- Establishment
- Founded on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai as the successor to the Shanghai Five.
- Now a 10-member intergovernmental trans-regional organization.
- Membership & Partners
- Members (10): Pakistan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus
- Observers (2): Afghanistan, Mongolia
- Dialogue Partners (14): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UAE
- Expansion
- Continuous expansion with new Observers and Dialogue Partners shows SCO’s growing relevance in the Eurasian heartland.
- Pakistan’s Role
- Became a full member in 2017 (Astana Summit, Kazakhstan).
- Attaches great importance to SCO for regional peace, security, and economic development.
- SCO aligns with Pakistan’s geo-economic foreign policy vision of shared progress and prosperity.
- Actively participates in:
- Socio-economic cooperation and development programs.
- Security agenda through SCO-Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS).
- Believes in collective regional solutions to socio-economic and security challenges.
- Pakistan’s Advantages
- Geographic location: ideal trade route linking China, Central Asia, Russia with South Asia, Middle East, Africa.
- CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor): flagship BRI initiative to maximize geographic advantages for regional benefit.
- SCO’s Significance
- World’s largest regional multilateral organization.
- Population: 3.4 billion (42% of global population).
- Landmass: 36 million sq. km (25% of global land).
- GDP: $24.67 trillion (24% of global GDP).
- Offers an effective platform for regional cooperation, integration, and development.
- Brings together vast natural resources (oil, gas, minerals, metals, food grains) and advanced human capital.
Leaders of SCO Members, Observers & Dialogue Partners
- Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan
- Belarus – President Alexander Lukashenko
- China – President Xi Jinping (host)
- Egypt – PM Mostafa Madbouly
- Myanmar – Acting President Min Aung Hlaing
- Vietnam – President Lương Cường
- Laos – President Thongloun Sisoulith
- India – PM Narendra Modi
- Iran – President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Kazakhstan – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
- Kyrgyzstan – President Sadyr Japarov
- Nepal – PM KP Sharma Oli
- Pakistan – PM Shehbaz Sharif
- Russia – President Vladimir Putin
- Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Tajikistan – President Emomali Rahmon
- Turkmenistan – President Serdar Berdimuhamedov
- Uzbekistan – President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
- Malaysia – PM Anwar Ibrahim
SCO 2025 Series of Events
- July 11 – SCO Digital Economy Forum (Tianjin), 1,500+ participants from governments, enterprises, universities, think tanks.
- July 15 – Council of Foreign Ministers (Tianjin), chaired by FM Wang Yi. Prepared for Tianjin Summit; reviewed & signed draft “Tianjin Declaration” and “SCO Development Strategy for Next Ten Years”.
- July 16 – 2nd SCO National Television Festival (Xi’an), 300+ delegates from 19 countries.
- July 17 – SCO Business Forum (Beijing), released “SCO Supply Chain Development Research Report”. ~400 representatives attended.
- July 23 – SCO National Dialogue on Civilization (Tianjin), 300+ guests from governments, think tanks, cultural/educational sectors.
- July 25 – SCO Media & Think Tank Summit (Zhengzhou), 400+ guests, 200 institutions represented.
- July 30 – 10th SCO Council of Ministers of Agriculture (Kunming). Focus: rural development, poverty reduction, tech exchange. Adopted “Joint Statement”.
- August 28 – Press center for 2025 SCO Summit opened at Tianjin Meijiang Convention & Exhibition Center.
Key Highlights from 2025 SCO Summit (Tianjin)
- Xi Jinping (China):
- Called for leveraging SCO’s “mega-scale market”.
- Advocated multipolarisation, inclusive globalization, equitable governance system.
- Urged cooperation in energy, infrastructure, science & tech, AI.
- Announced 2 billion yuan ($280m) free aid + 10 billion yuan loans to SCO banking consortium.
- Vladimir Putin (Russia):
- Praised SCO for reviving genuine multilateralism.
- Highlighted growing use of national currencies in trade settlements.
- Called SCO a foundation for a new Eurasian stability & security system (balanced, inclusive, non-Eurocentric).
- Narendra Modi (India) & Xi Jinping:
- Bilateral talks on strengthening trade cooperation.
- Emphasized partnership over rivalry despite tariff war pressures.
- Antonio Guterres (UN Secretary-General):
- Praised China’s fundamental role in supporting multilateralism.
- Geopolitical Context:
- SCO presented as an alternative to Western-led security and economic models.
- Emphasis on opposing Cold War mentality & bloc confrontation.
- Strengthened Global South solidarity with wide participation from Asia, Middle East, Central Asia.
