Why in the News?

The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025, held in Tianjin, China.  

More on the News 

• The Summit concluded with the adoption of the Tianjin Declaration.
• SCO Chairmanship for 2025–2026 Passed to the Kyrgyz Republic.
• SCO Members also adopted the SCO Development Strategy until 2035.
• Merger of dialogue partners and observers has been done into a new category i.e. SCO partner countries.
• Laos has been admitted as a partner country; SCO now has 27 countries (10 members + 17 partners).
• SCO was granted Observer status with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Key Outcomes of the SCO Summit

• Security & Counter-Terrorism
  • Condemnation of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.
    • Inclusion of Pahalgam is strategic victory in the context of China's historical tendency to leverage its influence in international fora to shield Pakistan from criticism.
  • Emphasis on adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) proposed by India.
    • CCIT is a proposed UN treaty initiated by India in 1996 that aims to provide a universal legal framework to criminalize and suppress all forms of terrorism.
  • Agreement on establishing an SCO Anti-Drug Centre and a Universal Center for Countering Security Threats.
• Global Governance & Trade
  • Endorsement of Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by China.
    • Initiative advocates true multilateralism, based on sovereign equality, respect for international law and broad-based consultation moving beyond an era dominated by Western powers.
  • Steps toward establishing an SCO Export Credit and Investment Mechanism and SCO Development Bank.
    • SCO Development Bank aims to fund infrastructure and development projects across the bloc; it also aims to offer Eurasia a non-dollar, low-conditionality alternative to Western finance e.g. World Bank.
• Technological Cooperation
  • Permission for SCO members to use China's BeiDou navigation system (BDS).
    • BDS is a global satellite navigation system, providing Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services to users worldwide. It is an alternative to the US GPS.
• Other Key Outcomes:
  • Recognized India's global vision of "One Earth, One Family, One Future," reaffirming the country's leadership in promoting inclusive and sustainable development.
  • India proposed a Civilisation Dialogue Forum to enhance cultural diplomacy, people to people exchange and soft power.

Conclusion 

By advancing cooperation in security, technology, etc., the summit laid the groundwork for a more dynamic and effective SCO. It reflects members' shared commitment to uphold collective interests and adapt the organization to emerging global and regional challenges.