Different, not a challenge: Things the West doesn't get about the SCO

Editor's note: Is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization a threat to the West? This question has been asked for many years by western politicians, media and scholars alike. Here, we give a resounding answer. Take a look. 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with its nine member states, covering more than 60 percent of the area of Eurasia, 40 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, remains a mystery, to the West, at least.

Back in 2006, the U.S. Congress held a hearing on the SCO. The then-Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher, recognized the affects it had, but said specifically that "we have problems when it takes excursions into more political areas, like telling the states of the region what they can and cannot do with third countries, like ourselves." That was to become the "standard" of how the West viewed the SCO. Throughout the years, Western studies, reports and political rhetoric are focused on this question: Is the SCO a challenge? That has continued till today without an answer.

So, is it? The short answer is: No. It's just different.

Zoon Ahmed Khan, the research fellow of the Center for China and Globalization, said in an interview that "there are member states within the SCO that have bilateral differences. There are certain challenges that we all face. And when we are not united, we are unable to address and find a common denominator."

The institution is set up in ways that ensure all member states have veto rights. And that's not usual in many Western-led institutions. For example, in the International Monetary Fund, rules state that 85 percent of votes must concur to pass a motion. But, the United States alone holds about 17 percent of the voting power. That means, it could strike down policy decisions simply by itself. The same goes for its role in the World Bank. Even in NATO, where nominally decisions need to be agreed upon by every member, the U.S.'s overwhelming military strength and unique capabilities make every other member dependent on it.

We don't see that power imbalance in the SCO. Russia, China, India and Iran, the four major countries, each has its own strength and contribution to the institution. None can claim to be overwhelming or dominating. Decision-making is, and has to be, based on negotiation and consensus-building. That means, all the differences have to be respected. Sergei Vergeichik, an analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, said that he finds "the attractiveness of the SCO lies in its principle, which ensures equality among all member states. Therefore, all members are equal."

What the members have chosen is an organization that's strongly Eurasia-centered, whose strength could be directed in response to the needs of the time. The SCO charter states that the goals of the organization are "to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness between the Member States" and "to jointly ensure and maintain peace, security and stability in the region." The "region" is clearly defined by the borders of the participants. Other than the nine member states, the three observer states – Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia are all hinterlands of the Eurasia continent.

And it makes perfect sense that the SCO is region-focused. It was born out of border negotiations between China, Russia and three central Asian countries. Then, in its first summit in 2001, it passed the Shanghai Convention against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism. It made combating the three a fundamental mission of the organization even before the West became overwhelmed by these elements. Sourabh Gupta, the senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, described it as "a kind of a defensive mechanism to ensure that these did not radiate and spill across borders."

Peace and stability make up the core mission of the SCO. But, as we are also seeing, the organization is adopting more and more cooperation mechanisms in other areas. The SCO Economic Development Strategy for the period until 2030 was adopted in 2023. It provides a specific plan for deepening cooperation in trade and investment, connectivity, scientific and technological innovation, energy, agriculture and other areas. To enhance cultural exchange and education, China is providing SCO member states with 1,000 International Chinese Language Teacher Scholarships, offering 3,000 "Chinese Bridge" summer camp opportunities and inviting 100 young scientists to China for scientific research exchanges. And with nearly half of the world's population in hand, the SCO members have affirmed their shared determination to tackle climate change and are calling for a "balance" between reducing carbon emissions and allowing poorer states to catch up with economically developed countries.

So, this is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a Eurasia-centered regional organization, with security and stability as its core mission, branching out as a platform for cooperation across more areas. It's not intended to be a challenge to anything in the West. It's just different. And that's it.

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