SCO Summit 2025: Reshaping Global Order Through Multipolar Cooperation
Context
- 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit
- Venue: Tianjin, China
- Year: 2025
- Theme: Multipolar cooperation, security, economic integration, and Global South leadership
- Outcome Document: Tianjin Declaration
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): Overview
What is SCO?
- A permanent intergovernmental regional organisation
- Focuses on political, economic, security, and cultural cooperation
- Promotes the “Shanghai Spirit”:
- Mutual trust
- Mutual benefit
- Equality
- Consultation
- Respect for cultural diversity
- Common development
Establishment & Structure
- Established: 15 June 2001 (Shanghai, China)
- Charter signed: 2002 (St. Petersburg); enforced in 2003
- Headquarters: Beijing, China
- RATS: Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Membership (2025)
- Full Members (10):
China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan - Observers: Afghanistan, Mongolia
Brief History of SCO
- Originated from Shanghai Five Mechanism (1996) to resolve border disputes
- Initially security-centric (terrorism, separatism, extremism)
- Expanded to:
- Economic cooperation
- Connectivity
- Energy security
- Cultural and people-to-people exchanges
- Expansion milestones:
- India & Pakistan (2017)
- Iran (2023)
- Belarus (2024)
Key Outcomes of SCO Summit 2025
1. Security Cooperation
- Reaffirmed fight against:
- Terrorism
- Separatism
- Extremism
- Condemned terrorism in all forms
- Emphasised:
- No double standards in counter-terrorism
- Intelligence sharing
- Joint military exercises
- Counter-terror financing
- Tackling online radicalisation
Significance:
Strengthens Eurasian collective security architecture outside Western alliances.
2. Technological Cooperation
- Focus on:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Digital economy
- Key principles:
- Equal right of countries to develop and use AI
- Reducing AI risks
- Accountability and security
- Proposed:
- AI collaboration centres
- Open-source AI models
Significance:
Challenges Western dominance in tech governance; supports digital sovereignty.
3. Economic Integration
a) SCO Development Strategy until 2035
- Roadmap for:
- Trade expansion
- Investment facilitation
- Regional value chains
- Objective:
- Reduce dependency on external markets and currencies
b) SCO Development Bank (Proposed)
- China pledged:
- 2 billion yuan free aid
- 10 billion yuan loans via SCO banking consortium
- Aim:
- Reduce reliance on dollar-based financial systems
c) Energy Cooperation
- Approved:
- Sustainable energy statement
- Energy cooperation roadmap till 2030
- Focus on:
- Stable energy supply chains
- Renewable energy
- Fair energy transition
India’s Strategic Engagement at SCO 2025
Three-Pillar Framework
1. Security Pillar
- Zero tolerance to terrorism
- No double standards
- Accountability for cross-border terrorism
- Coordination against terror financing and radicalisation
2. Connectivity Pillar
- Support for:
- Chabahar Port
- International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
- Emphasis on trust-building through connectivity
3. Opportunity Pillar
- Focus on:
- Start-ups and innovation
- Youth empowerment
- Shared heritage
- Proposal:
- Civilizational Dialogue Forum
Assessment:
Reflects India’s strategic autonomy and balanced multilateral engagement.
Global Significance of SCO Summit 2025
Leadership of Global South
- Advocacy for:
- UN Security Council reform
- Reform of global financial institutions
- Inclusive global governance
- China proposed Global Governance Initiative (GGI)
RIC (Russia-India-China) Dynamics
- Renewed coordination on global issues
- India-China bilateral meeting after 7 years signalled diplomatic thaw
- Shows SCO as a platform for managing great-power relations
Challenges and Limitations
- Internal contradictions:
- Border disputes
- Bilateral tensions
- Divergent connectivity visions
- Economic asymmetries:
- China’s dominant trade position
- Consensus-based decision-making leads to diluted outcomes
Toward a Multipolar World Order
- SCO offers:
- Alternative institutional frameworks
- Non-interference-based cooperation model
- South-South cooperation platform
- Growing relevance amid:
- Declining unipolarity
- Shift of power towards Eurasia
Conclusion
- SCO Summit 2025 marked a decisive step toward multipolar global governance
- Through security coordination, development finance, AI governance, and energy cooperation, SCO is positioning itself as a credible alternative to Western-led institutions
- Its success will depend on managing internal contradictions while deepening cooperation
SCO Summit 2027: Key Facts
Context
- Host: Pakistan
- Venue: Islamabad
- Announcement: By PM Shehbaz Sharif
- Next Summit (2026): Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Chairmanship
- Rotates annually among members
- Based on Russian alphabetical order
- Chair hosts the Council of Heads of State (CHS) Summit
Key Functions of SCO (Static Value Addition)
- Security: RATS, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing
- Economic: Trade, investment, energy cooperation
- Connectivity: Transport corridors, regional integration
- Cultural: Youth exchanges, education, festivals
- Diplomacy: Afghanistan, climate action, Eurasian stability
Updated - 8 Feb 2026 ; 10: 30 AM