The closer cooperation between China and the other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has offered opportunities for more young international students to get to know the real China and its inclusiveness.
Olloyorova Malika Makhsudovna, a 24-year-old from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, who is now a student at Qingdao University in Shandong province, is witnessing the ever-growing economic and cultural exchanges between China and the other SCO member countries.
"I came to Shanghai in February 2019 and learned Chinese for four months at Shanghai Normal University. I planned to experience China's customs and culture at the very beginning, but I fell in love with the Chinese language and made my decision to stay in the nation," she said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. She was admitted to Qingdao University in September 2019.
Makhsudovna said she joined the 2022 "SCO Summer" Youth Gala Week with her international friends over the recent summer holiday and performed a dance show with them at the event's opening ceremony.
She got to meet many new friends from SCO member countries during the event and gained close friendships during rehearsals for the performance. This has deepened her understanding of respecting diverse civilizations and pursuing shared development, Makhsudovna said.
She also joined a training course organized by the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade over the summer holiday.
The training course was open to international students and technicians in Qingdao and taught them applications of advanced technologies for poverty-alleviation efforts.
The institute has cooperated with colleges and organized 67 training courses on e-commerce and trade. More than 6,500 people from SCO member countries attended the courses in the past few years.
Makhsudovna said she will continue studying in China for a master's degree and hopes to base her career on Chinese education.
"It's the 21st anniversary of the founding of the SCO, which has preserved regional peace and boosted regional development, also setting an example for democratizing international relations," she said.
Makhsudovna added that she expects the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Thursday and Friday, to be another meaningful experience for SCO members.