Cui Li, vice-president of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission (GNFCC) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), addressed the closing ceremony of the 2025 SCO Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, on July 4.

Cui Li, vice-president of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, addresses the closing ceremony of the 2025 SCO Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, on July 4.

Cui congratulated the successful hosting of the event, highlighting that it has yielded fruitful outcomes. These outcomes will inject new vitality into the promotion of people-to-people friendship among SCO countries, and make positive contributions to the organization’s development, she said.

Cui Li, vice-president of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, addresses the closing ceremony of the 2025 SCO Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, on July 4.

Cui noted that participants have actively offered insightful ideas and suggestions around the forum's theme of "Deepening People-to-People Friendship, Advancing Sustainable Development". She added that consensus has been further consolidated through the forum, noting that the growth of the SCO relies heavily on the strong support of people-to-people friendship among SCO countries, which holds vast potential and promise.

She underscored the need to fully tap into the potential of people-to-people friendship, strengthen its foundations, expand its network, and unleash its dividends, in a bid to continuously advance the cause of people-to-people friendship to new heights.

Cui called for further solidifying the SCO's mission of serving head-of-state diplomacy, mobilizing non-governmental forces, and benefiting the people within the organization. To this end, she urged efforts to enhance the capacity-building of non-governmental organizations under the SCO framework, promote exchanges and cooperation among friendship cities, and explore the potential of people-to-people cooperation, she said.

Looking ahead, Cui emphasized the importance of upholding the ‌"Shanghai Spirit"‌ and consolidating the foundations of cooperation. She advocated for expanding cooperation areas, enriching its substance, prioritizing people’s well-being by adopting a people-centered approach, fostering youth engagement to strengthen the foundation of people-to-people friendship, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations to deepen people-to-people bonds.

The signing ceremony among international friendship cities and organizations

At the closing ceremony, the 2025 SCO Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities Shenyang Initiative was released.

Wang Xinwei, governor of Liaoning, addressed the ceremony, while Irina Guseva, co-chair of the All-Russian Association for the Development of Local Self-Government and a member of the Presidium of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Local Self-Government, delivered a speech.

Mayor of Shenyang Lyu Zhicheng presided over the ceremony.