By P.R. Pradhan in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit, held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on July 27, concluded with a call for broader consensus and stronger cooperation among member states and partner countries.
The Summit, attended by more than 250 senior media professionals and representatives of think tanks from SCO member states and dialogue partners, including Nepal, discussed the significance of the SCO during its plenary session following the inaugural ceremony. The participants unanimously adopted the Bishkek Declaration, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing cooperation and promoting the SCO spirit.
Jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency and Kabar News Agency, the Summit brought together media and think tank representatives from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye, Sri Lanka, and the host country, Kyrgyzstan. A large number of delegates from Kyrgyzstan also participated in the event.
The participants emphasized the importance of strengthening mutual cooperation in line with the SCO spirit and expressed support for expanding areas of collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Pushpa Raj Pradhan, Editor-in-Chief, People’s Review Weekly; Dr Upendra Gautam, a noted scholar and Member Secretary, China Study Center and Nanda Lal Tiwari, editor, The Rising Nepal Online portal, attended the event from Nepal.
Full text of the SCO Consensus 2026:
On July 27, 2026, the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. A total of 150 representatives from 260 mainstream media outlets, renowned think tanks and government institutions of SCO countries, as well as the SCO Secretariat, attended the event.
Focusing on the theme of “The ‘Shanghai Spirit’ in the New Era: From Shared Values to Practical Cooperation,” the summit conducted extensive exchanges and in-depth discussions on how to leverage the unique role of media and think tanks to promote deeper practical cooperation among SCO countries, deliver win-win results, and build an even closer SCO community with a shared future.
We have witnessed that over the past 25 years since the SCO’s founding, the organization has always upheld the “Shanghai Spirit,” firmly practiced multilateralism, and played a significant role in enhancing solidarity and mutual trust among regional countries, maintaining regional security and stability, promoting regional prosperity and development, and advancing the reform of the global governance system. SCO media and think tanks should present a true narrative of the SCO and a full picture of SCO countries’ cooperation outcomes across all fields, and demonstrate SCO strength and SCO commitment.
We hold that upholding peace, security and regional stability is the shared responsibility of SCO countries and also the fundamental prerequisite for realizing prosperity and development. SCO media and think tanks should act on the Global Security Initiative, thoroughly interpret the contemporary connotation of security cooperation, advocate the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and foster a public opinion environment that features dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win rather than zero-sum outcomes.
We hold that realizing prosperity and development is the common pursuit of SCO countries, which bears on the well-being of people of all countries. SCO media and think tanks should act on the Global Development Initiative, tell vivid stories of connectivity and mutual benefit among the SCO countries, and provide an exchange platform and intellectual support for continuously aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with national development strategies of SCO countries, so as to promote higher-quality and more sustainable economic growth.
We hold that deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is the shared mission of SCO countries, which helps enhance mutual understanding and identification among the peoples of SCO countries. SCO media and think tanks should act on the Global Civilization Initiative, systematically expound the cultural heritage and contemporary connotation of SCO countries, actively participate in and cover activities related to the International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations, and build broad consensus for different civilizations to coexist inclusively and engage in exchanges and mutual learning.
We hold that upholding fairness and justice and practicing true multilateralism are the common propositions of SCO countries, which serve the shared interests of all parties. SCO media and think tanks should act on the Global Governance Initiative, advocate the clear stance of choosing unity over division, cooperation over confrontation, and justice over hegemony, and promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system.
We are convinced that this summit will help SCO media and think tanks build broad consensus, deepen practical cooperation, contribute to regional solidarity, cooperation, development and revitalization, and contribute wisdom and strength to realizing the beautiful vision of the Five Common Homes– a common home featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, as well as fairness and justice– and building an even closer SCO community with a shared future.
This summit is co-hosted by China’s Xinhua News Agency and Kabar National News Agency of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Xinhua adds:
BISHKEK, July 27 (Xinhua) — The 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit, themed “The Shanghai Spirit in the New Era: From Shared Values to Practical Cooperation,” opened Monday in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
The summit gathers about 260 representatives from nearly 150 mainstream media organizations, leading think tanks, government departments and the SCO Secretariat across SCO countries.
Daiyrbek Orunbekov, head of the Information Policy Service of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony that media organizations and think tanks shoulder great responsibilities in guiding public opinion and safeguarding trust and security among countries in today’s world.
Coordination between media organizations and think tanks will provide a reliable shield against disinformation, he said, expressing confidence that the summit would serve as a platform for generating new ideas and initiatives and contribute to strengthening information security within the SCO, deepening academic cooperation and building bridges of friendship.
Xi Yanchun, vice president of Xinhua News Agency, said in her keynote speech that Xinhua has always been committed to telling SCO stories well and amplifying the SCO’s voice.
Under the SCO framework, media organizations and think tanks should continue to serve as bridges and links, she said.
She called on them to seek common ground while respecting differences and promote solidarity and mutual trust; pursue mutual benefit and drive development and revitalization; uphold openness and inclusiveness and build bridges for people-to-people exchanges; uphold fairness and justice and advocate multilateralism; and remain practical and efficient while taking the lead in action-oriented cooperation.
Mederbek Shermetaliev, director of the Kabar News Agency of Kyrgyzstan, said while digital technologies have facilitated information exchange, they have also brought risks such as disinformation and cybersecurity threats.
SCO member states should jointly establish regular dialogue mechanisms among think tanks, conduct joint research, cultivate young experts, promote in-depth exchanges among media professionals, and continuously deepen intellectual, information and people-to-people cooperation, he said.
Liu Jiangping, Chinese ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, said media organizations and think tanks are not only chroniclers of the times but also advocates of cooperation, and that cooperation between them has become an important way of putting the Shanghai Spirit into practice.
At a time when methods of information dissemination are undergoing profound changes, the world needs objective, truthful and comprehensive reporting more than ever, as well as in-depth and rational research, efforts to overcome prejudice, bridge differences and enhance mutual understanding, and stronger dialogue and cooperation, Liu said.
Kadyrbek Sarbayev, a senior expert with the SCO Secretariat, said the summit will help further deepen exchanges and cooperation between media organizations and think tanks under the SCO framework and contribute to the organization’s long-term development.
Mirzokhid Rakhimov, head of the Department of Contemporary History at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, said that the SCO should build on the Silk Road’s legacy of exchanges among civilizations, and promote regional connectivity as well as sustainable and stable development through deeper think tank exchanges.
The summit runs from Sunday to Thursday and is jointly hosted by Xinhua News Agency and the Kabar News Agency of Kyrgyzstan.
During the summit, think tank reports “Contemporary Features and Global Significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building” in Kyrgyz and Russian, and “Upholding Fairness and Justice and Improving Global Governance — Achievements, Opportunities, and Prospects for SCO Cooperation” in multiple languages were released.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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