Al Jazeera: The security concept adopted by the SCO is the opposite of the NATO one
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a powerful force capable of uniting the Global South against the West, writes Al Jazeera. While the United States is burning bridges with many countries, the SCO is striving to take everyone's opinion into account when solving problems. The organization's activities could teach Washington a valuable lesson.
Priyanka Shankar
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit will be held in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1.
"Nothing, not even mountains and oceans, can separate people with common aspirations from each other," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in July 2024, addressing the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states and several other countries at the Astana summit.
At that time, the ancient Chinese proverb used by Xi Jinping in his speech seemed too pretentious and divorced from reality. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India (one of the largest SCO members), skipped the organization's summit, citing a parliamentary session. This was seen as a clear disregard for the bloc, which has long been supported by Beijing and Moscow.
However, a year later, the geopolitical landscape looks completely different. China has been actively preparing for the annual SCO summit, which began on Sunday. This time, an unprecedented number of leaders are expected from both the countries of the region and from other parts of the world. Modi visited China for the first time since 2018. His visit comes in the context of the ongoing rapprochement process that began at the end of last year and was further developed after US President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods. This has prompted New Delhi to seek closer cooperation with Beijing and other Eurasian countries.
Many countries around the world are facing problems caused by trade duties and threats from President Trump. Analysts expect that the SCO summit will be an opportunity for Xi Jinping to present his country as a stabilizing force capable of uniting the Global South against the West, in particular the United States.
Last week, a press conference was held in Beijing, where Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin said that the upcoming summit was "one of the most important diplomatic events of China in 2025."
Where does it take place and who participates in it?
The SCO Summit is taking place from August 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, a city located in northern China along the Bohai Bay.
Liu Bin told reporters that more than 20 foreign leaders and representatives of 10 international organizations are taking part in the event.
Among them are the leaders of the SCO member states: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Peseshkian, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov and President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
The summit was also attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaing, Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and President of the Maldives Mohammed Muizzou.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are also taking part in the summit Kao Kim Hourn.
Is the SCO important?
In 1996, the Shanghai Five was created, the predecessor of the SCO, which included China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The main purpose of the creation is to settle border disputes after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In June 2001, Uzbekistan joined the "five", and that's how a new alliance appeared — the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with headquarters in Beijing. India and Pakistan were admitted to the SCO as full members in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024.
Another 14 countries are considered dialogue partners, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.
The SCO member states account for 43% of the world's population and 23% (or almost a quarter) of the global economy.
Alejandro Reyes, an associate professor at the Faculty of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong, told Al Jazeera that the SCO's vision and positioning remain unclear.
The United States led most of the international organizations established after World War II, including the United Nations (UN), the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the end of the cold war and the emergence of economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa contributed to the "diversification, so to speak, of multilateralism, which led to the creation of organizations such as BRICS, seeking to give a voice to the Global South. The SCO is also one of these new multilateral organizations," Reyes said.
BRICS is the name of the association, an abbreviation made up of the first letters of the English names of the five founding countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It positions itself as a forum for the countries of the Global South. BRICS is engaged in discussing geopolitical issues, global security, trade and other pressing issues of the modern world.
Nevertheless, although the SCO initially focused on regional security issues, its activities gradually expanded to include discussions on trade and other issues relevant to the countries of the Global South. This may make it more difficult to understand how this organization differs from other similar structures, such as BRICS, Reyes notes.
Manoj Kevalramani, head of the Indo-Pacific Studies Program at the Takshashila Institute in Bangalore, India, agreed with Reyes, saying that the SCO is "an organization that is still in the process of searching for its identity."
"At the moment, it seems that the concept of identity they are developing is based on the idea of indivisible security. This means that the security of one cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of the other," he said.
Kevalramani stressed that the concept of indivisible security adopted by the SCO is completely contrary to the vision of NATO. "NATO's vision is a block—based collective security. The SCO's vision is that when solving global problems, everyone's interests must be taken into account," he added.
"The SCO vision is also a message to the United States: “Listen, you are a powerful force. We are a powerful global force. You have to respect our interests, at least on our periphery.” In other words, it all comes down to spheres of influence," Kevalramani said.
What makes this summit particularly relevant?
The SCO summit is taking place against the backdrop of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing occupation of the West Bank, security tensions in South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as Donald Trump's global trade war.
