's total trade with other SCO members hit nearly $524 billion, over 40 times the 2001 level of about $12 billion.

Regional cooperation is shifting from trade of goods to real‑sector investment. China's cumulative investment stock in member states tops $84 billion, with more than 3,000 local enterprises established and over 200,000 annual jobs created on average.