Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Inititated and established by six countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as the first intergovernmental international organization, explicitly established with the main task of opposing and cracking down on the three forces (namely, international terrorism, national separatism and religious extremism).

On June 15, 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), formerly known as the “Shanghai five” meeting mechanism, was established in Shanghai. This mechanism began with the meeting of the heads of state of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan held in Shanghai on April 26, 1996.

At the time of its establishment, there were only six member states, including Uzbekistan in addition to the “Shanghai five”. After that, Pakistan and India were added, bringing the number of member states to eight; four observer States: Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Belarus; six dialogue partners: Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal; three guests: Turkmenistan, CIS (Russia) ASEAN and United Nations.

The total area of the full member states is 301.89 million square kilometers, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly 40% of the human population, which is about 2.7 billion.

So far, the SCO has completed the task of mechanisms building and established a relatively perfect institutional system covering different levels and involving many fields, which has laid a solid foundation for its own functions and roles. The main mechanisms are regular meetings of heads of State, Prime Minister, Attorney General, Secretary of Security Council, Foreign Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of economy and Trade, Minister of Culture, Minister of Transport, leaders of emergency relief departments, national coordinators, etc. The organization has two permanent institutions, namely the secretariat in Beijing and the counter-terrorism center in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The working languages of the organization are Chinese and Russian.

The purposes and tasks of the SCO are mainly to strengthen mutual trust and good-neighborliness among its member states, to maintain and strengthen regional peace, security and stability, and to jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as drug smuggling, illegal arms trafficking and other transnational crimes. Carry out cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, environmental protection, culture, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, finance, etc., promote the comprehensive and balanced development of regional economy, society and culture, and promote the establishment of a democratic, just and rational new international political and economic order. The main principles followed by the SCO are: abiding by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations; mutual respect for independence; sovereignty and territorial integrity;non-interference in each other's internal affairs;non-use or threat of or actual use of force; equality of all member states; equality and mutual benefit, and settlement of all problems through mutual consultation.

Since its establishment more than 10 years ago, the organization has followed the “Shanghai spirit” of “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for the diversity of civilizations and seeking common development” at home, and adhered to the principles of non-alignment, not targeting other countries and organizations and opening up to the outside world. Fruitful cooperation has been carried out among members at different levels. In terms of jointly cracking down on the three forces, it has achieved particularly remarkable results.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the first inter-governmental international organization initiated by China and whose headquarters is established in its territory. Its establishment marks a new historical stage in China's participation in international affairs, namely the stage of taking initiative to shape the international order and regional environment. It is an important effort by China to advocate internationally the abandonment of the Cold War mentality, the establishment of a new security concept and the creation of a stable, just and rational new international order, and it is also of great significance for the improvement of China's neighbourhood environment and the maintenance of its national security.