Bishkek summit injects fresh impetus into high-quality development of SCO

The 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) convened in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, marking the organization’s 25th anniversary by issuing the Bishkek Declaration and adopting 28 outcome documents across security, economic cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. Highlighting China’s active role as a driving force—backed by $523.5 billion in total trade volume between China and SCO members in 2025—the summit advanced the SCO Development Strategy until 2035 and saw substantive progress on the SCO Development Bank. To tackle complex regional security risks, member states operationalized new institutional frameworks, including the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats and the Executive Committee of the Anti-Drug Center. Additionally, the leaders emphasized cultural ties by naming Lahore, Pakistan, as the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the 2026-2027 term, while reaffirming their commitment to true multilateralism, the UN Charter, and enhanced cooperation among the Global South amid a challenging global landscape. Credit : CGTN