Scholar Roundtable | How is the "magnetic attraction" of SCO refined? SCO | Cooperation | Scholars
Recently, the 2023 Central Asia and Shanghai Cooperation Organization Academic Seminar was held at the China Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Judicial Exchange and Cooperation Training Base at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law. Nearly a hundred domestic and foreign experts and scholars gathered together to conduct in-depth discussions on topics such as security cooperation, economic cooperation, and expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The "Shanghai Spirit" is extremely precious
Participants pointed out that after the first expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2017, the 2022 Samarkand Summit marked the beginning of the organization's second round of expansion. In July this year, Iran officially became a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Belarus is also expected to become a full member next year. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has become the largest and most populous comprehensive regional organization in the world today, further demonstrating openness and inclusiveness.
In the eyes of scholars, the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) fully reflects that during a period of global turbulence and change, both the Eurasian region and the wider region of the SCO value the important role of this organization in maintaining regional and global stability, promoting the construction of a more fair and reasonable international order, and reflecting the unique "magnetic attraction" of SCO.
Many participants linked the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with mechanisms such as the BRICS and G20, believing that countries from the "global South" are actively participating in global governance and expanding their voice. These countries reject hegemonic and bullying practices and advocate for resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, and through peaceful means. The above is the core, and the new governance system in the Eurasian region has taken shape and has broad development prospects.
Some participants also mentioned that the global situation has undergone drastic changes, and the security landscape in the Eurasian region has undergone profound adjustments. In this context, the "Shanghai spirit" advocated by SCO is extremely precious. "Why are there problems in the world? Because some countries view and handle problems from the perspective of civilization conflicts. However, the 'Shanghai Spirit' advocates respecting diverse civilizations, resolving differences through dialogue on the basis of equality, mutual trust and mutual benefit, and common development."
Scholars have summarized that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has achieved a series of significant achievements from the beginning of security cooperation to "four-wheel drive". Ultimately, the first is to uphold the "Shanghai spirit" and strive to create a new type of regional cooperation mechanism; Secondly, all member countries oppose hegemonism and Cold War thinking; Thirdly, not seeking to establish closed military and political groups, forming alliances and not forming alliances; The fourth is to adhere to the principle of consultation and mutual respect for each other's cultural and institutional differences.
The resonance of the SCO family
Participants believe that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has gone through more than 20 years of development and has become increasingly mature and efficient, also faces new opportunities and challenges in the new era.
From the perspective of security, the crisis in Ukraine is becoming more long-term, with traditional and non-traditional security overlapping and regional issues magnified. From the "three forces" to energy, finance, food, and network information security, higher demands are placed on multilateral cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Framework.
Scholars have pointed out that the uncertain factors in the situation in Afghanistan are worth paying attention to - although domestic security has improved since the Taliban came to power, terrorist forces such as the Islamic State's Khorasan branch still plague the region and pose challenges to neighboring SCO members such as Pakistan. The SCO should further leverage the functions of the Afghanistan Liaison Group and coordinate with existing mechanisms to address the Afghan issue. The consensus on the Afghanistan issue may open a breakthrough for multilateral economic cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
In addition, issues such as border disputes, regime security, and escalating geopolitical confrontations will also pose challenges to the stability and unity within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and need to be addressed prudently.
From an economic perspective, some member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have shown a more proactive and open attitude towards promoting economic projects, bringing development opportunities to bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation within the SCO.
Several scholars have mentioned cooperation in the field of digital economy, believing that the construction of investment and financing systems, economic and trade cooperation agreements within the SCO framework have laid a solid foundation for regional digital economy cooperation. The proposal of the concept of jointly building the "Digital Silk Road" has further deepened the degree of connectivity among the SCO member states. Scholars have also mentioned the highly discussed local currency swap cooperation, believing that its essence is to promote the diversification of the international monetary system. However, currently, cooperation in this field within the SCO framework is only the beginning of the process, and there are still a series of problems to be solved.
Some participants also examined SCO cooperation from the perspectives of the two major sectors of the SCO family - the Central Asian core region and the Middle East. As the cooperation mechanism between China and the five Central Asian countries is elevated to the level of the summit, the foundation of China Central Asian cooperation is further deepened. The construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway is expected to enter the implementation phase within this year. In the Middle East, the four GCC countries have become partners in the SCO dialogue. They have energy and financial advantages and will resonate with the same trend: both are based on development and have taken a different path from Western modernization. Cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, energy, and digital economy is worth looking forward to.
Looking ahead to the future development of the SCO, some scholars have pointed out that firstly, it is necessary to examine the strategic positioning of the SCO in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, maintain openness, increase the operational capacity of the Secretariat, and attract new observers; Secondly, establish and improve small multilateral mechanisms to effectively promote cooperation in key areas; Thirdly, cooperation should be carried out in areas with potential such as poverty reduction, environmental protection, and digital economy; The fourth is to focus on solving the problems within the region, strive to reach consensus, and create a better cooperation environment.
