CRI听力:SCO Members Pledge to Deepen Economic, Agricultural Cooperation

At the 13th SCO prime ministers' meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed to cultivate new areas for regional economic cooperation and speed up regional integration.

Li Keqiang said China is going to inaugurate priority projects under the Eurasian economic cooperation fund, and coordinate with other members to steadily foster the SCO development bank.

The premier voiced the hope that the SCO further facilitates trade and investment, reduces trade and investment barriers, and improves customs clearance efficiency.

He encouraged all SCO members to discuss projects aimed at promoting infrastructure construction and upgrading industries.

Also at the meeting, leaders from SCO countries stressed the importance of enhancing coordination in agriculture.

Li Keqiang said China stands ready to deepen agricultural cooperation with other SCO members and work for setting up an SCO food security cooperation mechanism.

He added that China plans to allocate 50 million U.S. dollars for popularizing agricultural technologies and training professionals.

The leaders also reaffirmed the importance of taking joint action to strengthen the competitive edge of their economies and improve the livelihoods of their peoples.

Li Keqiang is on a three-nation Eurasian tour that also includes Serbia and Thailand.

He has already arrived in Serbia to continue his tour following the SCO meeting.

For CRI, I'm Poornima Weerasekara.