Media representatives from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries, observer states and dialogue partners convened in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region for a cooperation forum and a week-long tour of the region.
The 2025 Media Cooperation Forum of SCO Countries on May 23 gathered round 300 representatives from mainstream media outlets, government departments and academic institutions. The event sought to promote media exchanges and cooperation among SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners.
Themed "Building a Better Home Together for a Prosperous Future," the forum in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, was co-hosted by People's Daily and the People's Government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
It featured an opening ceremony, a media dialogue session, and a launch ceremony for a youth cultural exchange program.
The government used the event and the week-long trip that ended on May 27 to tout what it described as stability, development and socio-economic achievements in the region that is home to millions of ethnic Turkic Uyghur people, who are mostly Muslims.
The tour took journalists to Yining, a county within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, and Kuqa, a county-level city in Aksu Prefecture, homes to numerous cultural, tourism and historic sites.
Officials also promoted the Khorgos International Center for Border Cooperation, a joint cross-border project between China and Kazakhstan. The trade and tourism zone on the China-Kazakhstan border in Horgos, Xinjiang, was established as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and became operational in 2012.
The center spans 5.6 square kilometers and allows for cross-border duty-free shopping, which has led to a major surge in arrivals on a daily basis, particularly since China and Kazakhstan introduced visa-free access in late 2023. It is also used for trade negotiations, exhibitions and logistics and transportation.
Journalists, including from Türkiye, also visited Xinjiang Islam Sutra College, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Mukam Art Troupe and Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.
Türkiye and China enjoy close ties, although the issues relating to the rights of the Uyghur community overshadowed relations in the past.
Over the recent years, Türkiye has taken steps to strengthen its relations with all regions of China.
Ankara reinforced its diplomatic presence by opening the Chengdu Consulate General in 2023, in addition to its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
In June last year, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Xinjiang, marking the highest-level visit from Türkiye since the trip of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then-prime minister, in April 2012.
Fidan described Urumqi as a Turkic Islamic city that serves as a bridge between China and the Turkic nations and the Islamic world.
