Pakistani Minister speaks highly of SCO's crucial role in advancing green development

Pakistan's planning minister praised the SCO's role in advancing green development in a recent interview, notably including cooperation between his country and China in smart agriculture to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that achieving green development and sustainable development, a priority of this year's SCO summit, is a challenging task for many developing countries, including Pakistan.

However, he was pleased to see that China and Pakistan have undertaken long-term hydroelectric projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"In recent years, we have seen that Pakistan and China have collaborated very strongly on promoting renewables in Pakistan. And the first phase, while we were undertaking many CPEC energy projects, we also started long-term hydro projects, which is green energy," said Iqbal.

"Pakistan, because of its vulnerability, faces risk in food security and water security. So we have sent about 300 agriculture scientists in the first batch. We are sending another 300 in the second batch and then more will come. In total, 1000 agriculture experts will be trained in China in the modern technology for making agriculture smart," said the minister.

In his view, this agricultural cooperation was supported by the SCO's framework.

"This is under Pakistan and China bilateral cooperation. But certainly, SCO provides us with an umbrella for this. And we were able to see the SCO Agriculture Cooperation Center in Xi'an that inspired this collaboration," he said.

"So I hope that under SCO, we will be able to further promote cooperation between Pakistan and member states and particularly China to learn from the best practices of new seeds development, modernizing agriculture to mitigate the risks and the dangers of climate change. That is a very high priority for Pakistan, which continues to face this challenge now on a yearly basis. So climate change is not far distant. It has already come and it is impacting poor farmers, citizens of our people, of our country, every moment, every season," Iqbal urged.

China is set to play host to the biggest ever edition of the SCO Summit, which is scheduled for August 31 to September 1 in the northern port city of Tianjin, bringing together leaders from over 20 countries and representatives from ten international organizations for a series of high-level events.

The SCO, established in 2001 in Shanghai by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has expanded from a regional organization into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners, covering over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population.

Pakistani Minister speaks highly of SCO's crucial role in advancing green development

A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.

Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.

In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.

"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.

Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.

In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.

"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.

By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.

After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.

"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.

Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.

As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.

Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media