India virtually hosted the 19th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG) on November 30, 2020. It was chaired by the Vice President of India, Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu because Prime Minister Modi could not attend the meeting. Similarly, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan skipped the meeting and sent his Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Andleeb Abbas. India assumed the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government on November 2, 2019 as per rotation from the previous chair Uzbekistan. This is the first time a summit-level meeting was held under India’s chairmanship since it gained full membership of the organisation in 2017.
SCO CHG is an annual summit at the level of prime ministers of SCO countries and primarily deals with the trade and economic agenda of the organisation. The SCO provides a convenient channel to India for its outreach of trade and strategic ties to Central Asian countries.
The 19th meeting was attended by all the member states and representatives of observer states—Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia. This year Turkmenistan was invited as a special guest.
Evolution of SCO SCO originated as a regional grouping in 2001 from the then existing Shanghai Five, formed on April 26, 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions. China took the lead role in forming the group. Before that, China and four countries with which it had unsettled borders (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan) had come together to amicably settle their boundary disputes, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. After the settlement of boarder disputes, these five countries resolved to promote cooperation in political, security, economic, and cultural spheres by forming Shanghai Five. In 2001, during the annual summit in Shanghai, the five member nations first admitted Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Five mechanism, thus transforming it into the Shanghai Six. Thereafter, on June 15, 2001 the Declaration of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was signed and in June 2002 the heads of the SCO Member States signed the SCO Charter, which expounded on the organisation’s purposes, principles, structures, and forms of operation, and established it in international law. At the July 2005 Astana Summit, India, Iran, and Pakistan were granted observer status. In July 2015 in Ufa, Russia, the SCO decided to admit India and Pakistan as full members. India and Pakistan signed the memorandum of obligations in June 2016 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, thereby starting the formal process of joining the SCO as full members. On June 9, 2017, at the historic summit in Astana, India and Pakistan officially joined SCO as full-fledged members. Now the SCO is an eight-member multilateral organisation consisting of India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
The Council of Heads of States is the apex decision-making body in the SCO. This council meets at the SCO summits, which are held annually in one of the member states’ capital cities. The Council of Heads of Governments is the second-highest council in the organisation and holds annual summits, wherein members discuss issues of multilateral cooperation.
India’s Initiatives India, during its tenure of chairmanship, focussed on creating three new pillars of cooperation among SCO Member States, i.e., start-ups and innovation, science and technology, and traditional medicine along with proposing many other concrete initiatives. India organised in virtual format, the first-ever SCO Young Scientists Conclave from November 24–28, 2020 in which 200 young scientists participated. FICCI also convened the first SCO Business Conclave with special emphasis on cooperation in MSMEs through the national chapters of the SCO Business Council. India also proposed to host the SCO Food Festival in 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of SCO. On the cultural-humanitarian side, India launched the first-ever SCO digital exhibition on shared Buddhist heritage on November 30, 2020. India also translated 10 classics of its regional literature into Russian and Chinese. India also proposed to set up an expert group on traditional medicine under the annual SCO health minister’ meeting.
Some Highlights of the Joint Statement The joint communique adopted at the closing of the meeting focuses on trade and economic issues, cooperation on the prevention and control of infectious and non-infectious diseases, response to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies, elimination on of effects of COVID-19, and countering the circulation of counterfeit medicines and development of medical tourism.
While celebrating the 75th anniversary of the common victory of the peace-loving states and peoples in World War II and the creation of the United Nations in 1945, the leaders advocated uniting the efforts of the international community in the search for responsible and inclusive solutions to all global challenges. The joint statement promised to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, to consider the relevance of the WTO and reforming it, and achieving the SDGs. It also noted the process of economic globalisation, hampered by the growth of unilateral and protectionist measures, instability of financial markets and other risks for the global trade, etc. and promised to work in this direction.
- The members supported the next chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2020–21.
- The meeting emphasised on a responsible and inclusive approach to solve the global challenges. It was reaffirmed to build a new type of international relations in the spirit of mutual respect, justice, equality, and mutually beneficial cooperation.
- The members advocated for a common vision for reshaping the destiny for mankind.
