SCO Summit media center in service

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02:41

The media center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao opened to journalists on Wednesday, where at least 3,000 reporters from around 15 countries are expected to gather.

The summit will take place from June 9 to 10 in east China's Shandong Province.

The first thing you’ll notice at the newly-opened media center is the team of well-prepared volunteers.

"We’ve been waiting for today, and we have done a lot of preparations so we can provide the best service to you,” volunteer Zhu Yiqi, a freshman student at Qingdao Oceanic University, told CGTN.

Many local university students competed long and hard for an opportunity to work as volunteers for this high-profile event.

The media center for the SCO Summit in Qingdao. /VCG Photo

From giving directions to guests to dealing with minor problems, the team of volunteers will be essential for reporters coming from across the world.

"At the information desk, we speak three languages, Chinese, English and Russian,” Zhu told CGTN.

This is the first SCO Summit to take place after India and Pakistan were included as full members. The organization now covers 80 percent of the Eurasian landmass and half of the world’s population.

VCG Photo‍

At the heart of the media center, there are 600 news desks with computers, Internet access and simultaneous interpretation.

The speeches and meetings of the SCO leaders will be broadcast live on a big screen inside the building.

"We are hoping for quick Internet speed, because we are expecting some big news happening from here. When you get big news here, you must release it very, very fast,” said Andrey Kasparson, Beijing Bureau Chief of Russia Today.

Kasparson was one of the first foreign reporters to arrive. “This time, we are not just reporting the SCO Summit, but also the state visit of our President Vladimir Putin to China. So it’s like a double shift."

With the SCO Summit starting several days before the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, Kasparson said he needs to be ready for any potential breaking news.

A view of Qingdao. /Xinhua Photo

Besides politics, the venue also showcases the local culture of Qingdao.

From paper cutouts to statuettes made with flour, the popular coastal tourist city hopes to gain greater popularity through international media exposure.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency