Youths can utilize exchanges in technology and innovation to promote win-win cooperation among countries and build a closer community with a shared future in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, officials said on Thursday.

They made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the SCO Youth Technology and Innovation Forum held online and offline manner in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province. Last year, China proposed holding the forum to stimulate youth innovation among SCO countries.

Shen Yueyue, vice-chairperson of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said in a keynote speech friendly exchanges and technology and innovation cooperation among the youth have been a priority for the SCO.

Shen, also president of the Good-Neighborly Friendship and Cooperation Committee of SCO, said youths, being vibrant forces for people-to-people exchanges, should champion the "Shanghai Spirit" and devote themselves to friendship and cooperation between SCO countries.

Youths should stay committed to a people-centered approach and achieve more innovation to improve people's well-being and tackle common challenges facing humanity, she said.

She also called on youths to uphold openness and inclusiveness and reject moves of erecting barriers to create a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for technological innovation.

Aziz Abdukhakimov, deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan, noted the forum is of great practical significance as the youth is the future of SCO countries.

Since over 800 million youth live in SCO countries, the forum provides a platform for young people to converse with each other and cultivate ways to tackle challenges, he added.

Nikolai Snopkov, first deputy prime minister of Belarus, also highlighted youths' role in innovation, and said the country is willing to share achievements made by its young technical experts and participate in various technological innovation projects within the framework of the SCO.

He hailed Shenzhen as an innovative city which has flourished because of reform and opening-up and accredited its achievements to socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Zhang Ming, secretary-general of the SCO, said the forum will enrich cooperation among the SCO, and will further broaden horizons of the younger generation and promote and cultivate creativity.

It would also inject new impetus to better serve regional modernization in fields such as digital economy, artificial intelligence and green development, he added.