Why in news?

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

On the sidelines of this summit, he held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from SCO members Tajikistan and Russia, and the newest member Belarus, on the sidelines of the summit.

What’s in today’s article?

• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• Significance of SCO
• Relevance of SCO for India
• Criticism of SCO

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• About
  • SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, created in June 2001 in Shanghai (China).
  • Founding members included Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan.
    • The five countries had come together to work on regional security, reduction of border troops, and terrorism in the post-Soviet era in 1996.
    • In 2001, the Shanghai Five inducted Uzbekistan into the group and named it the SCO outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the Shanghai spirit of cooperation.
  • This organization represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and 20% of its GDP.
  • Official working languages: Chinese, Russian
  • SCO Secretariat: Beijing, China
• Members, Observers and dialogue partners
  • 10 member states– China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.
    • India and Pakistan became full members at the Heads of State Council meet in Astana in 2017.
    • Iran became the 9^thmember of the SCO in 2023 under the chairmanship of India.
    • During this year’s summit (in 2024), Belarus become the 10^th member of the organization.
  • 2 Observer members – Afghanistan, Mongolia
  • 9 Dialogue Partners – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.
    • In 2022, the procedure for granting the status of Dialogue Partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates was initiated at the SCO Summit in Samarkand.
  • Organisational Structure of SCO
    • The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year.
    • The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the organisation.
    • The Council of Foreign Ministers hold regular meetings, where they discuss the current international situation.
    • Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), based in Tashkent, is established to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
  • India’s association with SCO
    • India joined the SCO in 2005 as an observer country and became a full member of the group at the Astana Summit in 2017.
    • India created five new pillars and focus areas of cooperation in SCO -- Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Digital Inclusion, Youth Empowerment and Shared Buddhist Heritage.
    • Two new mechanisms in SCO -- Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and Experts Working Group on Traditional Medicine -- were created at India's initiative.
    • Kashi/ Varanasi was celebrated as the 1st SCO Tourist and Cultural Capital of SCO 2022-23.

Significance of SCO

• SCO is one of the few international organisations which deal with security issues and primarily has Asian members.
• Regional heavyweights Russia and China have stressed its position as an alternative to a Western international order.
• Along with the BRICS grouping, which has India, South Africa and Brazil as well, the two countries are seen positioning against US influence.
• SCO's recent expansion is influenced by deteriorating US relations with Russia and China, highlighted by the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War and US-China trade tensions.
• Iran's inclusion in the SCO in 2023 was seen as a move to enhance the organization's influence and counter US diplomatic efforts.

Relevance of SCO for India

• SCO membership allows India to cooperate more with Central Asian countries and address common security issues, despite historically weak relations since 1991.
• The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is a key SCO component, aiding in counter-terrorism exercises, intelligence analysis, and sharing information on terrorist movements and drug trafficking.
• However, the effectiveness of the SCO is questioned due to tensions among its members. India currently has strained relations with China and Pakistan.
  • Last year, India opted for a virtual SCO summit during its presidency and refused to support a paragraph endorsing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the New Delhi Declaration.
    • India's opposition stems from the BRI's China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India views as a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Criticism of SCO

• Competition between Russia and China
  • Despite declarations of "limitless friendship" between China and Russia, there is competition between them for influence, especially in Central Asia.
  • Traditionally considered part of Russia's sphere, Central Asian nations have also seen significant Chinese investment through the Belt and Road Initiative.
  • The inclusion of India and Pakistan in the SCO in 2017 reflects this rivalry, with Russia supporting India and China backing Pakistan to maintain a balance of power.
• Chinese hegemony
  • SCO as a platform is seen by the West as an organization to forward Chinese interests.
• Rivalries between members
  • According to experts, the SCO may not yield significant outcomes due to its vague initiatives, allowing countries to overlook their rivalries without resolving them.
  • For instance, India and Pakistan, as well as India and China, have tense relationships.
  • The SCO's broad language enables countries to nominally support initiatives while prioritizing their own interests when conflicts arise.