The Fifth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

On Aug. 4, 2026, the Fifth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony was held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The event was jointly hosted by the China International Culture Exchange Center, Global People magazine, and the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee; co-organized by the Xinjiang International Economic and Cultural Development Center and Shenzhen Media Group; and organized by Dolon Group LLC. It marked the first time that the ceremony had been held outside China.

Salkyn Sarnogoeva, deputy minister of culture, information and youth policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, delivers a welcoming address at the Fifth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 4. 

He Jianzhong, vice chairman of the China International Culture Exchange Center, and Xu Lijing, deputy editor-in-chief of People's Daily, delivered video remarks. Salkyn Sarnogoeva, deputy minister of culture, information and youth policy of the Kyrgyz Republic; Li Hua, minister-counselor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kyrgyz Republic; Zhou Fengjian, executive council member of the China International Culture Exchange Center; Lü Hong, editor-in-chief of Global People magazine; and Zeng Xianglai, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, attended the event.

The event brought together more than 200 participants, including 10 groups of this year's Silk Road Friendship Ambassadors from various countries, representatives of previous Silk Road Friendship Ambassadors, and friends from China and abroad who support Belt and Road cooperation.

Bishkek is situated in the Chuy Valley. A major hub along the ancient Silk Road, it is today becoming an important bridge connecting East and West and fostering exchanges among civilizations. Friends from China and abroad gathered in the city to share Silk Road stories of friendship, cooperation, and stronger people-to-people bonds forged through Belt and Road cooperation.

Kanaiym Baktygulova, former Kyrgyz ambassador to China and president of the Kyrgyz Association of Sinologists, first became fascinated with China after reading Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" as a young woman. In 1991, she came to China to study at Liaoning University. After graduating and returning home, she joined Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and devoted her life to the cause of Kyrgyzstan-China friendship.

The Fifth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony is held on August 4 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 

"The most precious wealth of the Silk Road lies not only in its roads and trade routes, but also in trust between people, respect among different cultures, and the ability of peoples around the world to work together for a peaceful and sustainable future," Baktygulova said.

Ten years ago, at the Hassyan clean-coal power plant project in Dubai, Chinese engineer Qingqing Xiong took on an apprentice — Alagappan Sivakumar, an Indian drawing coordinator. Xiong taught him one drawing and one structural detail at a time, taking him into factories and onto construction sites to help him understand the design logic and construction methods behind steel structures.

Today, Sivakumar is a key technical professional and has trained more than 10 apprentices of his own. Several generations of mentors and apprentices are now working side by side at new landmarks in new locations. For Xiong, "The greatest reward is not simply training an apprentice, but seeing Chinese technology gain the understanding and recognition of more international partners." Sivakumar believes that China's development is demonstrated not only through its impressive architectural and engineering accomplishments, but also through its commitment to openness, cooperation, and shared development.

Mostak Ahamed Galib, executive director of the Cross-Cultural Communication and Belt and Road Initiative Research Center at the School of Marxism, Wuhan University of Technology, has made China his home for 24 years. In 2002, Galib came from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to study in Wuhan. For more than two decades, he has set aside part of his living expenses to buy toys for children with leukemia.

Just before the Spring Festival in 2006, Galib jumped into icy water and pulled a girl to safety. He later donated the award money he received for his bravery to children with leukemia. When the COVID-19 outbreak began in 2020, he had already reached Guangzhou and was preparing to return home, but instead bought a ticket back to Wuhan. "I could not leave Wuhan at its most difficult moment," he said.

"In China, I came to truly understand the profound meaning of 'harmony without uniformity.' This Eastern wisdom of inclusiveness, altruism and coexistence offers an important key to resolving global tensions and bridging divides between civilizations," Galib said.

Abdelaziz Ahmed Abdelaziz Mahmoud Sallam, known by his Chinese name Wang Mulin, is an Egyptian foreign expert and on-camera reporter at CGTN. For more than a decade, he has traveled to numerous villages and ancient cities, documenting China's rural revitalization and ecological transformation. To present Arab audiences with an authentic picture of the Belt and Road, he has also independently produced short videos and shared them on social media.

"I have always believed that a single report, documentary or interview may not change the world overnight, but it can change how one person sees another country. Countless such changes in perception will ultimately come together as understanding, trust and friendship," he said.

