Pooling Strengths at the Free Trade Port, Coordinating to Usher in a New Chapter—The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform Makes Its Debut at the 2026 National Social Organizations’ Hainan Tour Event.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Time

On May 18, with the theme of “ Pooling Strengths in the Free Trade Port: Collaborating for Development The 2026 National Social Organizations’ Hainan Tour, themed “...,” was officially inaugurated in Haikou.

Li Feng, Vice Governor of Hainan Province

Li Yizhong, former Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Xu Liqun, Director-General of the Administration of Social Organizations of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

This event is jointly hosted by the Hainan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs and the Hainan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, with the Hainan Provincial Financial Development Promotion Association serving as the organizer. Hainan Province Vice Governor Li Feng attended the event and delivered a speech. Relevant leaders from the Administration of Social Organizations of the Ministry of Civil Affairs were present to provide guidance, as was former Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong. Delivered a keynote address at the event. The gathering brought together numerous nationally recognized and authoritative social organizations, including the China Federation of Industrial Economics and the China International Economic and Technical Cooperation Promotion Association, with attendance exceeding 300 participants. Leading figures from government, business, and academia convened in the “Coconut City” to discuss strategies for the development of the free trade port and its coordinated growth.

Zhang Guangfu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform

At the invitation of Hu Kaiqiang, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform and Deputy Director of the CPPCC Chongqing Municipal Committee’s Committee on Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, Zhang Guangfu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Platform, attended the event and delivered a keynote address. He noted that Hainan Free Trade Port has fully implemented island-wide closed‑border operations, with ongoing benefits from zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax system; the number of global free trade partners has grown to 43, and the province’s level of opening-up continues to rise. The industries prioritized in Hainan’s 15th Five-Year Plan—such as tropical agriculture, green energy, digital trade, shipping and logistics, and high-end healthcare—are highly complementary to the resource endowments of SCO member states, while the Platform’s experience in operating an industrial ecosystem can provide robust support for the internationalization of Hainan’s sectors. As a result, the two sides enjoy enormous cooperative potential and broad prospects. Drawing on the complementary strengths of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform and Hainan, Zhang Guangfu outlined five avenues for collaboration and exploration—jointly building an international supply-chain hub, deepening cooperation in the digital economy, fostering park–port synergy, jointly pursuing green and low-carbon development, and establishing platforms for international exchanges among civil society organizations—sparking widespread resonance among the attendees.

In recent years, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform has remained committed to upholding the “Shanghai Spirit,” actively implementing the important initiatives and strategic consensus of the SCO member states’ heads of state. By integrating market entities of diverse ownership forms through its sectoral working committees, the platform has fostered an ecosystem of industrial collaboration and innovation among SCO countries, supported local governments in attracting investment, and explored the establishment of “SCO standards,” thereby laying the groundwork for a global realignment of productive forces. To date, it has established 36 sectoral working committees, bringing together more than 2,000 domestic and international member organizations, and facilitating nearly RMB 30 billion in outbound investments. In areas such as cross-border trade, the digital economy, precision medicine, and green, low‑carbon development, the platform has progressively built international cooperation networks. Through mechanisms like industry‑chain–based investment promotion, pairing of international industrial parks, cross‑border resource matching, and digital data cooperation, it regularly helps numerous regions attract foreign‑invested projects and expand into overseas markets, while aligning local industries with international standards. As a result, the platform has become a vital bridge and link for economic and trade exchanges among SCO member states and for advancing high‑level opening-up at the local level.

Social organizations are an important force in the modernization of national governance and international civil‑society cooperation. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Multifunctional Economic and Trade Platform will take this event as an opportunity to advance… Shanghai Spirit "and" The Spirit of the Free Trade Port Through deep integration and guided by the principles of openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit, we will fully leverage our resources, networks, and platform strengths to continuously deepen pragmatic cooperation with Hainan across multiple sectors, pool the collective efforts of social organizations, inject new momentum into economic and trade cooperation among SCO member states, and contribute to the high-quality development and high-level opening-up of the Hainan Free Trade Port.