Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers' meeting. The Chinese premier says China is ready to boost regional trade with other SCO members.
The premier said that China is ready to make joint efforts with other members of the SCO to boost regional trade and facilitate investment. He suggested SCO members to enhance cooperation in such fields as customs, inspection and quarantine, as well as certification and accreditation in trade-related activities between countries.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at the 15th SCO prime ministers' meeting in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek on Nov 3, 2016. (GOV.CN)
He also called on all SCO members to further cooperate in security affairs, as well as construction of regional anti-terrorism institutions.
Furthermore, the premier also hopes that industrial capacity cooperation between countries could serve as the main pillar for regional trade and economic growth for SCO members.
The premier also pledged to offer more scholarships for SCO members to enhance the foundation of people-to-people exchanges.
Prime ministers at the 15th SCO prime ministers' meeting in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek on Nov 3, 2016. (GOV.CN)
The Kyrgyz acting Prime Minister Sooronbay Zheenbekov said highly of the cooperation within the SCO over the past 15 years at a keynote speech, and vowed to promote more concrete cooperative measures. He also said the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is greatly important and the organization will seek a bigger role in it.
On Wednesday, the Chinese premier met with the Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Both countries signed a number of deals in areas including technology, production capacity, and transport. Kyrgyzstan is the first leg of Li's ongoing eight-day tour, which also includes Kazakhstan, Latvia and Russia.
Established in 2001, the SCO is a regional political, economic and security organization that groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.
