Participation of the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan at the Forum of the digital Economy of China and the SCO

On August 24 of this year, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan took part in the economic forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on strengthening cooperation in the fields of digital economy, e-commerce and innovation, which was held in the form of a videoconference.

The forum was opened by Mr. Liu He, Deputy Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China and Chen Minger, General Secretary of the Chongqing Party Committee, who provided information about their country's achievements in the digital economy.

Speaking at the forum Zavqizoda Z. A. noted that, as the Founder of Peace and National Unity - Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon mentioned, in the current global conditions, the strengthening of trade and economic cooperation within the SCO space is of great importance.

Based on the recommendations and instructions of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Leader of the Nation, H.E. Mr. Emomali Rahmon, a number of significant works have been carried out in the country to digitalize the spheres of the national economy, e-commerce and trade facilitation. In particular, the concept and program for the development of the digital economy were adopted, and the trade portal of Tajikistan has been officially functioning since 2019 until today, which has been used by more than 270 thousand people from 40 countries of the world so far.

Zavqizoda Z. A. noted that the share of foreign trade of the Republic of Tajikistan with the SCO countries is 61%, and the main trading partners are the Russian Federation, China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

It was also noted that the SCO region has become a center for attracting global trade and the financial process and is a huge market for producers and consumers of goods and services, creating wide opportunities for expanding mutual trade, and in recent years this region has made significant progress in the development of the digital economy, e-commerce and innovation, but there are still many unused opportunities in these areas.

In this regard, Zavqizoda Z. A. recommended to develop an action plan to increase the share of the digital economy, implement joint projects of technical parks and digital technologies with the help of the SCO interbank association, including in free economic zones, train highly qualified specialists in the field of information technology, develop infrastructure for digital economy and trade facilitation within the SCO space.

In addition, it was noted that e-commerce makes about 20% of world trade, and according to field experts, it will increase to 25% by 2025.

At the end of the forum, Zavqizoda Z. A. wished the participants success and fruitful results, and also expressed confidence that a full-fledged technological and industrial union between the member states will be created in the future.