On October 24, 2025, a major forum on China SCO investment took place in Beijing, organised by the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization together with the China Overseas Development Association and supported by the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Qingdao and other partners.
More than 300 participants attended, including heads of diplomatic missions accredited in China, executives from leading industrial and investment firms, representatives of business associations from China and other SCO countries, and members of the media. The gathering underscored growing interest in intra-regional projects and practical cooperation.
Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary General of the SCO, in his welcoming remarks highlighted the priority SCO member states place on strengthening mutual investment activities, noting that under current geoeconomic conditions such activity is increasingly taking an intra-regional character. He urged delegates to treat the forum as a working platform to present opportunities and improve the investment climate.
The forum reiterated ongoing efforts by the SCO Special Working Group on Investment Promotion, permanently chaired by Tajikistan, and the Association of Investors of SCO Member States, initiated by Kazakhstan. Participants were urged to accelerate implementation of the agreements reached at the Tianjin Summit on September 1 regarding the establishment of an SCO Development Bank by interested member states to fully realise the organisation’s investment potential.
China’s active role in promoting investment across the SCO region was emphasised, with calls to translate high-level agreements into bankable projects and streamlined cooperation. The focus on China SCO investment at the forum reflected a push for tangible mechanisms to support cross-border financing and joint ventures.
The panel session, held as an “Ambassadors’ Dialogue,” saw several heads of diplomatic missions from SCO member states and dialogue partners share assessments of their countries’ investment environments, priority cooperation sectors and potential projects. Diplomats also held meetings with companies interested in investing in the SCO community, which currently includes 27 states, seeking to match projects with financing and implementation partners.
For firms and investors watching developments from Pakistan, the discussions signalled clearer pathways for engagement across the SCO region. The forum concluded with renewed emphasis on practical steps — from policy alignment to project-level matchmaking — to convert dialogue on China SCO investment into concrete initiatives.
