What is the Significance of SCO for India?

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?
• What is the Significance of SCO for India?
• What are the Challenges Faced by India at SCO?
• News Summary: PM to host Xi, Putin, Sharif virtually as India chairs SCO summit for the first time
• Expected outcomes

 

Why in news?

• India will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) for the first time today.
• At the SCO Summit in Samarkand in September 2022, India took over the chairmanship of the SCO for the first time from Uzbekistan.

 

What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?

• About
  • SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, created in June 2001 in Shanghai (China).
  • Founding members included Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan. 
    • The five countries had come together to work on regional security, reduction of border troops, and terrorism in the post-Soviet era in 1996.
    • In 2001, the Shanghai Five inducted Uzbekistan into the group and named it the SCO outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the Shanghai spirit of cooperation.
  • This organization represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and 20% of its GDP.
  • Official working languages: Chinese, Russian
  • SCO Secretariat: Beijing, China
• Members, Observers and dialogue partners
  • 8 member states – China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan.
    • India and Pakistan became full members at the Heads of State Council meet in Astana in 2017.
    • Iran is expected to be the newest member (9^th) of the SCO in 2023 under the chairmanship of India.
  • 4 Observer members – Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia
    • In 2021, the procedure of granting Iran the status of Member State was started at the SCO Summit in Dushanbe.
    • In 2022, a similar procedure was launched for Belarus at the SCO Summit in Samarkand
  • 9 Dialogue Partners – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. 
    • In 2022, the procedure for granting the status of Dialogue Partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates was initiated at the SCO Summit in Samarkand.
• Organisational Structure of SCO
  • The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year.
  • The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the organisation.
  • The Council of Foreign Ministers hold regular meetings, where they discuss the current international situation.
  • Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), based in Tashkent, is established to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
• India’s association with SCO
  • India joined the SCO in 2005 as an observer country and became a full member of the group at the Astana Summit in 2017.
  • India created five new pillars and focus areas of cooperation in SCO -- Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Digital Inclusion, Youth Empowerment and Shared Buddhist Heritage. 
  • Two new mechanisms in SCO -- Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and Experts Working Group on Traditional Medicine -- were created at India's initiative.
  • Kashi/ Varanasi was celebrated as the 1st SCO Tourist and Cultural Capital of SCO 2022-23.

 

What is the Significance of SCO for India?

• India’s security, geopolitical, strategic and economic interests are closely intertwined with developments in the region
• The Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of SCO specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
• The Central Asian region is richly endowed with natural resources and vital minerals. SCO provides a platform for India’s efforts to connect with Central Asia.
• Stable Afghanistan is in India’s interest. SCO is a platform which can play an important role in Afghanistan.

 

What are the Challenges Faced by India at SCO?

• SCO as a platform is seen by the West as an organization to forward Chinese interests.
• Growing convergence with China and Russia will be another challenge for India.
• Differences between India and Pakistan might hamper the functioning of the SCO.
• All members of SCO have supported One Belt One Road (OBOR) except India. It might lead to isolation of India on this platform.
  • Touted as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious project, the OBOR initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe. 
  • The emphasis is on enhancing land as well as maritime routes.
• It would be difficult for India to overcome the burden of geography and make tangible gains in terms of trans-regional connectivity.

 

News Summary: PM to host Xi, Putin, Sharif virtually as India chairs SCO summit for the first time

• India will virtually host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit today. The meeting of SCO Heads of State will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The major issues that are expected to be on the agenda include terrorism, regional security and prosperity.
• The theme of India's chairship of SCO- SECURE.
  • SECURE is derived from the acronym coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingadao Summit. 
  • It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.

 

Expected outcomes

• As per the officials, four outcomes will be adopted at the summit. 
• This includes the “New Delhi Declaration”, and two joint statements on countering radicalism and on digital transformation.
• Iran is expected to be inducted as a member of the SCO, while the process for Belarus — a key ally of Russia — is under way and expected to be completed next year.

 

---

Q1) What is One Belt One Road (OBOR)?

One Belt One Road (OBOR), also known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is an ambitious development strategy proposed by the Chinese government. It aims to enhance connectivity and cooperation between countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and beyond. The initiative consists of two main components: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

 

Q2) What is Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of SCO?

The Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) is a specialized agency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) focused on counterterrorism efforts. The SCO is an intergovernmental organization comprising eight member states, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. RATS was established in 2004 to coordinate and facilitate cooperation among member states in combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

 

---

Source: PM to host Xi, Putin, Sharif virtually as India chairs SCO summit for the first time | DNA