In a significant move that marked Qingdao’s emergence as a key player on the global economic stage, the Ministry of Commerce responded in May 2019 by officially supporting the city’s bid to establish the country’s first “China Cooperation Organization Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone.” This was a significant step in the city’s goal of becoming a hub for international trade and economic cooperation. The demonstration zone is set to operate on a development model focusing on logistics, cross-border development, trade, and capacity cooperation. This innovative model will allow the area to actively explore new ways of collaborating with countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to form a replicable and popularize SCO’s local economic and trade cooperation experience and practice.