Chinese President Xi Jinping will chair the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit scheduled from June 9 to 10 in Qingdao, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced on Monday. The leaders are also expected to sign the Qingdao Declaration and documents that feature economic, people-to-people and security cooperation among SCO countries. Choosing Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province, as the host city also shows China’s determination to further open up, he noted. In 2017, trade between Qingdao and SCO countries reached $5.82 billion, a 12.5 percent increase year-on-year, Zhang Jiangting, Party chief of Qingdao, said at the Monday press conference. Sites for the summit are already available for use and the press center can accommodate more than 3,000 people, said Zhang.

Source: Manila Times May 29, 2018 12:49 UTC