Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 30 to September 3, and also conduct state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt. The trip is intended to strengthen regional cooperation, trade ties, and China's relations with key partners in Eurasia and the Middle East.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has significantly expanded since its founding. It has evolved from an initial group of six members to a group encompassing 27 states in various forms of membership and cooperation. Its operation is based on what is known as the "Shanghai Spirit," which emphasizes mutual trust, equality, consultation, respect for different civilizations, and joint development.
Xi Jinping has regularly attended SCO summits since 2013. At previous meetings, he repeatedly emphasized the need for mutually beneficial cooperation, openness, and finding common interests even with differing viewpoints among individual states.
In the past year, seven platforms have been created within the framework of SCO cooperation, focusing on areas such as green industry, the digital economy, energy, artificial intelligence, scientific and technological innovation, and education. According to Xinhua News Agency, these platforms have generated more than 160 specific projects.
A significant part of the trip involves a state visit to Kyrgyzstan. The relationship between Beijing and Bishkek has been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era in recent years.
One of the most prominent joint projects is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, whose construction is already underway. The project aims to improve connectivity between Central Asia and China and create an additional transportation corridor for trade between Asia and Europe.
China has long been one of Kyrgyzstan's most important trading and investment partners. According to publicly available data, bilateral trade reached $27.2 billion in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 19.8 percent.
Cooperation is also developing in the field of education. In Bishkek, for example, there is a Luban Workshop that trains skilled workers in areas such as intelligent water management and electrical engineering. Some of its educational standards have been incorporated into Kyrgyzstan's vocational training system.
The final leg of the trip will take Xi Jinping to Egypt. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1956, and in 2014 they elevated their cooperation to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
One of the main symbols of economic cooperation is the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone. By the end of June this year, it had attracted more than 200 companies, investments exceeding $4.7 billion, and created more than 10,000 direct jobs. Tens of thousands more job opportunities have been created indirectly.
In addition to trade, cultural ties are also expanding. Chinese has been integrated into the Egyptian education system, and at the same time, there is growing interest among Chinese tourists in Egypt and Egyptian culture.
The upcoming visit of Xi Jinping thus connects three main areas of current Chinese diplomacy: strengthening the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), deepening relations with Central Asian countries, and expanding cooperation with major Southern Hemisphere nations.
gnews.cz/CMG
https://english.news.cn/20260827/dad798a63a214765ac37c86cf8890270/c.html