Editor's Note: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has turned 25, with the 2026 Bishkek SCO Summit putting its future and Central Asia's growing role in regional cooperation in the spotlight. What has the SCO achieved over the past 25 years? And how can it continue to address the challenges facing the world today? On Leaders Talk, CMG's Wang Guan speaks with Sodiq Safoyev, first deputy chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan. They explore the SCO's role in addressing global challenges, discuss its shared principles and values, and examine how China's Belt and Road Initiative is creating new opportunities for Central Asia. They also look at Uzbekistan's modernization experience, the importance of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and its potential to reshape the region's geoeconomics, as well as the interconnected nature of China's four global initiatives.