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SCO’s Council of Heads of Government (CHG) Meeting

Posted on November 2, 2022 by admin1  758

In News

  • The 21st Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) was recently held in Nur-Sultan in virtual format under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan.

More about the news

  • About:
    • The SCO Heads of Government meet is held annually to focus on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation and approves the SCO’s annual budget. 
    • The SCO-CHG meeting was attended by SCO Member States, Observer States, the Secretary General of the SCO, the Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, Turkmenistan and other invited guests.
  • India’s stand:
    • India’s External Affairs Minister represented India in the meeting.
    • In his address, the minister underlined India’s strong cultural and historical connect with the SCO region. 
    • He reiterated India’s firm commitment towards deepening multilateral cooperation in the areas of 
      • Food and energy security, 
      • Climate change, 
      • Trade and culture. 
    • He spoke about the launch of the global Mission ‘LIFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment) and its relevance to ensuring food and energy security.
  • India on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI):
    • The Indian minister reiterated that the Connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and respect international law. 
      • This was said in a reference to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  • Trade with SCO:
    • As stated by the Indian Minister, India’s total trade with SCO Members is only $141 billion, which has the potential to increase manifold. 
    • Fair market access, according to him, is to our mutual benefit and only way to move forward.
      • The bulk of India’s trade with SCO countries is with China, which crossed $100 billion this year, 
      • Trade with Russia is less than $20 billion. 
      • Trade with Central Asian countries is less than $2 billion, and 
      • With Pakistan it is about $500 million.
  • India as Chairperson of the SCO:
    • India has taken over as Chairperson of the SCO, and will host leaders of all SCO countries, including China and Pakistan, at a summit in Delhi expected in mid-2023.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):

  • About:
    • It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation of Eurasian Nations with a secretariat in Beijing.
      • Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. 
  • Aim:
    • It is a political, economic and military organisation that aims at maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.
  • Origin: Journey from Shanghai Five to SCO 
    • Shanghai Five emerged in 1996 from a series of border demarcation and demilitarization talks between 4 former USSR republics and China.
    • Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
    • With the accession of Uzbekistan to the group in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.
    • The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and entered into force in 2003.
  • Inclusion of India & Pakistan:
    • India and Pakistan both were initially observer states.
    • Both were given full membership in 2017.
  • Iran and Belarus:
    • 2021 SCO summit in Dushanbe agreed for Iran to join in SCO. 
    • Belarus has also begun the membership process for SCO.

Member states

Observer States

Dialogue Partners

Kazakhstan

China

Kyrgyzstan

Russia

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

India

Pakistan

Iran

Afghanistan

Belarus

Iran

Mongolia

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Cambodia

Nepal

Turkey

Sri Lanka

Significance of SCO for India

  • India’s upcoming Presidency:
    • India will take over the SCO Presidency in 2023.
    • India will also host the upcoming SCO Summit in 2023, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 
  • Security:
    • RATS can help India to improve its counterterrorism abilities by working toward intelligence sharing, law enforcement and developing best practices and technologies.
    • Through the SCO, India can also work on anti-drug trafficking and small arms proliferation.
  • Regional Integration:
    • SCO can help in achieving regional integration and promote connectivity and stability across borders.
    • Further, it also helps India to have a multilateral talk with friends like Russia and adversaries like China and Pakistan.
  • Geopolitical Advantage:
    • Central Asia is a part of India’s Extended Neighbourhood.
    • And SCO provides India with an opportunity to pursue the “Connect Central Asian Policy”.
    • It will also help India to check on the ever-growing influence of China in Eurasia.

China’s Belt and Road initiative:

  • China began the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 under its President Xi Jinping. 
  • It aims to revive the ancient trade routes crossing to and from China–from Rome in Europe to East Asia.
  • Criticisms:
    • China was criticised in the West and by some other countries for providing unsustainable debts to countries that will be unable to repay them. 
    • 2019 World Bank report:
      • According to the report, among the 43 corridor economies for which detailed data was available, 12 could face a situation where debts were not sustainable, which could lead to public assets being handed over to foreign contractors or China itself.
    • India’s stand:
      • India opposed the BRI as it included the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which connected Kashgar in China with the Gwadar port in Pakistan via Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Source: TH

 
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