Defence Minister to Attend SCO Defence Ministers’ Meet in China

Background and Origin

• Founded: 2001 as a successor to Shanghai Five (1996): China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

• Headquarters: Beijing, China

• Official Languages: Chinese and Russian

Membership

• Full Members (10):

  • Founding: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

  • Joined in 2017: India and Pakistan

  • Joined in 2023: Iran

  • Approved for 2024: Belarus

• Observers interested in membership: Afghanistan, Mongolia

• Dialogue Partners: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Turkey, Azerbaijan, etc.

Objectives and Focus Areas

• Promote regional peace, security, stability, and economic cooperation

• Counter the “Three Evils”: Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism

• Cooperation in:

  • Security and defence

  • Economic and energy development

  • Cultural and people-to-people exchanges

  • Connectivity and trade

Governance Structure

• Supreme Body: Council of Heads of State (CHS) – Annual summit

• Other Key Bodies:

  • Council of Heads of Government (CHG)

  • Council of Foreign Ministers

  • Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) – Based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

    • Deals with coordinated actions on terrorism, separatism, and extremism

    • Head appointed for a three-year term

India and SCO

• India became a full member in 2017

• Held presidency for the first time (2022–2023), handed over at Samarkand Summit (2022)

• Hosted SCO Summit 2023:

  • First time as chair

  • Conducted virtually on July 4, 2023

  • Attended by leaders of Russia, China, Central Asian republics, Pakistan

  • Iran officially became a full member during this summit

India’s Priorities at SCO

• Counterterrorism and regional security

• Sovereignty-first approach to connectivity (opposes China’s Belt and Road Initiative)

• Cultural and tourism diplomacy:

  • Varanasi declared SCO’s first Cultural and Tourism Capital (2022–23)

SCO Summit 2023 (Under India’s Chairmanship)

• Theme: Towards a Secure SCO

• New Delhi Declaration:

  • Condemned terrorism, extremism, religious intolerance, and racism

  • Called for common definition of terror organisations

  • Rejected militarisation of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies)

• Key Takeaways:

  • Iran joined as 9th member

  • Exploration of trade in national currencies (bypass dollar-based systems)

  • India stayed out of:

    • SCO Economic Development Strategy 2030

    • Joint statements supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) due to sovereignty issues with projects in PoK

Importance of SCO

• Covers ~60% of Eurasian landmass

• Represents ~40% of global population

• Contributes nearly 20% of global GDP

• Major platform for India to:

  • Engage with Central Asia

  • Counterbalance Chinese influence

  • Promote connectivity respecting sovereignty