SCO's scope has grown beyond Eurasia

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 in North China's Tianjin was a lead-up to next year's silver jubilee of the SCO's inception, after decades of advancing cooperation in line with the principles and goals of the Shanghai Spirit.

It also signified that the SCO has expanded beyond the Eurasian region, despite attempts by some countries and organizations to undermine its global significance, as the group grows in size, scale and scope in addressing national, regional and global challenges.

Certainly, the SCO is a group of diverse interests in terms of governance pattern, development, different stages of technological advancement and cultural orientation.

Recognition of such diversity is an integral part of the Shanghai Spirit, and participating leaders believe that it has immense potential in shaping the world order and shaping the future of 27 members and partners through sharing their experiences and mutual learning in governance and development.

The members have common concerns pertaining to security and development in the uncertain global situation, but each member has prioritized these concerns to conform to their national interests.

India has security concerns in the context of rising terrorism; Iran and Russia are more concerned about changing the global context in which conflicts emerge; Central Asian countries are more concerned about infrastructure and development; and partner countries have their own priorities.

China, being the summit host, shouldered the responsibility to address these concerns, and the Tianjin Declaration was unanimously adopted by member states, which was a grand success of the SCO Summit 2025.

The summit saw member states resolve to advance friendship and partnership in the spirit of maintaining strategic communication, respecting differences, building up consensus and strengthening solidarity and collaboration.

The group emphasizes openness and inclusivity, with an understanding that bonds of friendship prevail over disputes because friendship enables a dispute resolution mechanism. It is, therefore, obvious that everyone's concerns were addressed in a mutual benefit and win-win framework, wherein members are friends and partners.

The summit agreed to establish new institutional mechanisms for action in conformity with the Shanghai Spirit, such as the establishment of the "four security centers" — including the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats, and the Anti-Drug Center — and also made a political decision to set up an SCO Development Bank.

These institutional mechanisms are to address common concerns of all. They are steps toward evolving a new security and development architecture.

The institutions cannot function and the initiatives can hardly flourish without adequate financial support and deepening cooperation. Hence, China announced 2 billion yuan ($281 million) in grants to member states within this year, besides an additional 10 billion yuan in loans to member banks of the SCO Interbank Consortium over the next three years.

Furthermore, China's bilateral trade with other SCO member countries has surpassed $500 billion annually. It's a very significant contribution, indeed, in advancing cooperation in the security and development domain.

The above measures form an integral part of China's broader global development strategy and vision, under which it has built a large number of corridors linking land and maritime routes, along with alternative pathways to ensure that supply chains remain unhindered in times of crisis.

Besides trade and economic facilitation, China is playing a proactive role in reconciliatory measures to bring together different parties without much media hype.

All these measures are aligned with strengthening security and development in the SCO region and in consonance with China's global vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

The world found reassurance as SCO leaders reaffirmed their resolve to promote multilateralism in addressing the challenges facing the Global South. They also outlined plans for a new security and development architecture based on the Shanghai Spirit and a shared vision of trust, equality and prosperity.

The SCO leaders thus emphasized fairness and justice in international relations. The SCO, as an expanding Eurasian organization, cannot remain unaffected by the global environment, and its leaders must demonstrate solidarity in pursuing its objectives and contribute to global peace and prosperity. In essence, the SCO leaders also expressed their commitment to combating divisive forces and condemned bullying practices.

The commitment and optimism of SCO country leaders for the mega transition from multilateral dialogue to concrete actions are conducive to ensuring security and prosperity under the Shanghai Spirit. Their willingness to exhibit solidarity in global restructuring and to make meaningful contributions to the peace and security of all has laid the foundation for building a global community with a shared future for humanity, to which China has pledged cooperation and collaboration.

The author is former director and emeritus fellow at the South Asia Studies Centre of the University of Rajasthan, India.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.