May22,2018:China鈥檚MinisterofPublicSecurityZhaoKezhi(right)andShanghaiCooperationOrganization(SCO)Secretary-GeneralRashidAlimovattendanewsconferenceafteraplenarymeetingoftheSCOsecuritysecretarysummitinBeijing,China.ReutersThe2018ShanghaiCooperationOrganization(SCO)summitwillbeheldinQingdao,acoastalcityinChina鈥檚easternShandongProvince,thisJune.Againstthebackdropofmajorchallengesintheinternationallandscape,thesummithasdrawnwideattentionbothathomeandabroadasthefirstofitskindsincetheorganizationexpandedlastyear,testifyingtotheglobalimportanceoftheSCOastheworld鈥檚largestregionalcooperationorganization.Securitycooperationisthecoremissionoftheorganization.WithIndiaandPakistannowadmittedtotheSCO,howshoulditsmemberstatesworktogethertostrengthensecuritycooperationandfightcross-borderterrorismthreateningthestabilityoftheSCOregion?ThefutureofSCOsecuritycooperationhasbecomeahottopicwithinandbeyondtheregion.
SecurityCooperationattheHeartoftheSCO
Officiallyfoundedin2001,theSCOoriginatedwithablocoffivecountries(China,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,RussiaandTajikistan)thatbecameknownastheShanghaiFiveaftertheirfirstmeetingin1996.Initially,theShanghaiFivefocusedondemarcationnegotiationsandestablishingmutualtrustmilitarilyintheborderareas.Since1998,thefocusofthegrouphasshiftedtomultilateralsecuritycooperationandeffortstomaintainregionalstability.Asthefivecountriesbegantoprioritizethefightagainstterrorism,separatismandextremism,theSCOwasgraduallyincubated.Theregionalcooperationorganizationhassincebeenhailedasaninnovativemodelforpost-ColdWarinternationalsecurity.
Overthepast17yearssinceitsinception,theSCOhasmadefruitfulachievementsandaccumulatedrichexperienceinsecuritycooperation.Theclose,effectivesecuritycooperationbetweenitsmemberstatesovertheyearslaidasolidfoundationfortheSCO.
TheShanghaiSpiritof鈥渕utualtrust,mutualbenefits,equality,consultation,respectfordiversecivilizationsandpursuitofshareddevelopment鈥漣sthecorevalueandguidelinesfortheSCOtocarryoutcooperationinmultipleareasincludingsecurity.UnliketheColdWarmentality,ittranscendsthecurseofzero-sumgamesbyeffectivelysolvingthe鈥減risoner鈥檚dilemma鈥漷hreateningSCOmemberstatesinsecuritycooperation.Bydoingso,theSCOhasintegratedregionalstabilitywiththenationalsecurityofeverymemberstateandrealizedwin-wincooperationandholisticsecurity,settingagoodexampleforbuildinganewsecurityconceptforthepost-ColdWarworld.
PeacefulsettlementofdisputesamongmemberstatesthroughnegotiationandconsultationisakeyfactordrivingtheeffectivesecuritycooperationoftheSCO.Historyhasshownthatissuesconcerningthecoreinterestsofneighboringcountriessuchasdemarcationandbordergarrisonscanbesettledbypeacefulmeansthroughequal-footedconsultation.Suchissuesremainmajorobstacleshinderingsecuritycooperation.
Adheringtotheprinciplethattheinterestsofallmembercoun-tries,bigorsmall,areequallyimportant,theSCOhaseffectivelycarriedoutmilitarycooperation,informationexchangeandjointdrillsaimingtocombatterrorism,separatismandextremism,realizingpositiveachievementsinsecuritycooperation.Regardingthefightagainstterrorism,separatismandextremism,SCOmemberstateshavedevelopedjointconceptsandtakenconcertedactiontomaketheirsecuritycooperationmorepragmaticandsafeguardthebroadersecurityoftheregion.TheSCOproperlybalancestherelationshipbetweensecurityanddevelopment.Actually,securityanddevelopmentarenotindependentfromeachother鈥攑ursuingonlyoneortheotherwillmakebothunsustainable.Overthepast17years,theSCOhasnotonlymaintainedregionalstabilityandguaranteedshareddevelopmentofallmembercountriesthroughsecuritycooperation,butalsopavedthewayforeliminatingsecurityrisksandforgingabeneficialcooperationmodelbasedoncommondevelopment.
SafeguardingRegionalStabilityandProsperity
Developmentwon鈥檛continueforlongwithoutsecurity.Pursuingdevelopmentwhileignoringpotentialriskswillleaveitunsustainable.ThestabilityandprosperityoftheSCOregionovertheyearscouldnothavebeenachievedwithoutlong-term,effectivesecuritycooperationamongrelevantcountries.Datahasshownthatwars,terrorism,separatismandextremismradicallyundermineandhinderdevelopment.StrengtheningsecuritycooperationtosafeguardthedevelopmentoftheSCOregionisataskthatrequireslong-term,jointeffortsofallSCOmemberstates.
Overtheyears,theeffectivesecuritycooperationamongSCOmemberstateshasmaintainedtheoverallsecurityandstabilityoftheregion,createdasoundenvironmentfordomesticdevelopmentineveryrelevantcountry,guaranteedthesustainabilityofvariouseconomicactivitiesandhelpedfosterasenseofsecuritysoworkcanmoveforwardsmoothly.Moreover,theoverallsafeenvironmentoftheSCOregionprovidesafundamentalguaranteeforinternationaleco-nomiccooperation,tradeandinvestmentinandbeyondtheregion,thuseffectivelypromotingregionalprosperityanddevelopment.
