China's Qingdao to host SCO summit in June

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd from left) takes a group photo with leaders from other SCO member states at the summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 9, 2017. [File Photo: Xinhua/Ding Lin]

The eastern Chinese city of Qingdao will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in June this year, the provincial governor of Shandong said Thursday.

"Shandong will take the opportunity to promote its international reputation," said Gong Zheng when delivering the government work report at the local parliamentary session.

Shandong is the birthplace of many ancient Chinese thinkers, including Confucius. In 2017, its GDP exceeded 7.2 trillion yuan (about 1.1 trillion U.S.dollars).

The summit has China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan as full members.