The 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization concluded successfully in Tianjin on September 1, 2025. As China's most important home diplomatic event this year, the summit brought together a large lineup including over 20 national leaders and heads of 10 international organizations such as the United Nations, fully demonstrating the increasingly strong cohesion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This regional organization, first proposed by China in 2001, has grown from the initial six founding countries to a "SCO family" covering 10 member states, 2 observer states and 15 dialogue partners.

Today, the trade volume of the SCO member states accounts for nearly one fifth of the global total, their economic output exceeds 40% of the world's total, and their population is close to half of the world's total. Their economies of scale are being transformed into a strong driving force for development.

The steel camel caravan weaves a new web of trade between Asia and Europe

In Keqiao, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, known as the "International Textile Capital", a new trade picture of the Silk Road is gradually unfolding.

The Keqiao China-Europe (Asia) freight train, which started operation in November 2022, has completely transformed the traditional model of Shaoxing's textile exports relying on sea transportation. In 2024, the container shipment volume of this train service has exceeded 1,021 TEUs (weighing 28,500 tons), with the freight volume from January to May alone reaching nearly 800 TEUs, a year-on-year increase of over 200%.

Taking advantage of the new land passage, the trade volume between Shaoxing and the five Central Asian countries has achieved a leapfrog growth - soaring from 1.45 billion yuan in 2013 to 9.66 billion yuan in 2024, with an average annual growth rate as high as 18.8%. The export volume in the first five months of 2024 reached 3.89 billion yuan, setting a new record for the same period in history.

From the 2023 overseas textile expo held in Uzbekistan by a delegation of enterprises from Keqiao to the 2024 spring Textile Expo in Keqiao where purchasing groups from Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries proactively returned, the two-way economic and trade exchanges have opened up a vast market space for textile enterprises.

The blue ocean of Central Asia, with the young population dividend giving rise to a trillion-yuan market

As the first place to propose the "Belt and Road Initiative", the strategic value of Central Asia far exceeds its geographical hub positioning.

Population structure advantage: Take Uzbekistan as an example. Among its population of over 60 million, nearly 60% are under 30 years old. The young consumer group has driven the continuous rise in demand for clothing and home textiles.

Opportunities for industrial upgrading: Central Asian countries are shifting from raw material export to manufacturing cultivation, with a strong demand for textile machinery and high-end fabrics.

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