TheSCOisundergoingchangeswithtime.Nevertheless,theroleofsecuritycooperationinpromotingregionalstabilityandprosperitywillonlybecomemorecrucial.EspeciallyaftertheadditionofIndiaandPakistan,theSCO鈥檚potentialforregionaleconomiccooperationhasgreatlyexpanded.Thealignmentofdevelopmentstrategiesofdifferentcountrieswillbecomeanimportantdriverforfuturedevelopmentoftheregion.Economicinteractioninandbeyondtheregionwillbecomemorefrequent,andpersonnelexchangewillseeasubstantialincrease.Atthesametime,securityriskswillgrowaccordingly.Therefore,theSCOwillfacegreaterfuturechallengesinbuildingasoundregionalenvironmentandcopingwiththethreatsofterrorism,separatismandextremism.ThemissionandgoverningregulationsoftheSCOsecuritycooperationmechanismwillcontinueexpanding.Forinstance,cooperationininformationsecuritywillbecomemoreandmoreimportant.
November28,2016:InfantryforcesfrommembercountriesoftheShanghaiCooperationOrganization(SCO)kickoffaseven-dayjointtrainingexerciseinKorlainChina鈥檚northwesternXinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion.Theexerciseaimedtoimprovecombatability,boostmilitarycommunicationandimprovetroops鈥檃bilitytodealwithsecuritythreats.XinhuaNewDayforSecurityCooperation
Inrecentyears,newproblemshaveemergedinsomeWesterncountries,whichhaveresultedinprofoundchangesininternationalandregionallandscapes.Isolationismandprotectionismareintensifying,andanti-globalizationsentimentandpopulismareontherise,causinganxietyoverinstabilityanduncertainty.Inthiscontext,thetraditionalregionalcooperationmodelisfacingnewchallenges.Meanwhile,someEasterncountriesrepresentedbyChinahavemaintainedsteadydevelopmentwhilestrivingtobuildacommunitywithasharedfutureformankindandamulti-polarworld.Inadditiontotheincreasinglycomplicatedinternationalsituation,theSCOalsofacesaseverethreatfrominternationalterrorism.Inparticular,Afghanistanhasbeenplaguedbyterrorism,separatismandextremism.Facingthesenewchallenges,theSCOisembarkingonanewjourneyinsecuritycooperation.
Bothlongplaguedbyterrorism,separatismandextremism,IndiaandPakistannaturallytooktheirconcernsonsuchproblemstotheSCOwhentheyjoinedtheorganization.SCOmemberstatesmaintaindifferentconceptsandpracticesinsecuritycooperation.TheShanghaiSpiritremainsthesolutiontobridgingdifferences.AsChineseForeignMinisterWangYisaid,thefundamentalreasonfortheSCO鈥檚developmentandgrowthisthatitsmemberstateshaveconsistentlyandfirmlyupheldtheShanghaiSpirit.SecuritycooperationisthefoundationfortheSCO鈥檚continualdevelopment,soitsmemberstatesmustfurtherconsolidatethefoundationundertheguidanceoftheShanghaiSpirit.
Withtheadditionofnewmembers,theSCOneedstoadjustitsexistingsecuritycooperationmechanismtoaddresschangesthroughconsultationtobettersafeguardtheoverallsecurityinterestsofallmemberstatesandguaranteetheeffectivenessofitscooperationmodel.NowthatIndiaandPakistanhavebeenadmittedtotheSCO,atotaloffouroftheorganization鈥檚memberstateshavenuclearweapons,soitisnecessaryforittoformulateplansandmechanismsconcerningnuclearsecuritycooperation.AndconsideringtheincreasingnumbersofmaritimepowersintheSCO,theorganizationmuststrengtheninstitutionalizationofmaritimesecuritycooperationandformulatenewcooperationplans.
AsthelargestcountryinSouthAsia,Indiahasambitionstobecomeagreatpowerwhilemaintainingacertainamountofindependencyandinfluenceintermsofinternationalsecuritycooperation.CoordinatingsecuritycooperationwithintheSCOwhileoptimizingtheorganization鈥檚influenceininternationalsecurityaffairsisamissionthatrequiresconcertedeffortsofallmemberstates,oldandnew,throughfriendlyconsultation.Inparticular,SCOmemberstatesneedtoworktogethertoexploresolutionstotheAfghanistanissue,acommonsecuritythreattoallofthem,whileavoidinginternalfrictioncausedbydifferentinterests,whichcouldpreventthemfromactingasaconsolidatedforce.WiththeAfghanistanissueasacentralfocus,theSCOshouldcontinuereinforcingitsregionalandglobalinfluenceinsecurity.
TheauthorisaprofessorandpresidentoftheInstituteofSCOStudiesatShanghaiUniversityofPoliticalScienceandLaw.
FromSeptember15to21,2016,the鈥淧eaceMission-2016鈥漥ointanti-terrorismmilitaryexerciseoftheShanghaiCooperationOrganization(SCO)washeldinKyrgyzstan,thefirstofitskindintheCentralAsiancountry.TheexerciseaimedtoimprovetrainingandcooperationofarmedforcesofSCOmemberstates.IC