The 2026 SCO Forum on People-to-People Exchange Opens in Bishkek

On August 30, 2026, The 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on People-to-People Exchange was held in Bishkek. The event was jointly hosted by China Media Group and the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation of Kyrgyzstan. ■

The Forum was attended by Askat Alagozov, Press Secretary of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Ulanbek Satiev, Director General of NTRK; Shen Haixiong, DeputyHead of the Propaganda Department of the CPC CentralCommittee, Director General and Editor-in-Chief of the China Media Group (CMG); Piao Yangfan, Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO; as well as over 100 representatives from political, economic, cultural, and media circles of SCO member states.

The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov, sent a congratulatory message to the organizers and participants of the event. The head of state noted that the media play an important role in strengthening mutual understanding among the countries of the SCO community. He expressed confidence that this humanitarian event would give new impetus to practical cooperation in launching media projects, expanding professional exchanges, developing training programs, and co-creating content, as well as contribute to further coverage of the history, culture, and contemporary achievements of the SCO member states.

Shen Haixiong emphasized in his speech that China Media Group, consistently adhering to the "Shanghai Spirit," attaches great importance to building cooperation mechanisms with the media of SCO member states and implementing joint flagship projects. He expressed readiness to leverage the potential of this event in order to explore new forms of broadcasting and deepen practical cooperation with the media of the Organization.

Deputy Secretary-General of the SCO Piao Yangfan, speaking at the opening of the Forum, emphasized that comprehensive coverage of the Organization's activities enables the world to hear the voice of the SCO more clearly, facilitates the dissemination of the principles of the "Shanghai Spirit," and strengthens trust in multilateral partnership within the Organization. Confidence was expressed that the upcoming Bishkek Summit and the series of accompanying events would elevate the Organization's development and relations among the countries of the "SCO community" to a new level.

Ahead of the Forum’s opening a launch ceremony was held for the multilingual TV project “Classics Quoted by Xi Jinping” in the SCO countries.

Also there was a presentation of the documentary film “For the Future: On the 25th Anniversary of the SCO.” produced by CGTN (China Media Group) in collaboration with the SCO Secretariat. The film is available for viewing on major media platforms of the Organization's member states.

In addition, as part of the humanitarian event, the project "CMG Showcase – SCO Special " was launched, the results of a global public opinion survey on the SCO's influence in the world were presented, and the successful completion of the short video creative camp "SCO: Youth in Action" was announced.