SCO’s New TIR Routes Bridge Qingdao & Tashkent

SCO’s New TIR Routes Bridge Qingdao & Tashkent

Ever wondered how regional ties turn into real deals? 🚚 This August, four trucks loaded with medical supplies rolled out of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao, heading all the way to Tashkent in Uzbekistan. This weeklong journey marks the first TIR route linking SCODA to Uzbekistan!

So what’s TIR? Transports Internationaux Routiers (International Road Transport) is a smooth customs transit system that lets trucks clear border checks on the go, slashing both time and costs.

SCODA now boasts four TIR routes connecting the Chinese mainland with Russia, Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus. By July, 500 trucks have moved goods worth over 341 million yuan (about $47.5 million) across 40 product categories. 🌏💼

Since taking the 2024 SCO chair, China’s all about "SCO in Action." Trade with SCO members hit $512.54 billion in 2024 (up 2.7%), and in the first five months alone, it already reached $204.92 billion.

Beyond trade stats, China has run 100+ SCO activities—like green development talks, anti-terror forums, think tank meetups, a women’s forum and even an ice hockey championship—aimed at boosting trust, security, shared prosperity and people-to-people links.

Practical cooperation hits Tianjin

On April 10, Tianjin hosted the China-SCO Sustainable Development Industrial Investment Promotion Event. It brought together top institutions from across the bloc to showcase green energy, mining and infra projects. The outcome? 18 contracts worth 4.795 billion yuan (≈$700 million). 🔗🤝

As Luan Jianzhang, Tianjin’s Foreign Affairs Office director, puts it: "pragmatism" is the summit’s magic word. Tianjin, one of China’s first open port cities, has set up 24 Luban Workshops—vocational training centers—in 23 countries since 2016. Ten are in SCO states like Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Pakistan, India, Cambodia and Egypt, sharing skills and boosting local job markets.

In 2024, Tianjin-SCO trade reached 47.39 billion yuan (up 15.6% YoY). From 2018–24, SCO investments in Tianjin totaled $136.81 million, spawning 213 new enterprises. Plus, 20 sister-city ties across 11 SCO states keep the cultural and economic exchange buzzing.

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