Themed Building a Better Home Together for a Prosperous Future, the forum gathered over 300 top-level media professionals, political figures, and scholars from 26 SCO member states, observer nations, and dialogue partners. Together, they contributed their wisdom and efforts toward building a closer regional community with a shared future, underscoring the contemporary value and robust vitality of the SCO's Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and pursuit of common development.

The SCO is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan with the aim of promoting cooperation and peace among its member states, as well as fostering "a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic order."

Important place, important event 

The selection of Urumqi as the forum's venue was no coincidence; it was an inevitable outcome dictated by history, geopolitics and current development for several reasons.

Firstly, with its unique geographical advantages, Xinjiang has been a crucial corridor and hub for East-West civilizational exchange since ancient times. As a forefront of China's westward opening up and a core area of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Xinjiang borders several SCO member states, playing an unparalleled role as a bridge and nexus for promoting policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, barrier-free trade, financial integration and people-to-people bonds among member states. The rapid growth of Xinjiang's foreign trade in recent years, with over 75 percent attributed to SCO countries, and the record-breaking frequency of China Railway Express freight trains, attest to its economic dynamism.

Secondly, Xinjiang's blend of multiple ethnic groups and a rich tapestry of interwoven cultures make it an ideal platform for showcasing the charm of China's cultural diversity and fostering cultural exchange and mutual learning among SCO nations. As SCO Deputy Secretary General Sohail Khan remarked, media serves as a bridge for mutual learning between civilizations, laying the foundation for mutual trust and understanding among different countries, which aligns perfectly with the core values of the Shanghai Spirit.

Furthermore, the region has achieved social harmony and stability, vigorous economic development, and a peaceful and prosperous life for its people, leading to a significant enhancement in their sense of happiness and fulfillment.

Against the backdrop of accelerating changes unseen in a century and a plethora of global challenges, the role of the media has become increasingly prominent. The Media Cooperation Forum of SCO Countries was convened in step with these times, representing an active exploration of leveraging media power to foster a closer regional community with a shared future and to contribute "SCO solutions" to the improvement of the global governance system.

Strengthening media cooperation 

Prior to the event, Khan emphasized the vital role of media in advancing connectivity and mutual understanding across the SCO region. He described media as a powerful medium not only for representing societies but also for linking people through ideas, friendship and public diplomacy.

Participants widely agreed that the media should assume responsibility for enhancing mutual understanding, promoting cultural exchange and advancing pragmatic cooperation. By strengthening news sharing, personnel exchanges and technological collaboration, particularly by empowering the media ecosystem with new technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence, SCO countries' media organizations can collectively enhance their voice, effectively address disinformation and malicious sensationalism, and foster a clear, just and balanced international public opinion environment.

The forum not only focused on practical cooperation among media outlets, such as the initiative to establish an SCO Media Cooperation Alliance, but also aimed, through the power of media, to promote the Shanghai Spirit, deepen consensus and collaboration among member states in security, development and other fields, support the high-quality development of the BRI, advance regional economic integration, and bring tangible benefits to the people of all nations.

In an era of complex global information flows and escalating narrative conflicts, the forum has undoubtedly injected a clear and potent "force of truth" into the international public opinion arena. When media representatives from other countries witness firsthand the vibrant life in the Ancient City of Kashi (Kashgar), the bustling activity in free trade zones, and the happy lives of people of all ethnic groups, any lies that disregard facts will collapse.

An open region 

The forum is not only a demonstration of Chinese modernization in Xinjiang but also offers the international community a window to observe and understand the real China. It underscored Xinjiang's openness and confidence, as well as the collective determination of SCO countries to resist false information and pursue factual accuracy.

Xinjiang has recently hosted a series of high-level international events, such as the China-Eurasia Expo and the SCO Political Parties Forum. The hosting of the 2025 Media Cooperation Forum of SCO Countries is another strong testament to Xinjiang's high-level opening up. Through the lenses of SCO member states' media outlets, the international community sees a prosperous, stable, open, confident and real Xinjiang—a vivid epitome of Chinese modernization practiced in a border region.

Xinjiang's experience is particularly enlightening. Faced with external distortions and slander, Xinjiang has consistently let the facts do the talking through continuous openness and development, inviting the international community to visit and experience it firsthand. The hosting of this forum and its subsequent in-depth interview activities are a continuation of this confidence and openness. It provided a platform for media from SCO countries to observe and present a real, multi-dimensional, and prosperous Xinjiang to the world.

Looking ahead, with SCO media cooperation as a new starting point, a new regional development pattern characterized by greater prosperity, stability, mutual trust and mutual learning will form, contributing continuous positive energy and SCO wisdom to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

Encouraging media innovations 

In an era where emerging technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence are profoundly reshaping the media ecosystem and international communication landscape, the forum not only symbolized the deepening of regional media cooperation but also sounded a clarion call for SCO countries to jointly embrace digital transformation and explore paths for innovative media development. Xinjiang is becoming a prominent witness to and active participant in this media revolution and cooperation.

The forum reflects the SCO countries' keen insight into and proactive engagement with cutting-edge trends in media development. The forum aimed to explore responses to the reshaping of the media ecosystem by new technologies and to promote innovation in media industry operations and technological applications. According to the forum, future SCO media cooperation will be enhanced in areas like new media, digital technology empowerment and institutional innovation. It is foreseeable that through methods such as co-building multi-language news platforms, jointly developing and applying artificial intelligence in news production and dissemination, and sharing digital media technology experiences, the international competitiveness and influence of SCO countries' media will be significantly boosted.

Xinjiang's unique geographical advantages make it not only a geographical hub but also a potential testing ground and connection point for digital information exchange and technological cooperation among SCO countries. Xinjiang's foreign trade vitality, the busy traffic of China-Europe freight trains, and the advancement of infrastructure projects like the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway all signal its rising strategic importance in regional interconnectivity. Such "hard connectivity" also lays a solid foundation for "soft connectivity" such as media technology cooperation and information content sharing.

From a broader perspective, the concerted efforts of SCO countries in the digital transformation and innovative development of media has the potential to break down information barriers and improve the efficiency and quality of information dissemination within the region. The outcomes of the event will help SCO countries' media to jointly seize the opportunities of digital, networked and intelligent development, and to speaker louder.

Empowering the Global South 

The forum was also a powerful declaration by SCO countries of their commitment to enhancing their collective voice and promoting a more just and balanced international public opinion ecosystem. Xinjiang, with its open stance, is becoming an important platform and intersection for this historical process.

After more than two decades of development, the SCO has become the world's largest regional international organization in terms of geographical area and population. Its member states, observer nations, and dialogue partners span the Eurasian continent, with many belonging to the Global South. For a long time, the international public opinion landscape has been characterized by imbalance and domination. Cui Guojie, a Counselor at the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on media representatives at the forum to enhance the discourse power of Global South countries, and to promote a more diverse, just and balanced international public opinion ecosystem—a proactive response to the call of the times.

Through dialogue and exchange, media representatives from participating countries forged a consensus to "tell SCO stories well and share SCO experience." This is not only about showcasing national achievements and cultures but also about collectively safeguarding the unity and common interests of SCO countries on the international stage, refuting baseless accusations, and striving for an international voice commensurate with their stature and contributions. By deepening media cooperation, sharing information resources, and coordinating communication strategies, SCO countries are joining hands to enhance their collective influence in the global information landscape.

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