Young adults from across the world visit the Qingdao Port in Shandong Province's Qingdao City, as part of an event focusing on SCO cooperation, on July 30 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

Youth, with their creativity and imagination, can provide novel views on global issues, including on the development of overarching collaborative initiatives such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), one of the largest regional organizations in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, experts said on July 29 during an event titled International Youth Theme Activity for SCO Economic and Trade Cooperation and Sustainable Development in Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong Province. 

People-to-people communication is important in overall regional and international collaboration, Yu Yunquan, President of the Academy of Contemporary of China and the World Studies (ACCWS), a Beijing-based think tank, told Beijing Review during the activity's opening ceremony on that day. 

Young adults are an emerging and positive force in people-to-people communication, Yu further stated. "If we can get them to join forces, a new paradigm for such communication will ensue," he added. 

Young adults from SCO and other countries attended the activity organized by the ACCWS and the Administrative Committee of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area. The area was inaugurated in Qingdao in 2018 after the proposal had been submitted during the 18th SCO Summit held in the city.  

Between July 30 and 31, participants learned more about economic cooperation within the SCO framework as well as Qingdao's development. The event was part of this year's Global Young Leaders Dialogue, a program launched in Beijing in 2020 that aims to develop a community driving cross-cultural dialogue and communication among global opinion leaders.  

Hao Guoxin, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the demonstration area, said during the opening ceremony that the youth represent hope and a core power in promoting SCO cooperation and sustainable development. 

Hao welcomes suggestions from international young talents on the demonstrative area's future development. 

Nafeesa Mughal, a Ph.D. student from SCO member state Pakistan who is currently studying applied economics at Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi Province's capital city Xi'an, told Beijing Review that the activity has brought young talent to the global forefront. 

The activity has boosted her confidence. "You are talented, you are unique; just believe in yourself. This world is yours to conquer," she said. 

Tario Perez Vila, a British researcher of international relations at Tsinghua University, was impressed by the fully automated container terminal of the Qingdao Port. "It is exciting to see first-hand the development of science and technology here in Qingdao."   

Sarah Marjorey Kisakye, a Ph.D. student from Uganda currently studying global communication and governance at the Communication University of China in Beijing, told Beijing Review that even though Uganda is not under the SCO framework, she believes African countries, too, can learn from SCO cooperation.  

Global youth, experts and local officials partake in a dialogue during an event homing in on SCO cooperation in Shandong Province's Qingdao, on July 30 (COURTESY PHOTO)  

The SCO countries combined have some 800 million young people, and more in-depth communication with young adults can provide a better foundation for the organization's future development, Yu said.   

The event has offered the international youth an opportunity to share their observations and suggestions with local officials, and created a platform for both sides to learn more about each other's needs and wants. 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon  

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