Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation founded in Shanghai, with the objective of political, economic and security cooperation between the member nations. India became a permanent member of the SCO in 2017 along with Pakistan. Iran was officially admitted recently as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Objective of SCO:
1. To strengthen the relations between member states, by deepening political, security and economic cooperation.
2. To strive for joint cooperation between the members to confront threats emanating from terrorism, extremism and separatism.
3. SCO aims to move towards developing a democratic and equitable international political order.
4. To ensure joint efforts in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.
5. To deepen engagements in the field of trade/commerce, transport, tourism, environment, cultural linkages, education, research and technology.
Critical examination of aims and objectives of SCO is presented below:
1. India-Pakistan-Russia-China relations create a complex matrix of diverging and conflicting interests. For example: different interests in Taliban-Afghanistan.
2. China has shown little respect to international rule-based order. Cheque-book and wolf warrior diplomacy, Human rights violations and ‘re-education’ camps, Hong Kong issue etc. raise serious questions on Chinese commitments to aims and objectives of SCO.
3. Under the disguise of economic co-operation, China has pushed its BRI project through SCO.
4. Pakistan and China are known to have supported terrorist and separatist organizations raising questions on RATS mechanism. China, Russia (Ukraine issue) and Pakistan are accused of destabilizing regional peace, security and stability.
5. Limited developmental cooperation between SCO countries during COVID waves shows lack of broad-based engagement.
The SCO, as a regional intergovernmental organization holds importance for India:
1. SCO allows India to deepen its strategic reach in Central Asia. India already has substantial soft power potential (Buddhist linkages, Bollywood movies etc.) in Central Asia, which it can exploit through SCO.
2. India’s membership of SCO can boost energy security by providing access to mineral and energy resources of the Central Asian countries. The membership, with its emphasis in trade relations, provides an inroad for the Indian investors to explore the untapped market potential in the Central Asian region. For example, FICCI hosted the SCO Business Conclave.
3. SCO can provide a platform to discuss bilateral issues with Pakistan and China.
4. SCO can play a pivotal role in combating terrorism, extremism and radicalization. For example, the Dushanbe declaration, aims towards regional stability.
5. Trade: The SCO provides direct access to Central Asia, removing the biggest impediment to trade between India and Central Asia thriving. The SCO serves as a detour to Central Asia. Economic ties - India's IT, telecommunications, banking, finance, and pharmaceutical industries have a market in Central Asian countries.
Because China and Russia are co-founders of the SCO and its main powers, India's ability to assert itself would be limited, and it may be forced to play second fiddle. And as the SCO has generally had an anti-Western stance, India may have to either diminish its expanding alliance with the West or engage in a delicate balancing act.