TOPIC

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defence organisation formed in 2001 by China and Russia as a successor to the Shanghai Five, which was formed in 1996 between the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. As well as China and Russia, current members also include Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The organisation also has several dialgoue partners, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Cambodia. The SCO is headquartered in Beijing, and its supreme decision-making body, the Heads of State Council (HSC), meets once a year.

The United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York on March 25. Governments increasingly face the same demand: prove the depth of your commitment by closing the door on everyone else. Photo: Zuma press wire / dpa

Diplomacy

Opinion | For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

The opposite of commitment is breach, not multiplicity. A nation’s reliability isn’t measured by how many treaties it signs.

25 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM

Central Asia

China-led SCO, a counterweight to the West

18 Aug 2026 - 5:18PM

China trade

China’s Central Asia push

17 Aug 2026 - 9:44AM

Diplomacy

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

11 Aug 2026 - 10:29AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

17 Jun 2026 - 6:58AMvideocam

Mongolia

China will be a neighbour Mongolia can rely on, foreign minister says

Wang’s visit focuses on cross-border transport and trade links as he calls for closer alignment between the countries’ development strategies.

14 Jun 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

30 May 2026 - 8:08AMvideocam

China trade

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank, rival Western lenders

Member states seek more financial autonomy and localised credit by advancing an effort to fund regional growth using their national currencies, not the US dollar.

29 May 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

China-India relations

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

20 Apr 2026 - 6:12PM

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial China-India relations

India is a vibrant, emerging and complex power with much to offer the city and China as a whole.

16 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says

China’s Middle East position ‘relatively favourable’, professor says, and regional spillover from US-Israeli attacks likely to be limited to Tehran’s Shia militia allies.

6 Mar 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

Brics

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

A lack of response from the SCO and Brics could have a negative impact on the groups – but the crisis could also bring them closer.

14 Jan 2026 - 11:57PMvideocam

China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

8 Dec 2025 - 11:41AM

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

28 Nov 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

India

Opinion | How India and the US can find their way back to better relations

This year has revealed the need for personality-driven diplomacy to be anchored by steadier institutional ballast.

13 Nov 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | China is supporting multilateralism one institution at a time

With a new organisation to promote mediation, among other global bodies, China is signalling its enthusiasm to get more involved in world governance.

26 Oct 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

India

Opinion | Why India is hedging its bets on another China charm offensive

As Washington pushes New Delhi closer to Beijing, both Asian powers must exercise strategic patience for an effective detente.

13 Oct 2025 - 5:30AM

China trade

Kazakhstan seeks investment to become ‘transit hub’ for China-Europe trade

Deputy trade minister Asset Nussupov says obstacles need to be cleared for ‘Middle Corridor’ trade route to flourish.

9 Oct 2025 - 9:00PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | What China seeks to achieve with the Global Governance Initiative

The initiative does not seek to create an alternative system. Rather, it aims to strengthen the mechanisms of the current global order.

25 Sep 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | Focusing on pageantry, the West misses the point of China’s diplomacy

The West must realise the real contest is not about pageantry but which power can create space for others to feel secure, dignified, heard.

19 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh hold a trilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 2. Photo: Xinhua

US-China relations

As the US retreats, can Xi’s new initiative shape the future world order?

Analysts say the GGI reflects China’s ambitions to shape a multipolar world, but it needs more substance to avoid becoming an ‘empty shell’.

17 Sep 2025 - 12:20AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s moment to rewire the world is arriving. What will it do?

For the first time since the Cold War, the world is between orders and the momentum is with Beijing as geopolitical winds shift eastward.

16 Sep 2025 - 6:30AMvideocam

Archaeology and palaeontology

Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.

15 Sep 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Laos

Laos embraces China, Russia-led SCO amid frustration with Asean

Laos is the third Southeast Asian nation to partner with the SCO, in a move that analysts say could erode Asean’s collective credibility.

14 Sep 2025 - 8:00AM

Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith arrives for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Opinion | China-led SCO is a critical salve for the ailments of the global order

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation does not seek to replace the UN but amid UN paralysis, regional multilateralism can help sustain global order.

12 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

A security guard provides directions outside the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre before the start of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on September 1. Photo: EPA

Diplomacy

Opinion | For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The EU could have shown up to confront Putin and engage on Ukraine. China could have chosen true leadership over coalitions of convenience.

11 Sep 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Editorial | Brics is looking for resilience, not an open clash with the US

It would be a mistake to discount Brics summits, where the aim is long-term strength amid global instability and geopolitical tensions.

10 Sep 2025 - 7:15AM

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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

The opposite of commitment is breach, not multiplicity. A nation’s reliability isn’t measured by how many treaties it signs.

China-led SCO, a counterweight to the West

China’s Central Asia push

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

China will be a neighbour Mongolia can rely on, foreign minister says

Wang’s visit focuses on cross-border transport and trade links as he calls for closer alignment between the countries’ development strategies.

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank, rival Western lenders

Member states seek more financial autonomy and localised credit by advancing an effort to fund regional growth using their national currencies, not the US dollar.

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial China-India relations

India is a vibrant, emerging and complex power with much to offer the city and China as a whole.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says

China’s Middle East position ‘relatively favourable’, professor says, and regional spillover from US-Israeli attacks likely to be limited to Tehran’s Shia militia allies.

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

A lack of response from the SCO and Brics could have a negative impact on the groups – but the crisis could also bring them closer.

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Moscow is haunted by a longing for Western approval in contrast to Beijing, which focuses on borrowing what works and changing what doesn’t.

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

Opinion | How India and the US can find their way back to better relations

This year has revealed the need for personality-driven diplomacy to be anchored by steadier institutional ballast.

Opinion | China is supporting multilateralism one institution at a time

With a new organisation to promote mediation, among other global bodies, China is signalling its enthusiasm to get more involved in world governance.

Opinion | Why India is hedging its bets on another China charm offensive

As Washington pushes New Delhi closer to Beijing, both Asian powers must exercise strategic patience for an effective detente.

Kazakhstan seeks investment to become ‘transit hub’ for China-Europe trade

Deputy trade minister Asset Nussupov says obstacles need to be cleared for ‘Middle Corridor’ trade route to flourish.

Opinion | What China seeks to achieve with the Global Governance Initiative

The initiative does not seek to create an alternative system. Rather, it aims to strengthen the mechanisms of the current global order.

Opinion | Focusing on pageantry, the West misses the point of China’s diplomacy

The West must realise the real contest is not about pageantry but which power can create space for others to feel secure, dignified, heard.

As the US retreats, can Xi’s new initiative shape the future world order?

Analysts say the GGI reflects China’s ambitions to shape a multipolar world, but it needs more substance to avoid becoming an ‘empty shell’.

Opinion | China’s moment to rewire the world is arriving. What will it do?

For the first time since the Cold War, the world is between orders and the momentum is with Beijing as geopolitical winds shift eastward.

Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.

Laos embraces China, Russia-led SCO amid frustration with Asean

Laos is the third Southeast Asian nation to partner with the SCO, in a move that analysts say could erode Asean’s collective credibility.

Opinion | China-led SCO is a critical salve for the ailments of the global order

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation does not seek to replace the UN but amid UN paralysis, regional multilateralism can help sustain global order.

Opinion | For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The EU could have shown up to confront Putin and engage on Ukraine. China could have chosen true leadership over coalitions of convenience.

Editorial | Brics is looking for resilience, not an open clash with the US

It would be a mistake to discount Brics summits, where the aim is long-term strength amid global instability and geopolitical tensions.

Opinion | For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says