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Mahesh

05/07/24 18:11 PM IST

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit

In News
  • Recently,  at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
About SCO
  • Its origins lie in the “Shanghai Five”, formed in 1996 and consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
  • With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 into 15 independent countries, there were concerns in the region about extremist religious groups and ethnic tensions coming to the fore.
  • To manage these issues, a grouping was created for cooperation on security matters.
  • Building on this, SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai as an international organisation, and also included Uzbekistan as a sixth member.
  • Before the inclusion of Belarus, it had nine members: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • Afghanistan and Mongolia hold Observer Status.
Significance
  • 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.
  • But despite declarations of a “limitless friendship” between China and Russia in recent years, there is also a sense of competition between them over who wields greater influence at such forums.
  • While the Central Asian republics have traditionally been viewed as part of Russia’s backyard or sphere of influence, China has also sought to leverage the oil and gas-rich nations through investments in massive infrastructure projects in the region.
  • This has happened alongside China’s rising economic strength in recent years, with the projects also part of its larger Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  • The inclusion of India and Pakistan in SCO in 2017 was also seen as reflecting this jostling.
  • While Russia supported India’s entry as a longstanding strategic partner, China backed its ally Pakistan to prevent the balance of powers from tilting in Russia’s favour.
Relevance of SCO for India
  • On one level, SCO membership allows India to participate in a forum which enhances its scope of cooperation with Central Asian countries, which have not had particularly close relations with India since their formation in 1991.
  • It also matters for maintaining communication with major actors in the region on common security issues.
  • For example, an important permanent structure within the SCO is the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
  • It assists members in the preparation and staging of counter-terrorism exercises, analyses key intelligence information coming in from the member states, and shares information on terrorist movements and drug trafficking.
  • However, the relevance of the organisation comes into question given the difficulty in managing ties among the partners.
  • India shares tense relationships with China and Pakistan at present. Last year, when the summit was to be held under India’s presidency as part of the rotation, it decided to hold a virtual summit instead.
  • The New Delhi Declaration issued at the end of the leaders’ summit saw India refuse to sign off on a paragraph supporting the BRI.
  • India’s opposition to the BRI comes from its constituent China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is proposed to pass through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India sees it as a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Source- Indian Express

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