Storyline: Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province has seen a surge in imports of agricultural and food products from member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this year, enriching the consumer market and injecting vitality into industry development. The cooperation achievements brought by the organization are in the spotlight as the leaders of more than 20 countries and the heads of 10 international organizations have gathered in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin for the SCO summit, which is being held from Sunday to Monday. Established in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has expanded from six founding members into a 26-nation family of 10 members, two observer states and 14 dialogue partners spanning Asia, Europe and Africa. Last year, China's trade with other SCO member countries, observer states and dialogue partners reached a record high of 890 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 14.4 percent of China's overall foreign trade, reflecting the region's economic dynamism. Recently, a shipment of Indian sesame seeds that has just arrived at the port of Qingdao is being quickly verified using an intelligent inspection system at the customs inspection point. Thanks to the adoption of this smart system and a special green channel set up for processing agricultural products, the efficiency of customs clearance for imported goods has greatly increased, according to staff. "To facilitate the smart and rapid customs clearance of agricultural and food products, the customs inspection process at the port has been streamlined, reducing inspection steps by 63.6 percent and cutting down the inspection time for each shipment by two days. From January to July this year, Shandong's imports of agricultural and food products from other SCO member countries reached over 11.5 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 10.4 percent," said customs officer Zhang Yilei. At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Green Agricultural Products Expo and Trading Center in Qingdao, chili peppers from around the world are being inspected and sorted before being readied for sale. This center serves as a significant hub for chili peppers, accounting for over 80 percent of the country's chili product exports. Most of the raw materials needed to carry out the processing come from SCO member countries like India and Pakistan. "China's trade with other SCO member countries is highly complementary. The import volumes of specialty agricultural products from these nations, such as Indian chili peppers, Brazilian soybeans, and Russian beef, have been steadily rising. For instance, from January to July, Shandong Province imported chili peppers valued at 1.68 billion yuan, with 99.9 percent of that coming from India," said Zhou Xun, another customs officer. Currently, Qingdao has opened 42 maritime routes and more than 200 air routes to SCO member countries, helping to meet the demands, while the China-Europe Railway Express serves as another key cargo transport channel, reaching 23 countries and 54 cities within the SCO. Local railway authorities say that over 440 China-Europe freight trains have been dispatched since the beginning of this year, shipping over 46,900 containers, a year-on-year increase of over 29 percent. The transportation hub of the SCO cooperation demonstration area in Qingdao has now handled close to 5,000 China-Europe freight train departures and arrivals since the area was officially established in 2018, with the daily throughput peaking at 2,000 standard containers. Shotlist: Qingdao City, Shandong Province, east China - Recent: 1. Various of truck, equipment, container at port; staff overseeing operation remotely 2. Various of product being inspected by remote equipment 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Yilei, customs officer (ending with shot 4): "To facilitate the smart and rapid customs clearance of agricultural and food products, the customs inspection process at the port has been streamlined, reducing inspection steps by 63.6 percent and cutting down the inspection time for each shipment by two days. From January to July this year, Shandong's imports of agricultural and food products from other SCO member countries reached over 11.5 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 10.4 percent." 4. Various of containers, machinery, trains at port 5. Aerial shot of Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Green Agricultural Products Expo and Trading Center 6. Sign of trading center 7. Various of people in center, products on display 8. Various of containers, customs officers inspecting imports 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhou Xun, customs officer (ending with shot 10): "China's trade with other SCO member countries is highly complementary. The import volumes of specialty agricultural products from these nations, such as Indian chili peppers, Brazilian soybeans, and Russian beef, have been steadily rising. For instance, from January to July, Shandong Province imported chili peppers valued at 1.68 billion yuan, with 99.9 percent of them coming from India." 10. Various of customs officers inspecting products, chili peppers, order form 11. Aerial shots of ports [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]