China announces 100 livelihood projects, RMB 2 billion grant and SCO-focused scholarships

Beijing [China], September 1 (ANI): Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong on Monday announced a series of new initiatives that China will implement for the benefit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
"Going forward, China plans to implement 100 'small and beautiful' livelihood projects in member states with such need. It will provide RMB 2 billion yuan in grant to SCO member states within this year, and will issue an additional RMB 10 billion yuan in loan to the member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years," Xu posted on X.

Going forward, China plans to implement 100 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects in member states with such need.

It will provide RMB 2 billion yuan in grant to SCO member states within this year, and will issue an additional RMB 10 billion yuan in loan to the member banks… pic.twitter.com/tiEU0W8EKa

— Xu Feihong (@China_Amb_India) September 1, 2025

He further said, "Starting from next year, China will double the current number of SCO-specific scholarships, and launch an SCO innovative PhD program to jointly train high-caliber talent in academic as well as scientific and technological research."
Outlining the long-term vision, Xu added, "In the next five years, China will establish 10 Luban Workshops in SCO member states and provide 10,000 human resources training opportunities."
He further said the SCO summit had served to build consensus and chalk a blueprint for development, reflecting the broader objectives highlighted by President Xi Jinping during the summit.
"President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan held a welcoming banquet for the international dignitaries attending SCO summit in China. President Xi Jinping stressed that the SCO has grown into a significant force in promoting a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for humanity. This Summit is tasked with an important mission: to build consensus among all parties, ignite momentum for cooperation, and draw up a blueprint for development. It is believed that with the collective efforts of all parties, this Summit will be a complete success and the SCO will play an even greater role," he said.
India on Monday joined other member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to deepen cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence, highlighting the strategic importance of the emerging technology in transforming societies and economies.
The Tianjin Declaration of the SCO Council of Heads of States, which was signed and adopted at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit today, outlines commitments among member states on Artificial Intelligence, among other areas. The SCO grouping has 10 member states, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners.
The Tianjin Declaration building on the UN General Assembly Resolution on Strengthening International Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building, emphasised that "all countries have equal rights to develop and use artificial intelligence."The SCO member countries, which includes India, expressed their readiness to work together to prevent risks in order to continuously improve the security, accountability, reliability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness of artificial intelligence technologies for the benefit of all humanity.In this regard, they advocated for the implementation of the Roadmap for the Implementation of the SCO Member States' Cooperation Programme on Artificial Intelligence Development (Chengdu, 12 June 2025).
Chinese President Xi Jinping had also in his keynote speech at the Tianjing summit proposed that SCO member states boost cooperation in a wide range of areas including energy, infrastructure, digital economy, science and tech innovation and artificial intelligence. Notably, a humanoid AI robot, Xiao was deployed to assist media personnel and summit attendees with various tasks at the Tianjin Summit. Xiao's presence at the SCO Summit garnered significant attention, with the robot's humanoid design and advanced capabilities sparking interest and admiration. (ANI)