A freight train loaded with special equipment, pre-packaged food and other goods departs from the Horgos railway port in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region for Moscow, on May 26, 2026, marking the passage of more than 4,000 China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight train trips through the railway port this year. Photo: VCG

Trade between China and other Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members gathered further momentum in the first seven months of the year, reaching 2.42 trillion yuan ($360.1 billion), up 14.9 percent year-on-year, as the potential of regional economic and trade cooperation continued to unfold, latest customs data showed.

Notably, automobiles were among the strongest contributors to trade growth. China's auto exports to other SCO members reached 119.33 billion yuan in the first seven months, surging 71.2 percent year-on-year, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China's exports to other SCO members totaled 1.58 trillion yuan during the period, up 13.9 percent year-on-year. Exports of mechanical and electrical products rose 15.7 percent to 998.35 billion yuan, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total.

Energy and resource products were a major driver of import growth. China's imports from other SCO members reached 840.21 billion yuan in the first seven months, up 16.6 percent year-on-year. Energy imports rose 14.1 percent to 364.76 billion yuan, accounting for 43.4 percent of the total, while imports of metal ores jumped 44.9 percent and agricultural imports grew 25.6 percent.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO, with economic and trade cooperation serving as a key engine driving the organization's continued growth.

The coming SCO Summit 2026 will be held in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1, 2026. The SCO plays an important role in enhancing good-neighborliness, friendship, unity and mutual trust among regional countries, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting regional prosperity and development, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Global Times