Three words capture the SCO's vision: connectivity, pragmatism and autonomy

The 2026 SCO Summit was held in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, from Aug 31 to Sept 1. In a recent interview with China Daily, Djoomart Otorbaev, former prime minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, said that connectivity goes far beyond roads and railways, embracing broader and multidimensional links; pragmatism enables cooperation among countries with different systems and national conditions into real results; and autonomy empowers the Global South to pursue independent development and shape its own future.