SCO's scope, focus have grown as group supports all members' development

On June 15, 2001, the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan gathered in Shanghai to announce the founding of a new regional organization in the Eurasian region.

A quarter century later, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — the only international organization named after a Chinese city — has grown far beyond its initial security focus into the world's largest regional organization.

Today, the SCO has 10 member states, two observer states and 15 dialogue partners, bringing together countries that account for nearly half of the world's population and about a quarter of the global economy.

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Describing the SCO as a "big family", President Xi Jinping has always attached great importance to the development of the organization. He has attended every SCO summit since taking office, sharing visions, putting forward key initiatives and promoting joint efforts to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit.

"A just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions gets far," Xi said, quoting an old Chinese saying, at the SCO summit in 2023, noting that the organization's development accords with the trend of the times and goes along with the direction of human progress.

The Shanghai Spirit, featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and the pursuit of common development, has remained central to Xi's remarks on the SCO.

Chairing the SCO summit for the first time in Qingdao, Shandong province, in June 2018, Xi reviewed the organization's development and achievements, and emphasized that the Shanghai Spirit serves as a shared asset for all member states.

"The Shanghai Spirit, transcending outdated concepts such as clash of civilizations, Cold War and zero-sum mentality, has opened a new page in the history of international relations and gained increasing endorsement of the international community," Xi said.

At each SCO summit since 2013, Xi has underscored the profound relevance of the Shanghai Spirit while continually enriching and expanding its meaning.

Yermek Kosherbayev, Kazakhstan's foreign minister, said in a signed article marking the SCO's 25th anniversary that the organization's "greatest asset remains its constructive and pragmatic approach to cooperation, founded on the universal principles of equality and mutual benefit, without the dominance of any single ideology".

This approach, known as the Shanghai Spirit, has proved the resilience, effectiveness and enduring value of the multilateral mechanisms developed within the SCO framework, he said.

Yang Jin, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Shanghai Spirit is not an abstract slogan, but a set of principles tested in the SCO's practice. At a time when unilateralism and hegemonic thinking persist, political trust among SCO countries has provided an important foundation for the organization's long-term cooperation, he said.

The SCO was initially established to address shared security challenges. Over time, it has remained steadfast in its commitment to fostering a peaceful and stable environment that supports the development of all its member states.

Xi has always emphasized the need to enhance the connection of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation with development strategies of SCO countries and regional cooperation initiatives, as well as efforts to facilitate trade and investment and keep industrial and supply chains stable and smooth.

Such cooperation has produced tangible results. Official data showed that China has achieved, ahead of schedule, the target of bringing its cumulative trade with other SCO countries to more than $2.3 trillion, while nearly 14,000 kilometers of international land transport routes have been in operation among member states.

Yang said China's role in the SCO lies not only in putting forward ideas and building mechanisms, but also in providing public goods and platforms that help translate shared consensus into practical outcomes.

Such efforts reflect China's emphasis on practical results, as it links its own development with the growth of the SCO, he said.

At last year's Tianjin summit, China announced a series of measures, including plans to implement 100 "small and beautiful" livelihood projects in SCO member states where needed, provide 2 billion yuan ($295.7 million) in grant to SCO member states within the year, and build 10 Luban Workshops in member states over five years.

A youth trends report released in May also pointed to positive perceptions of China's role among young people in SCO member states, with more than 90 percent of respondents outside China saying that cooperation with China could have a positive impact on their countries' development and modernization.

Extended role

Beyond regional cooperation, the SCO's role has also extended to global governance.

At the Tianjin "SCO Plus" meeting last year, Xi said that the SCO, guided by the Shanghai Spirit, has increasingly become a catalyst for the development and reform of the global governance system.

He put forward the Global Governance Initiative at the meeting, calling on the organization to set an example in practicing the initiative, contribute SCO strength to world peace and stability, and demonstrate SCO responsibility in promoting global openness and cooperation.

The organization's growing reach has also drawn attention beyond its region. A March report by Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said the Tianjin summit marked a strengthening of relations between Southeast Asia and the SCO, with some countries in the region viewing the organization as a useful economic network amid geopolitical turmoil.

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SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev was quoted by Kazakh media as saying that 20 more countries have expressed interest in cooperation with the organization, another sign of its growing appeal.

Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, said China's role in the SCO reflects its broader approach to global governance: supporting reform of the international system through dialogue and helping the SCO serve as a consensus-based platform that gives countries, especially small and medium-sized ones, more room for cooperation without forcing them to take sides.

Contact the writers at zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn