Shanghai Cooperation Council ( SCO)

1. Historical Facts

1.1. SCO or Shanghai pact or Shanghai 5 ( Before Uzbekistan had joined). It is a Eurasian Political , Economic and security Alliance , which came into being in Shanghai , China.(2001). India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017 ( Astana Summit) .

2. Important

2.1. It is headquartered in Beijing. - The Heads of State Council ( HSC) is the Supreme decision making body in the SCO , Which meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation. - SCO is the largest regional organisation in the World ( in terms of Geographical coverage and population) , covering 3/5th of the Eurasian Continent and nearly half of the human population.

3. Principles

3.1. Its guiding principles ( Shanghai Spirit): * Mutual Trust and benefits. * Equality. * Respect for cultural diversity. * Non Alignment.

4. Objectives

4.1. - Strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states. - Promoting Effective co- operation in politics , trade , Economy , security , etc. - Enhancing ties in Education , Energy , Transport , Tourism , etc. - Maintain and ensure peace , Security and stability in the region. - Establishment of a democratic , fair and rational new International political and economic order.

5. Benefits for India

5.1. Benefits of SCO for India: - India can dovetail its Connect Central Asia Policy through engagement with SCO. - Combating terrorism and insurgency through SCO ' s RATS mechanism ( especially the one originating from Afghanistan, funded By pakistan). - India can positively engage with archrivals such as China and Pakistan through SCO. - Regional integration and stability across borders could be achieved more effectively . - Energy Diplomacy can receive a great boost through this platform.e.g TAPI has pipeline.

6. Challenges for India

6.1. Challenges for India: - China remains the core agenda setter of the organisation and Russia is also engaging positively with China on majority of cases. - Pakistan's Terrorist acts are getting shielded by China as RATS ( anti terror institution of SCO) is mainly targeting AFGHANISTAN and Xinjiang Based Terrorism. - India's trade with SCO is around $ 100 billion , of which 90% is with China. - China is promoting Belt and Road Initiative( BRI ) and China Pakistan Economic Corridor ( CPEC ) through SCO , which is actually violating India's sovereignty. - Pakistan is also making much of bilateral issues such As Kashmir in SCO and other fora.

7. Way Forward

7.1. Way forward: * India Should leverage this Forum for establishing Close overall relations with the Central Asian countries. * India should work closely with China and other countries in this forum to tackle the most pressing issues of today eg Terrorism , CoVid-19 impact , Hyper Nationalism , Extremism.etc

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