Published on: 2026-09-01
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Beijing, September 1 /Xinhua/ — This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Over a quarter of a century, the SCO has transformed into a regional international organization with the broadest territorial coverage and the largest population in the world. Within the organization, SCO countries have achieved significant results in cooperation across various fields, ensuring joint development, mutual benefit, and a win-win outcome.
JOINT DEVELOPMENT IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Vocational education, acting as a key link between production and personnel, is becoming a new driver of practical cooperation within the SCO.
“Lu Ban’s Workshop,” named after the famous ancient Chinese craftsman Lu Ban, is a brand of international professional education initiated and promoted by the authorities of Tianjin City /Northern China/.
“The ‘Lu Ban Workshop’ at the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics (MTUCI), established in June 2025 through the joint efforts of MTUCI and the Tianjin Vocational College of Electronics and Informatics, became the world’s first such Workshop where Chinese 5G technologies have been implemented.”
“The opening of the ‘Lu Ban Workshop’ in Russia holds symbolic significance for China-Russia cooperation in the field of vocational education and marks a transition of China-Russia cooperation in vocational education from traditional areas to advanced directions, with digital technologies at their core,” stated Yang Genghuang, Vice-Rector of Tianjin Vocational College of Electronics and Informatics.
Assistant of the Department of “Intelligent Systems and Cloud Technologies” at MTUCI, Ivan Rogach, believes that “Lu Ban Workshop” is a platform where Chinese standards and technologies are organically integrated into the Russian vocational education system, which increases trust between educational institutions and businesses, providing students with access to up-to-date equipment and methodologies.
It should be recalled that, as of today, the city of Tianjin has established 10 “Luban Workshops” in 8 SCO countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Within these structures, 21 joint educational programs have been created, covering 6 fields of study such as energy, equipment manufacturing, electronic informatics, transportation, resources and environment, as well as economics and trade. All this has enabled the training of a large number of qualified personnel in these countries.
As one of the important results of the 2025 SCO Summit, in September of the same year, a cooperation center for vocational and technical education “China-SCO” was established in the city of Tianjin, with its secretariat located at the Tianjin Vocational and Technical Pedagogical University.
“The main goal of this center is to deepen the interaction of SCO countries in the field of vocational and technical education, expand academic exchanges and cooperation in education and scientific research, improve the overall level of vocational and technical education and training in various countries, as well as to promote the socio-economic development of the SCO countries,” noted Zhao Wenping, director of the Institute of Vocational Education at Tianjin Vocational and Technical Normal University.
The Department of Vocational Education of the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission noted that the “Luban Workshop,” following the principles of mutually beneficial cooperation, adaptation to local conditions, and integration of industry and education, determines specialties and develops a system of curricula based on the socio-economic and industrial development of partner countries.
“In the future, we will continue to promote the opening of the ‘Lu Ban Workshop’ in SCO countries to share with these countries the standards and models of China’s vocational education, as well as its achievements gained through reforms and innovations in this field,” said the aforementioned department.
“GREEN” COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF ECOLOGY
Environmental protection and the promotion of “green” development are important issues for the development of the global economy. As an important regional international cooperation organization, the SCO also pays close attention to these issues.
As one of the founding countries of the SCO and the largest developing country in the world, China consistently acts as an important participant in the global construction of ecological civilization, making a significant contribution to this cause and guiding its development.
Concrete evidence of this is provided by the following specific examples: the 100 MW “Zhanatas” wind power plant (WPP) in Kazakhstan, built by a Chinese company, generated a total of more than 1.37 billion kWh of electricity, which allowed meeting the needs of 3 million residents. Thanks to a joint experimental project on cotton cultivation with an integrated system of “solar energy + water and fertilizers” in the city of Nukus, Uzbekistan, cotton yields increased more than threefold, while costs and water consumption were significantly reduced.
According to data, during China’s rotational chairmanship of the SCO (2024–2025), cooperation was established between China and other SCO countries to implement 163 projects in the field of electric power and renewable energy, the total amount of signed contracts exceeded 330 billion yuan (approximately 48 billion USD), and the total installed capacity of the projects amounted to more than 77 GW, including areas such as photovoltaic and wind energy.
Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment of the PRC Guo Fan noted that since the organization’s founding in 2001, the SCO has engaged in fruitful cooperation, playing an active role in promoting environmental protection in the region. In particular, extensive interaction takes place in areas such as political dialogue, technical exchanges, information sharing, and capacity building, which gives the SCO momentum for “green” development.
Thanks to their high quality, new energy vehicles (NEV) from Chinese brands are very popular among drivers in Tajikistan, with the share of Chinese-made electric cars among taxis in the city of Dushanbe increasing. One local taxi driver noted that Chinese NEV cars attract drivers and passengers with their high-tech features in full configuration, including large high-resolution screens in the cars, onboard systems with intelligent functions, and more.
A representative of the Department of International Cooperation of the State Administration for Energy Affairs of China, Li Junxia, noted that the SCO countries account for almost half of the world’s population and more than a quarter of global GDP. Among them are both energy producers and consumers, as well as energy hubs, making them extremely important participants in the global energy market.
The “Report on the Development and Cooperation in the Field of ‘Green’ Industry of SCO-2025” notes that the “green” industry is gradually becoming a key driver of economic transformation and sustainable development in SCO countries. Under the influence of factors such as accelerated urbanization, industrial restructuring, and increased energy security needs, SCO countries demonstrate strong complementarities and readiness for cooperation in areas such as renewable energy, combating environmental pollution, circular resource use, and environmental protection.
INTELLECTUAL INTERACTION IN DIGITALIZATION
In the context of digitalization worldwide, digital infrastructure has become a key pillar for the development of countries and regions. China and other SCO member states, steadfastly guided by the “Shanghai Spirit” as the fundamental basis for their activities, consistently strengthen consensus on digital development, improve the construction of institutional mechanisms, and promote practical cooperation in the digital sphere.
In Kyrgyzstan, a 5G network covering major cities was built with the participation of Chinese companies, which contributed to the increase in internet penetration in the country from 43 percent to more than 70 percent. The joint digital medical platform, created as part of cooperation between China and Tajikistan, provided complete coverage of telemedicine consultations in Tajikistan, benefiting residents not only in cities but also in remote areas of the country. The implementation of an artificial intelligence system in “virtual classrooms” in Uzbekistan helped overcome spatial and temporal limitations in vocational and technical education.
“The cooperation of SCO countries in the field of digitalization and intelligent technologies is moving from strategic planning to practical implementation. The organization unites member states through data and computing power, strengthening the foundation for industrial cooperation in the region,” said Xiao Bin, a research fellow at the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Zhu Shuai, a researcher at the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID), noted that many years of cooperation in security and the economy among SCO member states have established a high level of political trust, creating a solid foundation for cross-border data flow and cybersecurity collaboration.
According to him, the markets and resources of the SCO countries are highly complementary – China holds leading positions in computing power and large models, while the markets of Central and South Asia require digitalization and possess huge demographic potential.
In May of this year, the Joint Laboratory of Digital and Intelligent Applications of the SCO and the SCO Computing Industry Union were officially established, marking a significant step forward in SCO cooperation in the digital economy in terms of joint technological research, shared computing resources, and jointly building the corresponding industry ecosystem.
“Against the backdrop of the restructuring of global supply chains and the interaction of relations between major powers, the SCO provides a pragmatic and implementable model for global cooperation in digitalization and intelligent technologies, which gives greater stability to regional development,” Xiao Bing concluded. -0-
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