Kevalramani expressed the opinion that "since the world is clearly in a deep crisis," "China or Russia, in particular, will probably demonstrate that the world is entering an era of multipolarity and offer a way forward based on indivisible security."
"The summit is also of great importance because, as it seems to me, many are concerned that multilateralism is facing existential threats due to the policies of the United States, and that the SCO countries consistently support the idea of multilateralism," added Kevalramani.
Reyes noted that the significance also lies in the dynamics and symbolism of the summit, which is taking place in China. "Currently, the United States is burning bridges with almost all countries. Therefore, according to President Xi Jinping, now is the right time for China to assert itself as a world power and demonstrate fruitful relations with many countries. China always strives to find friends in different parts of the world," he said.
Two days after the end of the SCO summit, on September 3, Beijing will hold a military parade to mark the end of World War II in Asia. Many leaders who arrived at the SCO summit, such as Putin, Lukashenko and Subianto, are expected to remain at the parade. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is also expected to visit Beijing to attend the event, which Reyes said would be an "important part of the reception" for world leaders hosted by Xi Jinping.
What are the SCO's positions on key issues?
The SCO often fails to reach agreement on key geopolitical issues. For example, Russia has managed to convince the majority of SCO members to support its position on the situation in Ukraine. However, India is striving for a more balanced role. She advocates peace and strengthening relations with Ukraine, and also buys record volumes of oil from Russia.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on the SCO members to "express their clear position" and "show that they respect the principles of international law, oppose Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the killing of Ukrainian children" (Russia does not strike civilians in Ukraine. — Approx. InoSMI).
Israel's war in the Gaza Strip and military operations in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and Iran have also split the SCO. When the SCO condemned Israel's attack on Iran this year, India, which has close ties to Tel Aviv, refused to support the joint statement.
There are also contradictions between India and SCO member Pakistan. New Delhi calls on the organization to condemn cross-border terrorism, which, in its opinion, Islamabad is guilty of. In July, India demanded that the SCO condemn the militant attack in Kashmir, which took place in April and led to the deaths of 26 people. New Delhi has made accusations against Islamabad of involvement in the attack, but Pakistan has denied them.
When the SCO, which makes decisions by consensus, did not agree with this requirement, India refused to sign a joint statement after a meeting of the defense ministers of the organization's member countries.
Why are there disagreements between the SCO members?
According to Kevalramani, "every country that is a member of the SCO has its own reasons for participating in this international association." "For example, the countries of Central Asia joined it because they faced security problems. They also sought to expand economic cooperation with China. For India, the fight against regional terrorism was of key importance," he said.
While Beijing is keen to demonstrate unity at the summit this year, Reyes reiterated that symbolic gestures are likely to surpass any real achievements that can be expected from the meeting. "I doubt that this organization will be able to go beyond a simple association. It will not be able to become a real platform for the Global South, where Russia and China could present themselves as leading partners in this Eurasian space," he said. "I think what we will see will be more like gathering all these countries together without the United States," Reyes added.
What does this mean for the United States?
US President Donald Trump has strongly criticized organizations representing the interests of the Global South. In the past, he has threatened to paralyze the work of the BRICS by imposing targeted duties against its members and calling the group "anti-American."
Reyes said that the SCO summit will be under the close attention of the United States and may also set the tone for the QUAD summit to be held later this year in India. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) was established by India, Japan, Australia, and the United States in 2007 to counter China's growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past quarter century, India has grown closer to the United States and its allies amid shared concerns about Beijing's growing influence.
But after Washington imposed 50% duties against India for the purchase of oil from Russia, analysts expect the United States to closely monitor the meeting between Modi and Xi Jinping in Tianjin, scheduled for Monday.
"The United States will closely monitor the interaction between India and China, which are trying to ease bilateral tensions," Reyes said. "In light of recent events such as the imposition of US tariffs against India and the upcoming QUAD summit, it will be interesting to watch Modi's actions," he said.
Kevalramani does not agree that relations between India and the United States are on the verge of breaking down, despite the tensions that have arisen due to trade duties. "These are developed economies that closely cooperate in many areas. The United States will closely monitor how not only India, but also Pakistan, Iran, as well as, of course, Russia and China will interact at the SCO summit on some key geopolitical and trade issues," said Kevalramani. "I am sure that the United States will learn valuable lessons from the SCO summit," he added.
