►►Leaders from Asia, Europe and Africa will gather in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 for the largest-ever Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in history, charting the blueprint for the bloc’s next decade of development.
BEIJING-Primarily born to address security concerns, the SCO has, over its 24-year development, grown into a comprehensive regional organization representing nearly half of the world’s population. Here is what you need to know about the SCO’s remarkable journey and what to anticipate at the Tianjin summit.
AN EVOLVING REGIONAL BLOC
The SCO traces its roots to the « Shanghai Five » mechanism, when China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan came together in 1996 to manage border security issues after the end of the Cold War. On June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established with Uzbekistan joining as the sixth member.
What began as a regional security grouping has evolved into a regional organization encompassing nearly half of the world’s population, a quarter of the global landmass and a quarter of global GDP. With the accession of India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus, the SCO now has 10 member states, alongside two observer states and 14 dialogue partners.
Dedicated to maintaining regional security and promoting common development, the SCO adheres to the Shanghai Spirit, which features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development.
This spirit has guided the bloc to chart a path of regional cooperation, transcending differences in ideology, social system and development path, and setting an example for a new type of international relations.
Over the years, SCO member states have seen deepened political mutual trust and fruitful cooperation, which led to regional stability, steady trade growth, joint infrastructure projects, and coordinated action in fields such as food and energy security.
Through mechanisms such as the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, SCO members have worked together effectively to maintain regional peace and stability by combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. Security frameworks have been strengthened, and joint exercises have expanded into cyberspace.
In the first 20 years since its establishment, the total trade value of SCO member states increased nearly 100-fold, while their share of global trade rose from 5.4 percent in 2001 to 17.5 percent in 2020, demonstrating growing influence, according to a trade development report released in 2022.
« The Shanghai Spirit is the ‘root’ and ‘soul’ of the SCO, » said Fan Xianrong, a Chinese foreign ministry official responsible for coordination work in the SCO.
In the face of the ever-changing international landscape, SCO member states would continue to champion this spirit through concrete actions, offering their solutions for creating a fair and equitable global governance system and support for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, according to Fan.
CHINA: A FIRM UPHOLDER OF SHANGHAI SPIRIT
As one of the founding members, China has always made the SCO a diplomatic priority and firmly upheld the Shanghai Spirit. The country has put forward a series of important initiatives and propositions, and contributed Chinese wisdom, solutions and dynamism to the regional development.
China has proposed the building of an SCO community with a shared future, an inspiring vision that enriches the Shanghai Spirit. It also called on SCO members to build a common home featuring solidarity and mutual trust, peace and tranquility, prosperity and development, good-neighborliness and friendship, as well as fairness and justice.
On the economic front, trade and investment ties between China and other SCO members have become increasingly robust, with cooperation spanning across sectors such as infrastructure, energy, agriculture and technology, enhancing the well-being of the people across the region.
In 2024, China’s trade with other SCO members, observer states and dialogue partners reached a historic high of 890 billion U.S. dollars, or 14.4 percent of the country’s total foreign trade. In the same year, the number of China-Europe freight trains passing through the SCO countries and regions reached 19,000, an increase of 10.7 percent compared with 2023.
In one of its latest efforts to promote tech cooperation, China has welcomed all SCO parties to use its BeiDou navigation system and participate in the development of the International Lunar Research Station, while pledging to provide at least 1,000 training opportunities on digital technology to other SCO countries in three years.
Since taking over the SCO presidency in July 2024, China has worked closely with all parties and hosted over 100 events with the theme « SCO Year of Sustainable Development, » including ministerial-level meetings, an SCO political parties’ forum, a media and think tank summit, and an art festival.
« China will work with all parties of the SCO to remain true to the organization’s original aspiration, shoulder its mission, carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, and provide SCO solutions for global governance and reform, » Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin told the press last week.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM TIANJIN SUMMIT
With leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations set to participate, the upcoming SCO Summit 2025 is expected to pool consensus and steer the organization toward building a closer community with a shared future.
Key outcomes will include the signing of a declaration by leaders of SCO member states at the summit as well as the approval of a development strategy of the bloc for the next 10 years, according to Liu.
The summit will also issue statements marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th founding anniversary of the United Nations, and adopt a series of outcome documents on strengthening security, economic, people-to-people and cultural cooperation.
China will also elaborate on its new vision and propositions for the SCO in carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit, embracing the mission of the times, and responding to the people’s expectations, and announce new measures and initiatives to support the high-quality development of the SCO and comprehensive cooperation.
« China believes that a friendly, united and productive Tianjin Summit will advance the SCO into a new phase of high-quality development, characterized by greater solidarity, closer coordination, stronger momentum and higher effectiveness, » Liu said.
Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Policy of Kyrgyzstan, expressed high expectations for the summit. « The SCO Tianjin Summit will take place at a difficult time of global turbulence, but it will become a guiding bright star — showing the right path to safe and stable development. »
(Video reporters: Zhang Jingyao, Jiang Chao, Ahmad Kamal, Jiang Youlin, Azamat, Zhang Jiye; Video editors: Hui Peipei, Wei Yin, Zheng Xin, Zhao Tianlin, Zhao Xiaoqing.)
By Xinhua
