The 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum is held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on May 27, 2026, under the theme "Deepening China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation for a Brighter SCO Future." Photo: Xue Ke/GT

The 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Wednesday, under the theme "Deepening China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation for a Brighter SCO Future." Nearly 100 participants, including media representatives, government officials, experts, scholars and business leaders from both countries attended the event to engage in in-depth exchanges and discussions on topics including economic and trade development, cultural exchanges and media cooperation.

Attendees noted that ties between China and Kyrgyzstan have continuously enriched and deepened in the new era. They emphasized that media organizations from both nations should shoulder their responsibilities, build consensus on shared values, reflect the shared aspirations of both peoples for a better life, and work together to tell the stories of China-Kyrgyzstan good-neighborliness, friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Participants of the 2026 China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum believe that by upholding the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, the organization has maintained a strong momentum of growth. They believe that the media of SCO member states should fully leverage their role as bridges and bonds, promote the Shanghai Spirit, strengthen pragmatic cooperation and enhance people-to-people connectivity, thereby contributing wisdom and strength to building a more beautiful SCO home.

Cui Shixin, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the People's Daily, said in his opening address that the next Meeting of Council of Heads of State of SCO will be held in Bishkek in the second half of 2026. Linked by mountains and rivers, China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners enjoying close people-to-people ties. At this pivotal moment, holding the China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum to explore the responsibilities and missions of the two countries' media in the new era is well-timed and of profound significance. This not only puts into practice the important consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and President Sadyr Japarov on deepening the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, but also constitutes a concrete action to foster a favorable public opinion environment and consolidate a solid popular foundation for the upcoming SCO Bishkek Summit.

He put forward four proposals: Media of both countries should build consensus on development to anchor mutual trust, boost mutually beneficial cooperation to pave the way for prosperity, deepen cultural exchanges to nurture the tree of friendship and consolidate institutional foundations to amplify the voice of the SCO.

Salkyn Sarnogoeva, Deputy Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, noted in her speech that integration within the framework of the SCO is not merely about economic projects and political agreements. Above all, it represents the convergence of cultures and human stories. It is media practitioners who translate the sophisticated language of traditional diplomacy into a narrative of friendship, cooperation and constructive development understandable to all citizens. The SCO is currently in a phase of robust development, with the media sector playing a pivotal strategic role. 

"It is the media colleagues present here today who have built a 'cultural bridge' between our two peoples, shaping a shared information space and laying the foundation for trust and mutual understanding," she said.

Galina Baitekerek, head of Kyrgyz Tuusu Publishing House in Kyrgyzstan, mentioned in her address that the ancient Silk Road, generations of good-neighborliness and friendship and a shared aspiration for regional peace and development have tightly bound Kyrgyzstan and China together. Against this backdrop, strengthening cooperation in the information field is of paramount importance.

Baitekerek said that Chinese and Kyrgyz media sectors enjoy broad prospects for cooperation in various fields, including exchanging experience among journalists and experts, launching joint media initiatives, advancing digital platforms and new media development, and scaling up support for young journalists. "I am confident that deepening collaboration among journalists, experts and media organizations from both countries will surely make significant contributions to the cultural and people-to-people development of the SCO," she remarked.

Sun Dapeng, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, said in his speech that media plays an irreplaceable role in deepening mutually beneficial cooperation and enhancing people-to-people bonds. Media cooperation also stands as a key priority for cooperation within the SCO and between China and Kyrgyzstan. The forum is another major achievement of media cooperation between the two countries. The deeper the media exchanges, the closer the hearts of the two peoples, and the further journalists travel, the wider the stories of China-Kyrgyzstan friendship will spread, he said. 

China is willing to join hands with Kyrgyzstan to firmly promote the Shanghai Spirit, continuously deepen media cooperation, and make greater contributions to building a closer SCO community with a shared future and a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future, the Chinese diplomat noted.

Elena Zholobova, Editor-in-Chief of Kyrgyz newspaper Slovo Kyrgyzstana, told Global Times reporters that the China-Kyrgyzstan Media Cooperation Forum is a high-quality exchange platform with immense potential, which is vital for media outlets aiming to go international and engage in mutual communication.

"Currently, cultural exchanges and economic interactions between China and Kyrgyzstan are becoming increasingly vibrant. By leveraging the rich news resources of the SCO, both our two countries can better identify convergence points to jointly create high-quality content that caters to the interests of readers in both countries," she said.

People-to-people connectivity is the solid foundation of bilateral cooperation, while people-to-people exchanges serve as the most vibrant foundation of China-Kyrgyzstan good-neighborliness and friendship. Du Hua, Director of the Confucius Institute on the Chinese side at Bishkek State University, shared her first-hand observations from years of working in Kyrgyzstan during an interview with the Global Times.

Du noted that local youth are increasingly drawn to the Chinese language and culture, reflecting a deep-rooted and solid foundation of public goodwill between China and Kyrgyzstan. She suggested that media from both countries should embrace a diverse narrative approach focused on "localization and everyday life," digging deep into the personal stories of ordinary people to serve as a bond that genuinely enhances mutual understanding and emotional connection between the two peoples.

As a bridge connecting the world, aviation serves as a bond deepening the friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan. In a speech, a representative from Air China's sales office in Bishkek announced that Air China will officially enter the Kyrgyz market. Earlier media reports indicated that Air China will launch a direct flight between Beijing and Bishkek starting July 17, 2026.

With the launch of this route, two-way passenger traffic between China and Kyrgyzstan is expected to exceed 200,000 for the first time in 2026, paving a smoother Air Silk Road for people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Eduard Kubatov, Director of the State Agency for Tourism Development of Kyrgyzstan, told the Global Times that the prospects for China-Kyrgyzstan tourism cooperation are highly promising. The steady growth in tourist numbers fully demonstrates the immense potential of bilateral cultural and tourism cooperation, and the launch of Air China's direct flight route is anticipated to inject a powerful boost into the tourism sector, he said. Currently, the Kyrgyz side is continuously aligning with the Chinese side to jointly tap into new opportunities for cultural and tourism cooperation, Kubatov noted.

Currently, China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation is continuously expanding its scope, accelerating the shift to new fields, including the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI). In his remarks at the forum, Li Dahai, CEO of Chinese AI company ModelBest, said that Central Asia is not only a geographical hub but can also become a smart hub on the Digital Silk Road in the new era. We look forward to working with Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries to ensure that AI better understands local languages, aligns more closely with local industries, and serves the local people more effectively, Li said.

The forum was co-hosted by the People's Daily and Kyrgyz Tuusu Publishing House. The event featured keynote speeches and roundtable dialogues, alongside the "Linked by Mountains and Rivers, Bound by Shared Hearts - China and Kyrgyzstan Hand-in-Hand for the Future Photo Exhibition" and the Kyrgyzstan stop of the Global Times "Overseas China Week" event. During the forum, the People's Daily signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with Kyrgyz Tuusu Publishing House, and the Global Times signed a cooperation agreement with Slovo Kyrgyzstana.

At the forum venue, the Secretariat of the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) and the Global Times jointly released a report on interest trends among youth in SCO member states. The report points out that youth in these countries generally endorse the concepts and actions of the SCO, highly appreciate its positive role in global governance, and hold high expectations to deepening cooperation across various fields among member states.