China hosts 18th edition of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit 2018

The 18th edition of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit was held in Qingdao, China on June 9-10, 2018. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Qingdao declaration. The declaration calls for implementing the three-year plan to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. It also calls for implementation of the treaty on long-term good neighbourliness, friendship and co-operation. All the heads of SCO countries held a restricted meeting before the summit. Here, China has renewed its agreement with India on sharing data on the cross-border flow of waters from the Brahmaputra River during the flood season. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 9, the Chinese side would provide hydrological data from May 15 to October 15 — the period when the Brahmaputra is prone to floods. The Chinese side would also provide hydrological data if the water level exceeds a “mutually agreed” level during the non-flood season. Both the sides also signed an agreement on exporting non-Basmati rice to China. The two countries also set a trade target of 100 billion dollars by 2020.