The 2024 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit was held in Islamabad, Pakistan from October 14-15. Just one week before the BRICS Summit, the representatives from 10 governments met to discuss a wide range of common economic and security issues. The organization is composed of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Iran, Belarus, and Pakistan. While many critics in the West view the SCO as a means of countering the United States-led world order, SCO member states and observer states view the organization as a platform to address common security and economic issues, such as terrorism, trade, and development. The SCO views itself as an alternative, not a competitor, to the US-led liberal international order. The organization comprises approximately 40% of the world population and 23% of global GDP.[i] Member states have varying levels of economic development and often competing interests, however, the goal of the organization is to establish strategic alliances and promote regional unity. The Summit provides a forum for participating states to pursue bilateral and trilateral agreements and set the stage for further integration through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and BRICS.
Pakistan as a host
Due to security concerns, international leaders tend to no longer visit Pakistan. To prepare for the Summit, the Pakistani government effectively shut down Islamabad and deployed 10,000 security personnel to secure the capital.[ii] Leading up to the meeting, several Chinese nationals in Pakistan were targeted and killed by militants, claiming that the PRC is exploiting Pakistan’s resources.[iii] Pakistan hoped to show the bloc, and the world, that they are a reliable security and economic partner. This Summit was the first visit to Pakistan by a Russian Prime Minister since 2007, and the first visit from an Indian foreign minister in 9 years.
The presence of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Islamabad for the Summit is considered a big step in the legitimacy of the SCO. Despite high tensions between the two states, they were able to cordially coexist for the sake of the SCO. While no bilateral talks were held between India and Pakistan, the Indian Foreign Minister indirectly addressed Pakistan, stating that cross-border terrorism presents challenges to regional integration and cooperation.[iv] Some label the visit of Foreign Minister Jaishankar as a “marginal softening” of Indian-Pakistani relations, however, neither country has agreed yet to take any additional steps to decrease tensions.[v]
Not a traditional multilateral organization
The SCO is a fluid organization, and broad multilateralism has never been the norm of SCO cooperation.[vi] Some member states have intense rivalries, such as the PRC and India, India and Pakistan, and even the PRC and Russia. Each power within the bloc wants to maintain autonomy, which limits multilateral cooperation. While the summits do not typically produce dramatic multilateral agreements, they provide a forum for intra-regional agreements at the bilateral and trilateral level. The PRC just built a $200 million airport in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which was one of the first steps in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) investment project.[vii] The CPEC’s goal is to develop road, rail, and digital infrastructure to further regional integration and cooperation, since Pakistan is a strategic link connecting South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, and Western China. At the summit, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, stated that Afghanistan could serve as a hub for transportation and trade in the region if the Taliban are able to control terrorism within the country.[viii] He also called for the expansion of the BRI to promote international trade and “the vision of a connected Eurasia.”[ix] India was the only state in the SCO to not endorse the BRI, due to concerns over the CPEC, which runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.[x]
In a trilateral meeting, the PRC agreed to increase its focus on the Chinese-Russian-Mongolian economic corridor. The Russian Prime Minister also announced a trade partnership with the PRC focused on energy and international transport corridors.[xi] A bilateral meeting between Russia and Pakistan resulted in an agreement to increase cooperation in trade and energy, as well as provide mutual support in other multinational forums.[xii] This could be especially important as Pakistan hopes to soon become a BRICS member state.
Conclusion
While the 2024 SCO Summit did not produce any surprising or major results, it was a successful meeting for increasing bloc cohesion and preparing for the upcoming BRICS summit. The attendance of India’s Foreign Minister shows India’s commitment to the organization, despite tensions with Pakistan and the PRC. This commitment and willingness to attend further legitimizes the SCO as a relevant international organization. According to Canadian journalist and Russian affairs expert Fred Weir, the Summit was a “cordial, procedural” event with no “sideline surprises.”[xiii]
Citations
[i]https://astanatimes.com/2024/07/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-sco-summit-in-astana/
[ii]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Zcr0WY5F0&list=PLhRP5QCtB1Of8VFOVkEOBUp7C_nUwE7oO&index=3
[iii]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r84p0dp1jo
[iv]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Zcr0WY5F0&list=PLhRP5QCtB1Of8VFOVkEOBUp7C_nUwE7oO&index=3
[v]https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/10/sco-pakistan-promotes-relevance-china-projects-influence
[vi]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFstGfxgT8w&list=PLhRP5QCtB1Of8VFOVkEOBUp7C_nUwE7oO
[vii] https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/10/sco-pakistan-promotes-relevance-china-projects-influence
[viii]https://indianexpress.com/article/world/india-china-belt-road-initiative-sco-summit-pakistan-9623568/
[ix]https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-pushes-for-expansion-of-china-s-bri-plans/7824296.html
[x]https://indianexpress.com/article/world/india-china-belt-road-initiative-sco-summit-pakistan-9623568/
[xi]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Zcr0WY5F0&list=PLhRP5QCtB1Of8VFOVkEOBUp7C_nUwE7oO&index=3
[xii]https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/10/sco-pakistan-promotes-relevance-china-projects-influence
[xiii]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Zcr0WY5F0&list=PLhRP5QCtB1Of8VFOVkEOBUp7C_nUwE7oO&index=3
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