Published on: 2026-09-04
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
From August 30 to September 3, the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, participated in the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, and also made state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt at the invitation of Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO. 25 years ago, in a complex international and regional context that emerged after the end of the Cold War, the first international organization named after a Chinese city and created with China’s participation arose. From the very beginning, it was based on the “Shanghai Spirit” — mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of joint development. Over 25 years, the SCO has grown from six founding states into a large family of 27 countries across three continents — Asia, Europe, and Africa; it has expanded its scope of activity from regional security to more than 50 areas of cooperation. The SCO has already become a comprehensive regional organization, possessing the largest territory, the most numerous population, and enormous development potential. Looking back on the path traveled, a clear thread emerges: China, as a founding state and active driver, has contributed to the creation and development of the SCO, providing ideological leadership, institutional construction, and incentives for cooperation.
China is not only the initiator of the “Shanghai Spirit” but also an active promoter of its implementation. Since 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping has participated in all SCO summits and proposed a number of important concepts, including the formation of a community with a shared future for the SCO and the building of “five common homes” — cohesion and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, justice and equality — thereby continuously enriching the content of the “Shanghai Spirit” in relation to the new era. For 25 years, China has consistently regarded the SCO as a priority direction of its diplomacy with neighboring countries, fostering trust in security, deepening cooperation in development, and invigorating humanitarian exchanges among the parties, transforming the original idea of the “Shanghai Spirit” into practical cooperation.
China’s contribution is reflected in cooperation on peace protection and security assurance. Chairman Xi Jinping emphasized that “genuine security is only possible when all SCO countries are secure.” Starting with strengthening military trust in border areas, China, together with member states, consistently builds a solid regional security barrier: from countering the “three evil forces,” transnational organized crime, and drug trafficking, to regularly conducting joint anti-terrorism exercises “Peace Mission” and responding to non-traditional security challenges in areas such as cyberspace, biology, and space.
China’s responsibility is manifested in the practice of mutually beneficial development. China always links its own development with the development of the SCO and with the aspirations of the peoples of all member states for a better life. The set goal of exceeding the total trade volume between China and other SCO countries, up to 2.3 trillion US dollars, was achieved ahead of schedule; the “Belt and Road” initiative is aligned with the development strategies of the member states, and projects such as the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, the China–Central Asia gas pipeline, and others are being systematically implemented. Concrete practical measures turn the development advantages of each country into shared benefits, allowing the fruits of joint development to bring increasing benefits to the population.
China’s warmth is embodied in humanitarian exchanges filled with mutual understanding and friendship. Chairman Xi Jinping noted that the SCO member states should draw closer at heart through cultural and humanitarian exchanges, support each other during economic cooperation, and jointly build a “flourishing garden of civilizations” in the spirit of shared prosperity, universal beauty, and harmonious coexistence.
From centers of Chinese culture, Confucius Institutes, and Lu Ban workshops, which have already taken root in many SCO countries, to the China-SCO Youth Exchange Center and special SCO scholarships that promote the growth of the younger generation, as well as media summits, women’s forums, and other events expanding contacts between peoples — China is consistently creating platforms for dialogue and expanding the space for cooperation, strengthening the social foundation for the development of the SCO.
In September 2025, Xi Jinping chaired the SCO Tianjin Summit, leading the organization into a new stage of qualitative development characterized by greater cohesion, deeper coordination, enhanced momentum, and improved effectiveness. During the Tianjin Summit, the “Tianjin Declaration” was signed and published; the “SCO Development Strategy for the Next 10 Years (2026–2035)” was approved, defining long-term guidelines; the opening of “four security centers” took place; a political decision to establish the SCO Development Bank was made, which strengthened the institutional foundation; six practical cooperation platforms were established, and six action plans for high-quality development were developed, deepening interaction in various fields. This impressive list of achievements made the Tianjin Summit, bearing a distinct “Chinese imprint,” an important milestone in the history of SCO development.
Against the backdrop of centuries-old changes and the world’s entry into a new period of turbulence and transformations, the SCO, expanding and increasing its strength, assumes an increasingly significant historical mission and responsibility — from leadership in regional cooperation to the improvement of global governance. The global governance initiative, proposed by Chairman Xi Jinping at the Tianjin summit, offered Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the pressing problems of the modern world, receiving widespread resonance and active support among member countries. As a model of new-type international relations, the SCO is called upon to become a leader in promoting the global governance initiative, transforming the successful experience of regional cooperation into a powerful engine for solving global governance problems and jointly advancing the international order towards greater fairness and rationality.
Twenty-five years of a shared journey — China has always breathed in unison with the SCO and shared its destiny. Looking to the future, China will continue to steadfastly follow the “Shanghai Spirit” together with its partners and implement the four global initiatives, bringing the “power of the SCO” to maintaining peace and stability, demonstrating the “responsibility of the SCO” in promoting open global cooperation, setting the “benchmarks of the SCO” in advancing universal human values, taking “actions of the SCO” to protect international justice and equality, and giving a stronger impetus to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
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