On May 23, 2025, at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Media Cooperation Forum of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Countries held in Urumqi, capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the International News Department of People's Daily and the Global Times Institute jointly released a report titled "Common Home: Public Opinion on the Development Visions in SCO Member States."

The 2025 Media Cooperation Forum of SCO Countries is held in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on May 23, 2025. (People's Daily/Zhang Wujun)

The report highlights broad public recognition of the Shanghai Spirit among SCO member states and reveals strong expectations for expanding cooperation in a range of sectors.

According to the findings, over 80 percent of respondents believe the SCO plays a positive role in global governance, while around 70 percent believe their countries have gained more opportunities to participate in global governance through the SCO framework. Over 60 percent agree that the SCO has contributed to their countries' sustainable development and modernization.

The survey also shows that over 90 percent of respondents believe that China's development experience provides insights for their countries, and an equal percentage affirm that cooperation with China benefits their national development.

The results underscore the enduring vitality of the Shanghai Spirit and reflect the deep aspirations of people across SCO countries for stronger regional cooperation.

This year is SCO's "China Year." As a founding member, China has engaged in extensive and pragmatic cooperation with fellow SCO countries. With a consistently open approach, China has been sharing its development philosophy and governance experience, offering growth opportunities and practical achievements to foster shared development across the region.

The survey, conducted across all 10 full SCO member states from March 31 to May 8, gathered more than 5,700 valid questionnaires in 11 languages, including Chinese, English, Russian, Persian, Urdu, and Kazakh. The report provides a comprehensive reflection of public opinion across diverse cultural backgrounds, offering a robust gauge of sentiment for building a closer SCO community with a shared future.

In today's increasingly turbulent international environment, the strong public expectation for multilateral cooperation among SCO member states stands out as particularly valuable.

Elements of the report:

I. Shared Values: Widespread Recognition of SCO's Contribution to Global Governance

Guided by the Shanghai Spirit, namely mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development, the SCO has been contributing its strength to establishing a fair and equitable global governance system. Under the current international situation, the SCO's influence and appeal have continued to grow as it plays a vital role in maintaining regional security, promoting common development, and enhancing global governance.

The report shows that more than 80 percent of respondents affirmed the SCO's positive impact on global governance. Its role in maintaining global security was cited most frequently (52 percent), followed by promoting global development (49 percent) and advancing economic globalization (47 percent).

Over the past 24 years, the SCO has been deepening cooperation in politics, security, economy, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. These efforts have created new development opportunities and tangible benefits for people in SCO member states. The organization has become a vital platform for member states to expand their international influence and achieve development and progress.

Nearly 70 percent of respondents believe their countries have gained more opportunities to participate in global governance through the SCO framework. Over 60 percent agree the SCO has contributed to their countries' sustainable development and modernization, while more than 70 percent expect the organization to make positive contributions to regional and even global development and cooperation.

II. China's Contributions: Valuable Insights for Development of Member States

As a founding member of the SCO, China has been providing momentum for the organization's development through institutional innovation and the sharing of its governance experience. Since its inception to the SCO, China has engaged in extensive and pragmatic cooperation with fellow countries across areas including economy and trade, infrastructure construction, modern agriculture, and energy. With a consistently open approach, China has worked to share its development philosophy and governance experience to promote common development across the region.

According to the survey, 95 percent of respondents believe that China's development experience provides insights for their countries. An equal percentage agree that cooperation with China can contribute to their national development and modernization. Among specific areas of cooperation identified, trade and economic cooperation ranked highest, followed by agricultural technology, high-tech sectors, infrastructure development, and rural poverty alleviation and reduction.

China has also worked to align the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with regional cooperation initiatives and the development strategies of fellow member states. The findings reveal that more than 70 percent of respondents support deeper engagement with the Belt and Road cooperation. Public support is particularly strong in Pakistan and Tajikistan, where approval rates exceed 80 percent. While India has not formally joined the cooperation platform, more than 70 percent of Indian respondents expressed support for expanding cooperation with China in areas such as industrial and supply chains, as well as connectivity.

Cultural cooperation is a key area of focus for SCO member states. In recent years, China has hosted a range of activities such as the Traditional Medicine Forum, the SCO non-governmental friendship forum, the Youth Campus, and the Youth Development Forum. These efforts have fostered dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations, strengthening people-to-people connectivity.

According to the report, 87 percent of respondents expressed positive views on youth exchange activities hosted by China. Additionally, 90 percent said they would be willing to visit China in the future, with over 70 percent citing tourism as their primary motivation.

These findings highlight the strong enthusiasm among people in SCO countries for enhancing mutual understanding and fostering closer ties.

III. Future Visions: Expanding Cooperation and Global Reach

The SCO has continued to expand its influence, cohesion and appeal. It has grown from a regional organization composed of six member states into a large trans-regional "family" of 26 countries.

Within this framework, member states have steadily enhanced practical cooperation in areas such as political and security affairs, connectivity, trade and investment, green development, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges. At the same time, new areas of cooperation, such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence, are also gaining momentum.

Public sentiment regarding the SCO's future trajectory remains optimistic. More than 90 percent of respondents expressed hope that member states will further strengthen cooperation on economy, science and technology, security, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges under the SCO framework.

To accelerate regional economic integration, SCO countries have been actively expanding local currency settlements and promoting the establishment of an SCO financing platform. Overall, 72 percent of respondents expressed support for expanding local currency payments and settlements, reflecting a shared aspiration among member states to enhance economic resilience and autonomy through deeper financial cooperation. These efforts will strengthen the SCO's influence and standing on the global economic stage.

Following the Astana Summit in July 2024, China officially took over the rotating presidency of the SCO for 2024-2025. As an important multilateral cooperation mechanism spanning the Eurasian continent, the SCO is responding to the challenges of the times through pragmatic cooperation, providing new momentum for building a new type of international relations, and contributing its solutions and strength to enhancing global governance.