Zhyldyzbek Uulu Nurgazy, known by his Chinese name Wang Yao, is from Kyrgyzstan. Fluent in Kyrgyz, Russian and Chinese, he works as an interpreter for the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project team. During the project, he shared meals and accommodation with the Chinese team. His diligence and willingness to take on difficult tasks without complaint along the railway's mountainous route earned him the respect and trust of both the Kyrgyz and Chinese sides.

Nurgazy recalled that a local elder once told him at a construction site: "You are not only building a railway; you are also building a road between people's hearts."

"Those words touched me deeply and strengthened my conviction that the Belt and Road is never a cold line on a map, but a bridge connecting hearts and leading to better lives for ordinary people," Nurgazy said.

Juan Alberto Álvarez Andrade was born and raised in Chancay, Peru — a place home to fishing, agriculture and tourism. He was elected mayor of Chancay four times and helped oversee the planning and construction of the Port of Chancay, a major infrastructure project.

"We have always done everything in our power to move the project forward, because we know that an opportunity for development like this is too important to miss or squander," he said. "We will seize this opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendly cooperation, introduce new technologies and resources, and improve people's well-being."

The Fifth Silk Road Friendship Ceremony takes place at the Opera and Ballet Theater in Bishkek. 

Matraimov Abdurakhman, a graduate of Lanzhou University, regards Gansu as his second home. Today, as the representative in China of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, he actively promotes exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, education and trade. He has brought Chinese technology to help restore Kyrgyz pastures, established Chinese-language schools, promoted partnerships among schools, and built business-matching platforms to facilitate trade.

"I have always believed that what truly crosses borders is more than goods — it is trust between peoples; what truly connects us is more than roads — it is the friendship between the peoples of our two countries," Abdurakhman said.

Mwenebatende Kaleshi Joseph once studied at Beijing Jiaotong University. After completing his studies and returning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he became a key liaison between the Agency for the Steering, Coordination and Monitoring of Collaboration Agreements (APCSC) and the Association of Chinese Enterprises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has facilitated communication between the two sides and helped dispel misunderstandings.

According to Mwenebatende, Belt and Road cooperation is not only about building a vast infrastructure network; it is also a people-to-people endeavor through which people of different countries respect one another and pursue shared prosperity.

Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, known by his Chinese name Niu Wangdao, is an old friend of the Chinese people. As a scholar, he has long studied China's development path and China-Latin America cooperation and has authored several books. As a champion of exchanges between civilizations, he has traveled to more than 20 Chinese provinces, finding resonance between the two civilizations in tango and red lanterns. As a former Argentine Ambassador to China, he actively advanced Belt and Road cooperation in Argentina and promoted deeper cooperation across a range of fields.

Vaca Narvaja said that the Belt and Road Initiative has demonstrated to the world that it is entirely possible to build a shared future based on dialogue, mutual benefit, and respect for each country's own path of development. He believes that the next phase of international cooperation should focus on jointly creating, safeguarding, and governing the global public goods that will define the 21st century, including artificial intelligence, the energy transition, public health, food security, environmental protection, and scientific and technological innovation.

The Silk Road Friendship Envoys also include a team from Shenzhen Energy Group. In Ghana, the company supports one-fifth of the country's electricity supply. In Vietnam, it has provided high-quality Chinese solutions for the local energy transition. In Papua New Guinea, it promotes Juncao cultivation, helping the plants take root and thrive.

"We salute everyone who has contributed to Belt and Road cooperation," said Liu Shilei, director and vice president of Shenzhen Energy Group. "It is the quiet dedication of countless people that has infused this ancient route with new vitality."

Sheradil Baktygulov, a Silk Road friendship ambassador of the Third Silk Road Friendship Ceremony, attended this year's ceremony and delivered a speech.

These stories, spanning mountains and seas, have made the Belt and Road cooperation more tangible and accessible to people. They have also injected fresh momentum into strengthening people-to-people ties and advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

During the event, artists from Kyrgyzstan presented three captivating performances. Models from China and Kyrgyzstan jointly showcased the China–Kyrgyzstan Fashion Show: Xiangyunsha on the Silk Road, a runway presentation blending tradition with the future. The launch ceremony for "Shenzhen: A Silk Road Friendship City" was also held during the event. Meanwhile, People's Cultural Creative presented an exhibition featuring its signature media-themed cultural and creative products alongside items inspired by traditional Chinese culture.

Photos provided by Shenzhen Media Group and Dolon Group LLC