Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center Prepares for SCO Summit

A birdview of Qingdao's landmark May Fourth Square, and Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center nearby, April 16. [Photo/Xinhua]

Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, one of the 2008 Beijing Olympic arenas, is being reconstructed as the venue for an eco-friendly Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will be held in June.

The preparations for the summit are now in place, according to Zhang Jiangting, secretary of Qingdao city, on May 7.

Eco-friendly materials are being used as movable and dismountable decorations that can be reused in the venue. The city roads, underground pipelines, water, electricity and heating facilities are under renovation for the summit as well as for long term use. To cut down on costs, the summit will rent cars instead of purchasing them and will not invite celebrities to perform there, Zhang said.

The total trade volume between Qingdao and SCO countries reached 39 billion 20 million yuan in 2017, accounting for 6.4 percent of the city's trade volume and 26 percent of the trade volume between Shandong province and SCO countries, owing to convenient transportation.

On May 7, the 3,016th train from Sino-Asia Railway left Qingdao for Kazakhstan, a trip that takes only 10 days instead of the 30 days required for sea transportation. Now Qingdao central station has five international railway lines, including Sino-Asia, Sino-Europe, Sino-Korea, Sino-Mongolia and ASEAN Express.

The goods transported on the Sino-Asia Railway are mainly two types — international transfer products and Shandong local products, said Wang Jun, director of the Jiaozhou Bay International Logistics Park management committee.

The international transfer products are mainly small household appliances, auto parts from Japan and South Korea, and agricultural products from the US and Southeast Asia. The local products are mainly rubber, tires and textiles, Wang said.

At the same time, the Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport under construction is expected to open 186 airline routes in 2019, as the portal of Japan and South Korea and pivot of the Bohai region.

(Source: China Daily)