SCO urged to turn broader reach into tangible gains

As leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries gather in Bishkek on Tuesday, Chinese experts said the organization's next test is not expansion alone, but whether it can turn its growing reach and diversity into tangible security and development gains.

Founded in 2001 by six countries, the SCO now comprises 10 member states, two observer states and 15 dialogue partners. Yet its strength cannot be measured simply by the size of its membership, said Yang Jin, deputy secretary-general of the SCO Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"The SCO's real strength is not simply a matter of numbers," Yang said. "It lies in turning a highly diverse group of countries into a non-exclusive multilateral mechanism with a low political threshold for participation and the capacity to provide public goods."

Yang attributed the SCO's appeal not to a common ideology but to the strategic autonomy and practical benefits it offers participating countries.

Its emphasis on sovereign equality, noninterference in internal affairs and consensus-based decision-making enables countries with different political systems and security concerns to cooperate without having to align their domestic systems or take sides, he said.

The organization also addresses both security and development needs, with cooperation extending from counterterrorism to transport, energy and the digital economy, Yang added.

On implementation, Yang said major security and diplomatic decisions require consensus among all members, while participation in practical projects is voluntary, allowing willing and capable countries to move ahead with cooperation.

Li Ziguo, director and research fellow of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the Bishkek summit could give fresh impetus to implementing the outcomes of last year's Tianjin summit and help move the SCO into a new stage of pursuing security and development in tandem.

On security, Li said the summit is expected to approve regulations governing the SCO Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats. The regulations would, in his assessment, provide stronger institutional support for addressing emerging nontraditional security threats.

Li also said he expected the SCO Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe to be launched at the summit, providing a unified coordinating body for regional counterterrorism and anti-drug operations.

On development, Li said the summit could advance preparations for an SCO development bank to help finance practical cooperation projects.

He also highlighted the digital economy, artificial intelligence, green energy and green industry. "The Bishkek summit could act as a catalyst, accelerating cooperation in these areas and potentially producing practical road maps," Li added.

Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said a major focus of the summit will be how member states can better share development opportunities and achieve mutually beneficial cooperation.

Sun described China's efforts in practicing the Shanghai Spirit and promoting practical projects as an important driving force behind the SCO's development.

Looking ahead, he called for the organization to retain its openness and practical orientation, refine the SCO partner system and make better use of the "SCO Plus" format to deepen cooperation with other countries and international organizations.

Yang, an expert at the CASS, said the SCO's contribution to the Global South should ultimately be judged not by the size of its membership or the forcefulness of its summit declarations, but by its capacity to deliver.

"The real test is whether its members can consistently provide public goods in security, finance, transport and governance to other countries and the wider world," he said.