On 28 May, Astana hosted the Central Asia-China 2025 Media Forum, organised by the People’s Daily, the leading publication of the Communist Party of China, and the Television and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. More than 140 representatives of leading media outlets, editorial offices, research centres and government agencies from Central Asia and China took part in the forum.

Among the invited experts was Abbos Bobokhonov, Head of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at IAIS. He shared his expert assessments on the formation of a unified information space between China and Central Asian countries, emphasising the importance of cooperation between scientific and analytical institutions and the media in the context of the transformation of the international information environment.

Participants discussed key challenges and prospects for media cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the need to counter misinformation, the role of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, as well as the tasks of humanitarian and educational exchange. Particular attention was paid to strengthening cultural ties and forming a common information agenda that reflects the interests of all states in the region.

The Forum confirmed the growing interest in institutionalising cooperation between the media and the analytical community of Central Asia and China, and also outlined the prospect of regular dialogue in the CA-PRC format on media cooperation.