SCO sustainable development conference secures 18 projects involving nearly 4.8 bln yuan

A conference on sustainable development cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states concluded with the signing of 18 key projects worth a total of 4.795 billion yuan (about 655.5 million U.S. dollars) on Thursday in north China's Tianjin Municipality.

The projects, covering new energy, new materials, infrastructure, and automotive supply chains, are expected to boost practical cooperation among member states.

Nearly 400 guests, including officials and enterprises from SCO member states, attended the opening session. The conference is part of a series of activities ahead of the upcoming SCO summit in China this autumn.

The agreements involve eight countries, including the UAE, Egypt, and Uzbekistan. Notable projects include a 200-megawatt transformer substation in Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone and a collaboration between the UAE and Tianjin Municipality to help local enterprises expand overseas.

Ahmed El Homosani, CEO of the Sczone Utilities, highlighted the importance of the power substation project in attracting quality investments. "What we are going to sign is a framework agreement regarding building a new substation, 200 mega of electricity power. It will attract more and better investments," he said.

Meanwhile, Avinash Jagetiya, CEO of UAE's Sun Management Consulting, emphasized the significance of the cooperation agreement with Tianjin. "Yes, I'm certainly looking forward to this conference and that is the reason I'm here. And in this conference also we are going to sign an MOU (Memorandum of understanding) with Tianjing government. And this project is a step forward in serving the Tianjin enterprises and expanding their footprints and overseas market," he said. The conference also featured specialized sessions on energy, infrastructure, and mining cooperation. Energy cooperation was a focal point, with representatives from Kyrgyzstan noting increased interest from Chinese investors in energy projects.

"At present, a large number of Chinese investors are directly engaged with Kyrgyzstan's State Investment Agency for energy projects, including hydropower, solar and wind power plants," said Maksatbek Botoyarov, chief specialist of the Department of Investment Attraction and Regional Development of Kyrgyzstan.

Participants, including representatives from traditional energy firm LONGi, expressed commitments to increasing investments in the new energy sector and exploring green transformation pathways with SCO members.

"Over the years, we have developed green electricity and green hydrogen products and technical solutions to help these SCO countries achieve their sustainable development and energy transition. We are also actively communicating with the Kazakh government to formulate specific plans and programs for implementation," said Shi Shufeng, marketing director of LONGi's Central and East African Market.

SCO sustainable development conference secures 18 projects involving nearly 4.8 bln yuan

Tourist destinations across China witnessed a surge in visitors during the Labor Day holiday, offering a diverse range of experiences to enrich travelers' journeys.

Among the spots is Hengshan Mountain and Hanging Temple in Datong City, north China's Shanxi Province, which has seen a peak in visitor numbers on Thursday, the first day of Labor Day holiday.

To manage the large crowds, the scenic area required tourists to book time slot in advance and extended its opening hours by one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.

"It's truly spectacular. I'm amazed at the wisdom of the ancients in building this temple," said a visitor.

To protect the wooden structure of the Hanging Temple, daily visitor numbers are capped at 3,260, and tickets for the holiday were sold out.

In Henan Province, the Mount Laojun scenic area in Luoyang City recorded nearly 30,000 visitors on Thursday.

While enjoying the scenery, visitors enjoyed traditional Chinese performances and participated in interactive activities like making lacquer fans.

"When the fan comes out of the water, the colors are so beautiful, like an ink painting. I've only seen it in videos before, and being able to experience it here is amazing," said Dong Feifei, a tourist.

"The scenery was breathtaking along the way I climbed up. I also went to see the performance. The performers were so graceful," said Li Jiaxue, another visitor.

In Shuanghe town of southwest China's Sichuan Province, hundreds of cold rice cakes in flavors like brown sugar, watermelon, and pineapple were lined up on a hundred-meter-long table, tempting a thousand visitors to savor the traditional treats and experience the charm of local culture.

The Shuanghe cold rice cakes, with a history of over 120 years, are renowned for their chewy texture and smooth taste.

In Hunan Province, the Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park attracted both domestic and international tourists with its stunning natural scenery.

As night fell, the mountainside was illuminated with colorful lights, transforming the 999 steps into a shimmering bridge to "Heaven," which made the Heaven's Gate, a water-eroded cave, more majestic.

"I really like the view. Because you can see the hole is very big and all the lights are very amazing. It's really beautiful," said Clara, a visitor from France.

China's scenic spots buzz with activity during Labor Day holiday