SCO at pivotal point in its evolution
Group faces new challenges and opportunities amid Ukraine crisis, West’s power games
As the Ukraine crisis continues to escalate, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s influence in international and regional affairs is increasing, making it a priority choice for regional countries to participate in multilateral cooperation.
Amid the complex and volatile international and regional situations, the SCO region is entering an important period of power restructuring and reordering. The SCO member states have an increasingly active attitude toward the group’s policies, and the organization is at a pivotal point of transformation.
At present, the United States is beefing up containment of China and Russia, stepping up efforts to create new alliances and new orders, and pushing the world toward confrontation.
The “Shanghai Spirit” — nonaligned status, non-targeting against a third country, and advocating openness, consensus, trust, mutual benefit, equality and mutual respect — is actively implemented by the SCO. It recognizes the value of upholding true multilateralism, transcends the Cold War mentality and imperial thinking, provides effective solutions for the global problems of our time, and promotes improved world and regional governance.
The Ukraine crisis is an unprecedented problem for the SCO since its founding in 2001, as the geopolitical conflict has posed severe challenges to the organization’s endeavors to ensure regional security and promote regional development.
To start with, as Russia’s ties with the US and the West move toward “all-round confrontation”, properly handling and managing the US factor and the West factor have become extremely urgent for the SCO.
Second, affected by cascading crises like the upheaval in Afghanistan, the COVID-19 pandemic and Kyrgyzstan’s regime change, the SCO region faces notably increased instability and uncertainty.
The Ukraine crisis has added to the already troubled security situation. In the meantime, non-traditional security issues have become more prominent in the region, with turbulence in global energy and food markets exacerbating the countries’ concerns.
Third, the SCO member states have yet to rise above the economic woes caused by the sluggish global and regional economy following the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The woes have been further exacerbated by the Ukraine crisis.
However, while posing daunting challenges for the SCO, the Ukraine crisis has also brought new opportunities and new hope for the organization’s further development.
In the face of major-power competition, SCO member states, not willing to be pushed around, have been stepping up efforts to cooperate. They have been advancing domestic reform and striving to become an important force in the regional landscape.
Against the headwinds from the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Central Asian leaders held a summit and signed several agreements, showcasing their desire to “huddle for warmth” and jointly respond to challenges.
Amid a more fragmented international order caused by the Ukraine crisis, the SCO is becoming a priority choice in multilateral cooperation for its member states, especially the Central Asian countries, as its guiding principles and ideas are increasingly appealing. A quicker pace in membership expansion has laid a solid foundation for the organization to expand cooperation and increase its voice in regional and global affairs. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the SCO member states aspired to continue their “powerbalancing diplomacy” — they wish to neither follow the US to counter Russia, nor support Russia weaponizing the SCO against the US and the West.
Against the backdrop of the RussiaUkraine conflict, Central Asian countries are pinning greater hopes on China, bringing new hope for advancing regional cooperation under the SCO framework. In this context, it has become a significant, urgent task for China to seize the opportunities to help the SCO play a more active role in regional and global governance, and safeguard security, stability and development.
To start with, China should continue to uphold the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting at any third parties, and vigorously promote a new model of international relations among SCO member states.
Second, China should implement the new vision for security with concrete actions and ramp up efforts to build common security.
China should attach top priority to security cooperation within the SCO and take more effective measures to deepen such cooperation with more practical outcomes.
Third, China needs to advance regional economic collaboration against the headwinds to achieve common development.
Beijing should double down on its efforts to advocate and carry out sub-regional, mini-multilateral cooperation, and explore new ways in economic collaboration through means such as demonstration zones and bases. Cooperation in emerging areas of 5G technologies, smart cities and artificial intelligence should be boosted to open new horizons for partnership.
Last, China should make greater efforts to advance reforms within the SCO to promote the organization’s transformation and upgrading, by vigorously promoting reforms.