The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), established in 2001, prioritizes security and economic cooperation with a focus on combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism. A central component of the SCO’s counterterrorism strategy is the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), a mechanism that facilitates collaboration and intelligence sharing among member states. Key members like China and Pakistan play a significant role in advancing RATS’ objectives. Pakistan’s strategic location and involvement in major infrastructure initiatives, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), further enhance its importance within the SCO’s security framework. The CPEC, a critical element of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was highlighted by Chinese Premier Li Qiang as a demonstration project during his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The SCO, during its recent summit in Astana, reaffirmed its focus on counterterrorism, suggesting it will remain a priority in future summits, including the ongoing moot in Islamabad. Pakistan’s participation in this summit remains crucial, not only due to its geographic significance but also because of its partnership with China through CPEC. These projects, aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and economic cooperation, face security threats that necessitate a strong counterterrorism framework—a role the SCO’s mechanisms can effectively support.

The 23rd SCO summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 15 October, 2024, laid the groundwork of cooperation between member states. Attended by representatives from India, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the meeting stressed on the importance of safeguarding national sovereignty, mutual benefit, non-interference, and territorial independence amongst member states. The Heads of Delegation drew attention to enhancing friendly relations and collectively working towards eradicating terrorist activities. To that end, they reinforced the need for peaceful dialogue between member states. This is in-line with the initiative on World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony and Development. On such a basis, member states are aiming to promote a resolution to be adopted by the UN General Assembly. Moving forward, the Heads of Delegation plan on advancing cooperation in domains of critical importance such as economy, finance, trade, security, artificial intelligence, interconnectivity, and digitalisation. They underlined the gravity of strengthening efforts to resist protectionist trade policies that go against the fundamental tenets of the WTO.

Notably, navigating the intricacies of 21st century development includes acknowledging the challenges of energy sustainability and security. To this extent, the heads committed to develop renewable projects within the framework of the SCO’s 2030 energy goals. The importance of creating a blueprint for cooperation within the energy sphere was therefore highlighted. Member states also advocated for strategies to counter challenges posed by climate change and ensure environmental protection. The SCO Green Belt Program for 2023-2026 was planned as a multilateral collaboration to address these concerns.

As expected, plans to establish regional financial mechanisms that aid the development of projects were elaborated upon, including the SCO Development Fund and SCO Development Bank. This would not only enhance regional connectivity but also counter US-led Western hegemony over the international financial structure. In essence, member states were determined to increase regional dependency as opposed to international dependency in order to maximize the influence of the organization. Having said that, financial cooperation within SCO members was highlighted in order to limit reliance on Western currencies. Thus, member states underscored the need for integrated payment mechanisms as part of a larger initiative to boost investments in projects related to renewable energy.

Further, the Heads of Delegation showcased increasing support for China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, acknowledging efforts on the project’s collective implementation. This also includes initiatives to connect OBOR and Eurasian Economic Union.

Moreover, member states illustrated the organization’s focus on enhancing multilateral economic potential by zeroing in on investment in advanced technologies and green development. Evidently, their primary goal is to eradicate the digital discrepancies that divide the region as far as resources are concerned. This was discussed in tandem with surmounting poverty entirely, taking into consideration the Special Working Group framework. Additionally, the state representatives also advocated for the establishment of startups to augment competitiveness between member states. Finally, discussions on increasing the 2025 budget and Belarus’ ascension to the organization were conducted. Following a successful meeting, the next summit is to be held in Russia in 2025.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization provided an institutional framework where the member countries contributed to collective efforts, such as sustainable development, economic cooperation, cultural exchange and ecological collaboration. The continued relevance of the SCO underscores the significance of regional organizations in world politics. Such institutions offer states the opportunity to forge alliances, enhance security cooperation, and collectively address regional threats. The 23rd SCO summit reaffirmed the organization’s objectives, including territorial integrity, regional cooperation, and economic development.

Nonetheless, regional terrorism is a key issue that the SCO needs to tackle in a more comprehensive manner collectively in order to process commercially and culturally. To this end, the SCO needs to address structural causes of terrorism, including extreme poverty, lack of education, and violent extremism. In light of the recent attack on two Chinese convoys in Karachi just a week before the summit meeting, the urgency of the matter is quite clear. A comprehensive, collective strategy is thus necessary to tackle these challenges meaningfully. Economic cooperation is bound to be jeopardized if security of member states is not adequately managed. As part of a grand strategy to counter terrorism and promote collective wellbeing, the SCO future summits should emphasize enhancing intelligence sharing, coordinating military operations through joint counterinsurgency training, and promoting resource sharing to bridge technological and operational gaps among the member states. Investing in these areas would allow the SCO to develop more robust and sustainable counterterrorism strategies.

Last but not the least, the effectiveness of the SCO’s counterterrorism and regional security efforts hinges on its ability to foster collaboration among its diverse member states. If the root causes of terrorism are addressed collectively, the broader region, that includes China and Russia, is likely to experience enhanced security, economic, cultural and ecological cooperation. Durable peace and security in South and Central Asia is necessary for the sustainability, projection and expansion  of the Belt and Road Initiative as well. It is, therefore, crucial for the SCO to strengthen its institutional mechanisms, foster meaningful cooperation, and adopt a comprehensive approach to counterterrorism that addresses not only security but also socioeconomic challenges in an effective manner.

Dr. Ejaz Hussain is an Invited Researcher at the Fudan Development Institute, Fudan University, and an Associate Professor at the Lahore School of Economics. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Heidelberg University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Hussain has published extensively on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He can be contacted at ejaz_hussain@outlook.com.

Sofia Najeeb is a senior-year student at the Lahore School of Economics, pursuing a BS degree in Political Science. She also works as a research assistant.

* This article represents the personal views of the authors only.