SCO Summit: India's Balancing Act in Eurasia
About the SCO
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation grew out of the 'Shanghai Five' (1996) and was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, making it the world's largest regional grouping by population and geographic span.
- Headquarters: Beijing (Secretariat); the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is in Tashkent.
- Official languages: Russian and Chinese. Decisions are by consensus.
- India chaired the SCO in 2022-23 and hosted the first virtual SCO summit in July 2023.
India's Stakes
- Counter-terrorism: RATS offers intelligence sharing, though India has pressed for naming Pakistan-based groups.
- Central Asia connectivity: the Chabahar port and the International North–South Transport Corridor bypass Pakistan.
- Energy security: Kazakhstan uranium, Turkmen gas (TAPI) and Russian oil are strategic supply lines.
- Strategic balancing: SCO membership complements India's Quad and I2U2 engagements, underlining multi-alignment.
Challenges & the Way Forward
India's engagement is constrained by the China–Pakistan axis, the perception of the SCO as an anti-Western bloc, and Russia's tilt toward Beijing. Yet walking away would cede Central Asia to China. The pragmatic path is issue-based cooperation — anti-terror, disaster response, Buddhist heritage, traditional medicine and start-ups — while protecting red lines on sovereignty.
Test Yourself
1 graded question · Prelims format
Consider the following statements about the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
- 1.India became a full member of the SCO in 2017.
- 2.The SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is headquartered in Beijing.
- 3.Iran is a full member of the SCO.
Frequently Asked Questions
Previous Year Questions on this topic
'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO.' In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems.
Consider the following pairs (Regions often mentioned in news : Reason for being in news):
- 1.North Kivu and Ituri : War between Armenia and Azerbaijan
- 2.Nagorno-Karabakh : Insurgency in Mozambique
- 3.Kherson and Zaporizhzhia : Dispute between Israel and Lebanon
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