The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has expanded to nine members with Iran and Belarus joining recently. Examine its relevance for India’s Eurasian strategy, with reference to the SCO Tianjin Summit (2025).

Introduction: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, evolved from the Shanghai Five (1996), is a nine-member Eurasian bloc — China, Russia, four Central Asian Republics, India (2017), Pakistan (2017), Iran (2023) and Belarus (2024) — anchoring India's Eurasian strategy.

Body: Three dimensions evaluate relevance. First, Tianjin Summit (31 August-1 September 2025) — Prime Minister Modi attended; the Tianjin Declaration covered terrorism, artificial intelligence and energy; India did not endorse the Belt and Road paragraph, sustaining its standing position. Second, counter-terrorism — the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS, Tashkent) provides intelligence sharing; India hosted the SCO Council of Heads of Government 2023 virtually after the Goa Foreign Ministers' meeting. Third, limits — China-Russia dominance, Pakistan-India bilateral friction over cross-border terror, and the absence of trade and investment deliverables cap SCO's economic role.

Conclusion: Use SCO for Central Asia connectivity (INSTC, Chabahar, Ashgabat Agreement) and counter-terror intelligence via RATS, refuse BRI endorsements and preserve issue-based engagement with Russia and Iran.