Xinhua Agency, Qingdao, October 22 Title: The Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone builds a trade and investment platform to facilitate regional economic and trade cooperation

Xinhua Agency reporter Wang Kai

The reporter recently learned from the Qingdao City Bureau of Commerce that as of the end of August this year, Qingdao City enterprises had invested 242 projects in SCO countries, with a Chinese agreed investment of US$3.61 billion. This is due to the local government giving full play to the positive role of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in promoting international economic and trade cooperation.

It is understood that since the announcement of construction in 2018, the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone has focused on building a high-end economic and trade platform focusing on modern trade and two-way investment, and has continued to improve the facilitation of regional economic and trade cooperation among SCO countries and countries co-building the "Belt and Road".

Walking into the exhibition hall of Qingdao International Energy Trading Center, the transaction data of six major varieties including online crude oil, crude oil tank capacity, natural gas, and fuel oil are displayed on the large screen. Zang Yuanqi, director of the Industrial Development Department of the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone, said that as the key energy digital trading platform built by the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone, since the center was opened in February 2023, the cumulative number of account members has exceeded 358, and the cumulative amount of platform business has exceeded 210 billion yuan.

In order to further enhance the degree of economic and trade convenience for SCO countries and countries jointly building the "Belt and Road", the SCO Demonstration Zone also integrates and optimizes trade, logistics, finance and other functions to build a high-level China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization local economic and trade cooperation comprehensive service platform.

A staff member passed through the hall of the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Comprehensive Service Platform. The platform integrates trade, customs clearance, logistics, finance and other functions. It is a one-stop public service platform for the local economic and trade fields of SCO countries (photo taken on July 2, 2024). Photo by Xinhua Agency reporter Li Ziheng

The reporter saw in the business hall of the Shanghe Economic and Trade Comprehensive Service Platform that there were all service windows such as customs clearance, logistics, taxation, finance, and legal affairs. Staff said that companies can also handle related business conveniently and quickly through online platforms.

According to Chi Yongxin, director of the Enterprise Services Department of the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone Management Committee, as one of the "single windows" of my country's international trade, the Shanghai Cooperation Economic and Trade Comprehensive Service Platform is a one-stop public service platform for the local economic and trade fields of SCO countries.

The Shanghe Economic and Trade Comprehensive Service Platform has been launched in November 2022. So far, there have been more than 15,000 online companies, applying more than 17,000 customs declarations, and a customs declaration amount of more than 180 billion yuan. In the first half of this year, there were 4833 customs declarations, a year-on-year increase of 53%; the customs declaration amount was 96.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than six times.

In addition, the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone has also built a "Silk Road E-commerce" comprehensive service base to high standards, carried out export tax rebates for overseas warehouses and innovation in cross-border e-commerce special regional export business, and established a "Silk Road E-commerce" talent training base.

Launch the Shanghai Cooperation International Hub Port Automobile Trading Center, promote the customs to set up special consultation windows for the export of "three new products" such as new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics, optimize the export supervision model, implement "scheduled inspection", and ensure that goods are "inspected as soon as they arrive.", strengthen credit empowerment, and give priority to certification for qualified enterprises. Support enterprises to set up automobile trading center sub-centers in Urumqi and Tashkent, promote exchanges with the "Three New Things" industry in SCO countries, and help the "Three New Things" accelerate their "going out to sea".

According to Wang Xin, the business manager of the Second Industrial Development Department of the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone Management Committee, the Shanghai Cooperation Demonstration Zone also focuses on key areas such as industrial Internet and high-end equipment, and actively expands industrial cooperation with SCO countries and countries co-building the "Belt and Road". Cooperation. Leading projects such as Kaos Industrial Internet Ecological Park, Shanghai Electric Shanghe Wind Power Equipment Industrial Park, and Geely Future Travel Constellation Project have been successively completed and put into operation.