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The first in-person leaders' summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization since the COVID-19 outbreak is shaping how international relations in a turbulent world should be conducted.
The leaders of the SCO member states on September 16 signed and released the Samarkand declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO. They've also released statements and documents on safeguarding global food security, international energy security, addressing climate change and maintaining a secure, stable and diversified supply chain.
This is not an easy time for international cooperation, especially on critical issues listed above that have become the bargaining chips and sacrifices of international conflicts. The world is facing grave challenges posed by the Cold War mentality and group politics in international relations as well as conflicting political pursuits. "Our world today is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and it has entered a new phase of uncertainty and transformation," Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the meeting.
Founded in 2021, the SCO has expanded steadily. With eight full members, the SCO is the world's largest regional group, covering more than three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the global population and a quarter of the global gross domestic product (GDP). It has been at the forefront of stability in central Asia. Through the signing of the Treaty of Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States, the cooperation on anti-terrorism and the common pursuit of economic development, the SCO made border stability and security a reality for the member states over the past two decades.
But in today's world, the SCO takes on a greater symbolic and substantive role.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan, September 13, 2022. /CFP
The West is bogged down in the Ukraine conflict, antagonizing anyone who isn't supporting their position against Russia while facing social divides and economic hardships themselves. It had kept scolding India for purchasing Russian oil and has never shaken off the paranoia that China is assisting Russia. At the same time, the United States has been provoking tensions against China, forcing its European allies and friends in the region into a difficult embarrassing position of fearing they have to choose between the two powerhouses. The UN has grown increasingly paralyzed by the inability of its members to reach a consensus because of their political differences with each other.
The SCO is a rarity in today's world. It remains where cooperation, true and honest cooperation, could still take place. Its founding principles, which are reflected in the Shanghai Spirit, put mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation and respect for the diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development at the core of the organization's operation.
Many may have scoffed at them, seeing them as the political cliches. But, as President Xi said during his speech, "by promoting the development and expansion of the SCO and giving full play to its positive impact, we will create strong momentum and new dynamism for ensuring durable peace and common prosperity of the Eurasian continent and the whole world." The SCO is neither irrelevant nor are its commitments cliches. When the West abandoned its facade and started weaponizing diplomatic relations and international organizations against their geopolitical rivals, the respect and trust reflected in the Shanghai Spirit became the essential pillar of stability.
The SCO is the anchor for the region in today's chaotic international landscape, and models a kind of international relations for countries to get through the current instability. It shows a system where different political systems and ideologies don't hinder countries' abilities to work together. The pragmatism exhibited and practical approach to global affairs harkens back to a global order that once was and a future that the world as a whole should try to build.
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