Zhengzhou, the capital of landlocked Henan Province and one of China's most pivotal railroad junctions, hopes to raise its global profile through hosting the 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers' meeting next week.
The meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Zhengdong New District, an eastern suburb of Zhengzhou, will witness the signing of resolutions and deals against the backdrop of economic pressure and terrorism threats.
Founded in 2001, the SCO consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers.
Home to more than one million people and 30,000 enterprises, Zhengdong is ready to embrace this meeting. The Zhengzhou government has even approved a two-day holiday for government departments, institutions, kindergartens, middle and primary schools for the occasion.
This will be the first time the SCO prime ministers' meeting has been hosted by a second-tier Chinese city. Previously, it was held in countries' capitals or otherwise renowned cities.
Zhengzhou, the second most populous city in central China after Wuhan, was better known for its messy railway station and crowded streets than for its sense of style and modernity two decades ago.
However, as China witnesses industrial transfer from the advanced east to its landlocked interior, the city has sprouted dozens of hotels, restaurants and office development on the strength of a booming logistics and transport network.
Nowadays, it has initiated a new round of opening up driven by the Belt and Road Initiative.
A transcontinental freight-train route between Zhengzhou and the German city of Hamburg has been popular since it was launched in July 2013, cutting journey time in half compared to maritime transport.
