FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretariat building; SCO logo; SCO flag, flags of member states

Beijing, China - Aug 25, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nurlan Yermekbayev, secretary-general, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (starting with shot 1/partially overlaid with shots 3-5/ending with shot 6):
"The SCO does indeed bring together countries with different traditions and cultures. We often talk about the SCO's civilizational diversity. The Shanghai Spirit clearly states that we should respect diverse civilizations. This principle is crucial because it ensures that people from different countries are not assimilated in a shared space, but can preserve their own national characteristics, cultures and traditions, while moving in the same direction to address various issues and getting closer over time. At all levels, the SCO continues to emphasize the importance of civilizational diversity and hosts various related forums."
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3. Interview in progress

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - August 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Flower bed; sign of SCO 2026 in Russian

FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Sign of "I love SCO"
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

Beijing, China - Aug 25, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Interview in progress

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - August 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Traffic

Beijing, China - Aug 25, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Nurlan Yermekbayev, secretary-general, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (partially overlaid with shots 9-11):
"In addition, we organize various cultural festivals, exchanges among artistic groups, forums and roundtable discussions to enhance people's understanding of one another's cultures, traditions and histories. This not only promotes dialogue among institutions in the cultural and historical fields, but also enables more effective exchanges to extend into other areas, such as economic cooperation and youth interactions."
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

FILE: Beijing, China - May 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of artists playing musical instruments

FILE: Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - July 16, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Backdrop of SCO Television Festival

Beijing, China - Aug 25, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Interview in progress
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

FILE: Shanghai, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Wall showing "The Shanghai Spirit"

FILE: Qingdao City, Shandong Province, east China - June 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
13. SCO-themed flower bed

The preservation of cultural diversity serves as a cornerstone of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to enable member states to collaborate effectively and maintain their unique national identities, said SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev in Beijing, who highlighted the imperative role of Shanghai Spirit in this regard.

The Shanghai Spirit features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development.

Guided by the spirit, the SCO has expanded from six founding members to a 27-nation family. Demonstrating strong vitality and broad appeal, it has stood out as a model for a new type of international relations.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with China Media Group on Tuesday, Yermekbayev elaborated on how the organization's diverse civilizational landscape shapes its development and cooperation as this year marks the 25th founding anniversary of the SCO.

"The SCO does indeed bring together countries with different traditions and cultures. We often talk about the SCO's civilizational diversity. The Shanghai Spirit clearly states that we should respect diverse civilizations. This principle is crucial because it ensures that people from different countries are not assimilated in a shared space, but can preserve their own national characteristics, cultures and traditions, while moving in the same direction to address various issues and getting closer over time. At all levels, the SCO continues to emphasize the importance of civilizational diversity and hosts various related forums," said the secretary-general.

He then noted that the SCO regularly hosts culture-related events designed to deepen mutual understanding of each nation's culture, tradition and history.

"In addition, we organize various cultural festivals, exchanges among artistic groups, forums and roundtable discussions to enhance people's understanding of one another's cultures, traditions and histories. This not only promotes dialogue among institutions in the cultural and historical fields, but also enables more effective exchanges to extend into other areas, such as economic cooperation and youth interactions," said Yermekbayev.