Can the SCO become a more influential force globally?

Despite representing nearly half the world’s population, accounting for about a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product and covering more than 60 per cent of the Eurasian land mass, the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the international arena remains relatively limited.

While the SCO has long been a priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy, the grouping also serves as a platform through which all member states pursue their own foreign policy goals. What would it take for the SCO to become a more influential actor in global affairs?

In preparation for the upcoming SCO leaders’ summit, scheduled for August 31-September 1 in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, the foreign ministers of the organisation’s 10 members – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus – met in the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata on July 24 and adopted a joint statement outlining shared positions on a range of regional and international issues. However, that does not necessarily mean the member nations hold identical views on the key geopolitical questions.