India's concerns at SCO Summit

INDIA HAS TO DO A TIGHTROPE WALK FOR MAINTAINING AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIC TIES WITH THE WEST WHILE BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE SCO AND BRICS

- Chander Gupta

The ensuing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit is scheduled for August 31-September 1, 2025 in Tianjin, China. Incidentally, it will mark the SCO’s 25th anniversary. The SCO was founded on 15 June, 2001, in Shanghai. As of now, the SCO consists of 10 member states; Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO is an intergovernmental organisation focused on political, economic, and security cooperation, Its secretariat is based in Beijing.

Key goals of the SCO include: i) combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure and ii) enhancing economic integration and infrastructure connectivity, often aligned with China’s Belt and Road initiative (BRI). The SCO supports projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India has an open objection to CPEC, a flagship BRI project, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.