- The leaders noted the initiative of the Republic of Tajikistan to develop a Plan of Priority Practical Measures for 2021-2022 to overcome the socio-economic, financial and food consequences of COVID-19 in the region.
- They called for an open world economy and for reforming WTO while preserving its key values and fundamental principles.
- The leaders agreed to overcome the issue of technological and digital divide between them.
- The leaders stressed on a common vision of global prosperity and cooperation of humans with regards to pandemic, freely and openly share the benefits of medical research and development, and develop adaptive, responsive humane health systems, as well as strengthen and improve the work of the World Health Organization and other intergovernmental organisations.
- The leaders of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support for China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) Initiative (BRI), noted the ongoing work on joint implementation of this project. They expressed their support for the ‘joint implementation’ of projects with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). [One Belt One Road (OBOR), also known as Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is the brain-child of Chinese President Xi Jinping and is an ambitious economic development and commercial project. It focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among about 78 Asian, African, and European countries. It is also known as the ‘Project of the Century’, which has strategic implications.] India had already refused to join the OBOR initiative in 2017, protesting over Chinese projects through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), and lack of ‘transparency and sustainability’ in the initiative. [India says that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), runs through PoK. Therefore, it violates India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. India reminded the SCO leaders of the need to safeguard ‘the sovereignty and territorial integrity of SCO Member States’. India’s concern in this regard is precisely the reason why India decided against joining the world’s largest trade deal, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)].
- They approved the results of the 19th meeting of the Meeting of Ministers of the SCO Member States responsible for Foreign Economic and Foreign Trade activities, chaired by the Republic of India (October 28, 2020 via videoconference), including the agreements reached on overcoming the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting multilateral trade systems, cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, development of remote and rural areas, intellectual property.
- The leaders expressed their support in ensuring food security, developing the production of environmentally friendly and organic products, digitalising agriculture and introducing advanced technologies in this area.
- The Heads of delegations expressed their support for specialised meetings and working groups, such as the establishment of the Special Working Group on Innovation and Start-ups (Republic of India), a mechanism for the meeting of the Heads of bodies to combat economic crimes (Kyrgyz Republic), and the Special Working Group on Poverty Reduction (Islamic Republic of Pakistan), etc.
- The leaders noted the initiative of the Republic of India to establish an expert group on traditional medicine and spoke in favour of its consideration in accordance with the established procedure. They noted the positive experience of individual countries in using traditional medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 and expressed interest in holding the Forum on Traditional Medicine in the framework of the SCO.
- The leaders noted the initiative of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the ‘SCO Green Belt’ Program to widely introduce resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies.
- The Heads of delegations stresses the need to work through the ministries of culture of the SCO Member States and the SCO Secretariat so that cultural ties may be enriched, joint events may be held, and mutual understanding between the peoples of the SCO Member States may be strengthened, as well as the cultural, historical and natural heritage in the region may be preserved.
- They noted the opening of the SCO Digital Exhibition, dedicated to the Common Buddhist Heritage in New Delhi on November 30, 2020, as well as the initiative of the Republic of India to hold the Festival of National Cuisine of the SCO Member States.
- The Heads of delegations noted the importance of developing the ethno-sport and ethno-cultural movement in the world, including through the project ‘World Nomad Games’.
- The leaders expressed their support for expanding interaction with the SCO Observer States and SCO Dialogue partners, international and regional organisations, primarily on the development of economic and humanitarian cooperation.
- The Heads of delegations approved the SCO Secretariat Report on the events and meetings held as part of the implementation of the Program of multilateral trade and economic cooperation of the SCO Member States and the Organization’s budget for 2021, as well as made decisions on a number of issues related to the financial and organizational activities of the permanent SCO bodies.
Analysis Some experts opine that India will not benefit from the SCO as it is dominated by China. In fact, due to China’s influence, the SCO struggles to be a cohesive organisation even after 19 years of its formation. However, the organisation can somehow bring balance in the vast Eurasian space being the only regional group in this area. SCO provides a strong platform to India for its sea route connection to Central Asia. Strategically, Central Asia and Afghanistan are vital for India to meet its energy requirement, connectivity, trade and economic progress, and growth. So far, India has maintained its commitment and firm stand in the SCO.