Attendees pose for a group photo outside an international conference center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 16, 2018. The 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Youth Campus opened Monday in Qingdao. More than 200 attendees from SCO member and observer states are at the event which runs till Sunday in Qingdao and Beijing. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

QINGDAO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Youth Campus opened Monday in east China's coastal city of Qingdao, in Shandong Province.

More than 200 attendees from SCO member and observer states are at the event which runs till Sunday in Qingdao and Beijing.

"We hope that by holding this event here in Qingdao we can bring new vitality and energy to youth activities under the SCO framework," said Dong Xia, deputy secretary-general of the All-China Youth Federation at the opening ceremony.

This is the third SCO Youth Campus. During the SCO summit in Ufa, Russia in July 2015, China agreed to host the event for five years starting from 2016.

Participants named a sailboat at the ceremony and received sailing training afterwards. Qingdao has a long history of sailing and hosted the sailing event in the 2008 Olympic Games.

While staying in Qingdao, the campus participants will visit the home appliance manufacturer Haier Group, electric vehicle charging company TGOOD and Qingdao Port .

Panel discussions and story sharing events will also be held.