On November 3–4, 2026, Media Cooperation Forum on Belt and Road was held in Fuzhou, China, hosted by the People's Daily and the People's Government of Fujian Province. The event was attended by more than 200 representatives of media and other institutions from 100 countries and international and regional organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Xian Hui, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Hu Heping, executive Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; Zhao Long, Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee; Yu Shaoliang, President of People's Daily; Pavel Negoitsa, General Director of Rossiyskaya Gazeta; Oleg Kopylov, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation; and others.
Xian Hui, in particular, noted that the “Belt and Road” initiative, put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has become a sought‑after international public tool. Today, it is the world’s largest platform for international economic cooperation in terms of scale, scope, and degree of influence. At the SCO summit in Bishkek in September 2026, the Chinese leader outlined the key guidelines for further progress: prioritizing development, ensuring security as a key condition, adopting a people‑centered approach, and relying on dialogue and consultations. These principles were developed, among other things, taking into account the 25‑year experience of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and they also set the direction for advancing the high‑quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” at a new stage.
Speaking at the forum, the SCO Deputy Secretary-General emphasized that in the Bishkek Declaration, the majority of the Organization's member states confirm their support for the Belt and Road Initiative and note the ongoing work on the joint implementation of this project, including efforts to align the development of the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI.
He emphasized the readiness of the SCO Secretariat to continue cooperating with all interested parties in order to deepen practical interaction in the media sphere and to share truthful information with the global audience, contributing to common development and mutual understanding.
A number of panel discussions were held as part of the event, and the Fuzhou Initiative on Belt and Road media cooperation was published.
On the sidelines of the forum, the SCO Secretariat's delegation had contacts with representatives of the leadership of a number of Chinese and foreign media outlets.