BISHKEK, July 28 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency and Kyrgyzstan's Kabar National News Agency, is being held here from Sunday to Thursday.

The summit brings together around 260 representatives from nearly 150 mainstream media outlets, renowned think tanks, government departments, the SCO Secretariat and other institutions.

At the opening ceremony and plenary session held on Monday, participants discussed various topics under the theme of "The Shanghai Spirit in the New Era: From Shared Values to Practical Cooperation," contributing wisdom and solutions to deepening SCO cooperation across various fields.

SHANGHAI SPIRIT GUIDES COOPERATION

In his address at the SCO Tianjin Summit in September 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping said: "As early as 24 years ago when it was founded, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization established the Shanghai Spirit, i.e., mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development. The member states have since acted in this spirit to share opportunities and seek common development. They have brought about groundbreaking and historic achievements in SCO development and cooperation."

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the SCO. The Shanghai Spirit has always guided the SCO to move steadily and far.

Mohammad Mehdi Rahmati, CEO of Iran's Mehr Media Group, said the Shanghai Spirit serves as the foundation for the formation of a shared understanding among SCO member states, noting that this shared understanding will drive development and guide member states' capacity building in the right direction in a targeted manner.

Upholding the Shanghai Spirit, the SCO is becoming an important force in the Eurasian region, said Kadyrbek Sarbaev, senior expert of the SCO Secretariat, adding that the SCO's voice has grown increasingly prominent at both regional and global levels, becoming ever more influential.

Today, the SCO has become one of the most representative models of multilateral cooperation, bringing together countries with different cultures, histories, economic strengths and development paths based on mutual respect, said Subhiddin Shamsiddinzoda, director of Tajikistan's Khovar News Agency.

PRACTICAL COOPERATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS

Over the past 25 years, SCO member states have actively carried out exchanges and cooperation in various fields, demonstrating vigorous vitality and vigor.

Andrei Mokhar, director-general of Belarusian Telegraph Agency, said that amid rapid changes in the global landscape, media outlets are playing an increasingly prominent role in shaping an objective and fair international public opinion. Deepening media exchanges and cooperation among SCO countries can significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of cultural dissemination, he said.

The SCO's soft power has unique and enormous potential, said Igor Shestakov, director of Kyrgyzstan's Center for Expert Initiatives "Oi Ordo," adding that how to transform the powerful expert potential of member states into genuine integration projects remains to be further studied.

Marat Abulkhatin, deputy director general of TASS News Agency, said that recently TASS and Xinhua have organized the first stage of joint interviews in Russia, and they will soon conduct the second phase in China. It is through in-depth exchanges, joint work and a deeper understanding of each other's real lives that solid ties are established, and such ties are precisely the foundation of the Shanghai Spirit, he said.

Maksat Chakyev, president of Central Asian International Chamber of Commerce, said the SCO has established a space of mutual trust among member states with different cultures, economic models and national interests. The task for the next stage is to translate this mutual trust into economic link and create space for common development and value addition, he added.

Mirzokhid Rakhimov, head of the Department of Contemporary History Center under the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, said SCO member states are deepening their close partnerships in education, culture and human resources development projects, promoting exchanges and cooperation among the people.

Mohammed Saqib, secretary general of India-China Economic and Cultural Council, said the significance of the Shanghai Spirit in the new era lies not only in its ability to unite shared values but also to promote the building of common systems, serving as an action blueprint for inclusive governance.

The theme of this media think tank summit is not merely a title; it is a call, urging people to truly translate the declaration of cooperation into action, Saqib added.■