Bigger collaboration with AI High on Agenda

Shanghai Cooperation Agency continues to work on deepening practical cooperation in artificial intelligence, and China's rapid development in this area has attracted attention from other SCO countries, officials said.

AI cooperation is one of the fastest growing regions within SCO. A series of important multilateral agreements have been concluded in recent years, with member states adopting cooperation plans on AI development, said SCO Vice-General Oleg Kopirov.

“Within the SCO framework, we will promote interconnection between AI and digital infrastructure, improve the AI ​​ecosystem, promote the development of the entire national industry, and at the same time enhance academic exchanges and cooperation regarding the cultivation of talent,” Kopylov said.

Huang Ru, a member of the National Development and Reform Committee, said China and other SCO countries have continued to deepen their exchange and cooperation in AI, with many companies and projects actively taking part in achieving outstanding results.

Huang said that “AI-Plus agriculture” is changing the face of the industry and is also a microcosm of how China can offer a variety of AI-driven products to the world.

In May, during a month of bumper soybean harvesting, Jiangjiang, an engineer at Nonxin Technology, a Tianjin-based agricultural machinery manufacturer, was training local farmers to use automated navigation of farm machinery at local farmers in the Far East of Russia.

JI said the machine will perform operations accurately along the preset route through placement technology combined with AI algorithms. The system employs an adaptive path tracking algorithm that can not only navigate straight lines, but also navigate curve, circular and automatic U-turn modes to effectively enhance operational efficiency.

“We are continuing to strengthen our research in smart agriculture, and already have dozens of sets of automated agricultural machinery navigation systems sold to Russia,” said Yan Bingxin, senior engineer at Nongxin Technology.

In another case, pool cleaning robots from China, operated remotely via mobile apps, have gained popularity in Kazakhstan because they leverage integrated infrared-Urtreunic sensor suite and AI-driven paths through all parts of the pool.

“Users can monitor both routes and processes, even when they're far away,” says Yu Guoxing, manager of Deepinfar Ocean Technology. He said that while Kazakh distributors have placed a single order for 40 units, the appeal of underwater intelligent devices has also attracted interest from users in Russia and Tajikistan.

Industry observers say these individual pilots are not isolated. Together, they sketch new regional lattice work of innovation. Teng Bingsheng is a professor of strategic management at the Graduate School of Cheung Kong Business and associate dean of strategic research, saying that China's advances in AI applications will help other participating countries achieve jump development and narrow the gap in digital technology.

The SCO includes 42% of the world's population, providing AI with rich application scenarios and enormous data resources, Teng said.

Such regional cooperation will help to build a more open and comprehensive AI ecosystem, contribute to the “SCO approach” to global AI governance, and promote better use of AI in improving local development services and people's livelihoods, Teng added.

Beyond corporate-led pilot projects, governments in SCO countries have clarified the adoption pathways of national AI. For example, Kyrgyzstan wants to investigate in detail and leverage the technical achievements and practical experiences of China and other member states in the field of AI.

“China serves as our model in the development of AI. The Chinese government has continuously increased its AI technology and resource investment efforts and introduced a set of supportive policies that have produced significant results,” said Azat Ibraimov, Director of the Management and Surveillance of Kyrgyzstan's Presidential Management Decisions.

Ibraimov said China has introduced many advanced AI models and platforms where open and shared technology resources provide useful references to other countries.

With China's experience, he said Kyrgyzstan aims to develop AI technology suitable for its own national situation and gradually reduce the gap in more technologically advanced countries.

Another SCO member state, Tajikistan is one of the early adopters of AI among five Central Asian countries, designating the year of digital economy and innovation development in 2025-30.

Ajijon Ajimi, chairman of the AI ​​councils of the Ministry of Industry and Ministry of New Technology in Tajikistan, said that the digital economy can only thrive as a force that activates AI, and that AI is strongly promoting the economic development of the country.

“We are amazed at the pace and scale of China's AI development. China has ordered strong research and development strengths. Meanwhile, Tajikistan, as a leading country in green hydropower, can provide training resources to support large-scale models of China's frontiers, helping to unlock greater growth potentials, such as deep secs.