E-commerce livestreams selling specialty products from SCO member states in full swing

A livestreamer promotes products during a livestreaming session of the SCO online product, remarkable Shandong-E commerce live streaming event. (Photo/Remarkable Shandong)

"Check this out!" Under the spotlight, a livestreamer held a tin of tea and said, "This high-mountain tea from Nepal is rich, smooth, and aromatic."

This was a scene during a live-streaming session featuring products from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The products included donkey-hide gelatin, also known as "ejiao," from east China's Shandong Province, Hanfu costumes from Caoxian county in Shandong, and others, as well as high-mountain tea from Nepal, chocolates, milk powder, and birch water from Belarus, and rice and pine nuts from Pakistan.

Since launching in Beijing on Jan. 21, the event, jointly organized by the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province, the administrative committee of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA), and Shandong Radio and Television Station, has sparked a surge in online shopping across Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and other social media platforms.

Running through March, the event showcased 136 products, racking up over 1 million yuan (about $137,780) in sales and drawing 300,000 views as of Feb. 14, 2025.

At the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center in Qingdao of Shandong, the accompanying offline exhibition has attracted 68,000 visits, up 14 percent year on year, with sales reaching 480,000 yuan, a 7 percent increase year on year.

"As China's first cultural experience base dedicated to SCO member states, the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center offers a range of signature products from SCO member states, including vodka, Persian carpets, Iranian saffron, and Indian essential oils," said Xiao Yongkai, an operations manager at the center.

During the Spring Festival, the center hosted over 20 events, including intangible cultural heritage performances, and a Silk Road art exhibition, drawing large crowds.

"I love shopping at the Qingdao SCODA Pearl International Expo Center. It brings me a taste of home!" said Angela, a Kyrgyz student at the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade located in Qingdao.

"The chocolates from Russia, dates from Saudi Arabia, and dairy snacks from Mongolia are all so authentic. I've come several times over winter break—not just to shop for global specialties, but also to enjoy Chinese cultural performances. The red lanterns and Chinese knots in the exhibition hall make me feel right at home," Angela said.

"As a platform for international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area is playing an increasingly vital role in regional economic cooperation," said Li Gang, executive deputy director of the administrative committee of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area.

The event leverages the area's unique strengths to create a global e-commerce hub for showcasing products, fostering exchange, and facilitating trade, Li added.

"As a major economic and trade initiative during China's SCO presidency, the event serves as a bridge connecting SCO member states' embassies in China, business associations, and consumers," said SCO Deputy Secretary-General Sohail Khan.