21 October 2016

News Story: Chinese official proposes free trade area for SCO members

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- A free trade area should be set up to facilitate regional economic cooperation between members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a senior Chinese official said Thursday.

Vice Commerce Minister Qian Keming made the proposal at an SCO economic forum.

He also called for the establishment of an SCO development bank, which would provide funding for regional projects together with other multilateral funds and development banks, to be expedited.

Most SCO members are also members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and should actively implement the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement to cut trade costs by 10-15 percent and remove restrictions in service trade, Qian told the forum.

Read the full story at Xinhua