Tianjin: Embracing the 'Shanghai Spirit', shaping a shared future

With Tianjin hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, which runs until Monday, the city is stepping confidently onto the world stage.

From its roots as a vital Grand Canal port to its current status as a dynamic international metropolis – where colonial architecture meets soaring skylines and cutting-edge tech hubs – Tianjin embodies transformation. A cornerstone of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration strategy, the city now stands ready to showcase its unique role as a global gateway for innovation, commerce and the practical realization of the "Shanghai Spirit". This summit is not merely a meeting, it is Tianjin's moment to catalyze SCO cooperation and demonstrate its pivotal contribution.

As a native of Tianjin, I've grown up watching my hometown being transformed from a coastal fishing village into a modern city where smart port cranes stand alongside century-old fishing hamlets. This beautiful blend of tradition and innovation never fails to amaze visitors, for Tianjin's story is a microcosm of China's development: grounded in tradition yet reaching for the future.

Tianjin's DNA intertwines deeply with the SCO's mission. Its flagship Luban Workshop initiative is a prime example. By establishing vocational training centers overseas, the Luban Workshop shares expertise and cultivates skilled workforces within SCO member states, fostering local development and embodying the Shanghai Spirit's core principle of mutual benefit. As of this year, the Luban Workshop had established 36 facilities in 30 countries. In 2024, it was awarded the World Vocational Education Award and hailed by foreign media as a "technological hub of the international education flagship brand".

The Port of Tianjin, northern China's premier comprehensive port and a critical node for the Belt and Road Initiative, is the lifeblood of regional trade with SCO nations. Its efficient logistics form the backbone of seamless economic exchange. The SCO's focus on trade facilitation, infrastructure connectivity (rail, road, energy), and investment platforms directly empowers Tianjin: boosting our throughput, enhancing our global influence and attracting vital foreign capital.

The China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone, right here in Tianjin, unlocks unparalleled opportunities. It's a dedicated springboard for Tianjin enterprises to access SCO markets, driving our own industrial upgrading and economic optimization through tangible collaboration.

The SCO's collective drive towards a green energy future presents immense potential. Member states possess diverse energy resources, and collaborative green policies are key to unlocking advantages for all. China's ongoing projects – like the 100 MW Kapchagay solar plant in Kazakhstan and Indonesia's 55 MW Lumut Balai II geothermal plant – demonstrate impactful cooperation that accelerates the low-carbon transition.

Tianjin is actively powering this shift. By aggressively developing our solar, wind and new energy sectors, we are already reducing emissions and optimizing our energy mix. The SCO platform is our accelerator. Here, we share Tianjin's green technologies and project experience, contributing directly to a shared, sustainable energy future across the SCO region. The scale is significant: China-SCO renewable projects total nearly 100 million kilowatts in capacity, primarily wind and solar, fueling entire supply chains from manufacturing to maintenance. Landmarks like Indonesia's Cirata Floating Solar Project, powering 50,000 homes, illustrate the tangible impact.

Amid global uncertainty and challenges to multilateralism, the SCO's relevance grows. It stands as a vital platform, offering Global South nations a compelling model: cooperation through consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. This counters unilateralism and protectionism head-on.

The SCO's focus on practical regional cooperation – spanning economic integration, security collaboration and cultural exchange – provides invaluable lessons for global governance. The "Shanghai Spirit" – built on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for diversity and common development – injects fresh, constructive principles into the international discourse. The recent inclusion of key Middle Eastern nations underscores the SCO's expanding influence and its unique ability to bridge diverse interests, offering vast markets, unparalleled collaboration potential and crucial security frameworks for regional stability.

The SCO crucially invests in the future: its youth. Today's young generation is confident, innovative, globally-minded and socially responsible. The SCO provides an indispensable platform for cross-cultural exchange among these future leaders. By fostering mutual understanding and broadening horizons, the SCO cultivates a generation with international vision and patriotic spirit, committed to building a community with a shared future for humanity – a vision actively nurtured right here in Tianjin through educational and cultural exchanges.

Hosting the SCO summit crystallizes this moment. It's our opportunity to demonstrate Tianjin's achievements and unwavering commitment to the "Shanghai Spirit" and regional cooperation. By actively driving SCO initiatives, Tianjin solidifies its role as a vital global gateway and a force for a more prosperous, sustainable and multipolar future.

As we welcome the SCO to our shores, we reaffirm our dedication to building a true community of shared interests for all nations. The summit in Tianjin isn't just an event, it's a powerful testament to what collaboration can achieve.

The author is professor with School of Foreign Languages, Tianjin University. If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.