Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) — Members, RATS & UPSC Notes (UPSC International Relations)
UPSC guide to SCO: origin, members, RATS, India's presidency 2023, Astana Summit 2024, Iran and Belarus inclusion, challenges and India's position.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, security and economic bloc covering roughly 40% of world population, over 30% of world GDP, and the vast landmass from the Arctic Circle to the Indian Ocean. For UPSC GS-II, SCO questions combine neighbourhood diplomacy, connectivity, counter-terrorism and India’s strategic autonomy across Eurasia.
Origin and evolution
- 1996: The "Shanghai Five" — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan — formed to resolve post-Soviet border issues.
- 2001: Uzbekistan joined; the group was formally reconstituted as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Charter adopted in 2002 at the St Petersburg Summit.
- 2017 Astana Summit: India and Pakistan became full members.
- 2023 New Delhi Summit: Iran became the ninth member.
- 2024 Astana Summit: Belarus became the tenth member.
Membership structure
| Category | Members |
|---|---|
| Full members (10) | China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus |
| Observers | Afghanistan, Mongolia |
| Dialogue partners | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, UAE |
Institutional architecture
- Headquarters: Beijing (Secretariat).
- Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS): Tashkent — the SCO's principal counter-terror body.
- SCO Business Council, Interbank Consortium, Energy Club, Universities Network.
- Rotating annual presidency; Council of Heads of State (CHS) as apex body.
Official pillars
SCO cooperation traditionally rests on the "Three Evils" framework — combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. Over time the agenda has expanded to:
- Security (counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, drug trafficking, transnational crime).
- Economic cooperation (trade, finance, connectivity).
- Energy and environment.
- Cultural and people-to-people ties.
Significance for members
- China uses SCO to project Eurasian leadership and cement Central Asian access, complementing BRI.
- Russia sees SCO as a non-Western platform after Ukraine-era isolation.
- Central Asian states balance dependence on Russia and China through SCO multilateralism.
- Pakistan gains a diplomatic stage after FATF-era isolation.
- Iran, Belarus — anti-Western positioning; sanctions workaround.
- India — leverages SCO for counter-terror optics, Central Asia connectivity, and preserving strategic autonomy.
India's SCO journey
- Observer since 2005; full member since 2017.
- India chaired SCO in 2023 and hosted the summit (virtually) in July 2023.
- India participates in SCO-RATS, counter-terror exercises (Peace Mission), and SCO Business Council.
- India is the only SCO member not to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative in SCO joint declarations — consistently citing sovereignty concerns over CPEC through PoK.
2023 New Delhi SCO Summit (Indian presidency)
- Held virtually in July 2023 (rescheduled given global disruptions).
- Theme: "SECURE SCO" — Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty, Environment.
- Iran formally inducted as 9th member.
- India refused to endorse BRI; joint statement carried a footnote.
- New Delhi emphasised counter-terrorism, digital public infrastructure, traditional medicine, and millets.
2024 Astana Summit
- Held in July 2024 under Kazakhstan's chairmanship.
- Belarus admitted as 10th member.
- Declaration reinforced multipolarity, criticised unilateral sanctions and endorsed dedollarisation of intra-SCO trade.
- India was represented by External Affairs Minister, not PM — seen as signalling dissatisfaction with SCO-BRI alignment.
- Xi-Putin-Modi triangle was closely watched; Modi's July 2024 Moscow visit preceded the summit.
Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)
RATS, based in Tashkent, is SCO's main counter-terror instrument. It facilitates:
- A shared database of terrorists, terrorist organisations and financing networks.
- Coordinated operations and information exchange.
- Joint exercises — Peace Mission series.
India engages RATS to flag Pakistan-origin terror groups (Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed) even though Pakistan is a fellow member — making SCO a rare forum where India can press Pakistan on terrorism at a multilateral level.
India's strategic interests
- Counter-terror optics — putting Pakistan on the record in SCO declarations.
- Central Asia connectivity — Chabahar port, INSTC, access to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan.
- Energy security — oil, gas, uranium from Central Asia.
- Multi-alignment — SCO balances Quad and IPEF in India's foreign-policy portfolio.
- Afghanistan — a platform to engage Taliban-era Afghanistan on security.
Concerns and limitations
China-Russia condominium
- The two shape SCO's direction; India's priorities (connectivity, terror, BRI) often get sidelined.
BRI endorsement pressure
- India's refusal to endorse BRI makes SCO declarations procedurally awkward.
Pakistan membership
- India-Pakistan tensions complicate consensus. Pakistan's rhetorical attacks at SCO platforms (e.g. 2024 SCO CHG meeting hosted in Islamabad) and India's counter — the first EAM visit to Pakistan since 2015 — tested the framework.
Anti-Western drift
- With Iran and Belarus added, SCO increasingly reads as an anti-Western bloc. India's multi-alignment posture is tested by this drift.
Dilution
- As membership expands, SCO risks becoming a declaratory forum with limited operational depth — mirroring BRICS's challenge.
SCO vs other multilaterals
| Feature | NATO | CSTO | SCO | Quad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature | Defence alliance | Defence alliance | Political-security forum | Plurilateral coalition |
| Collective defence | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Members | 32 | 6 | 10 | 4 |
| Lead | US | Russia | China + Russia | US-led |
| India | — | — | Full member | Full member |
Latest developments (2024-26)
- July 2024: Belarus joins as 10th full member at the Astana Summit.
- Oct 2024: EAM S. Jaishankar attended SCO CHG (Heads of Government) in Islamabad — first such India visit since 2015, signalling SCO's relevance even during bilateral chill.
- Kazan BRICS Summit (Oct 2024): Modi-Xi bilateral, signalling a thaw that affects SCO dynamics.
- Russia-Ukraine war: SCO has not condemned Russia; Central Asian members walk a diplomatic tightrope.
- Israel-Hamas war and Jan 2025 Gaza ceasefire: Iran's presence pushed sharper language on Palestine at SCO meetings.
- Red Sea / Houthi crisis: Iran, as an SCO member, is central to the crisis; awkward for collective SCO positions on freedom of navigation.
- AI Summit Paris (Feb 2025): SCO members participated; China and Russia pushed state-sovereign AI governance frameworks.
- G20 Rio (Nov 2024): SCO members' positions aligned with Global South agenda.
- India-Maldives reset (Oct 2024): Maldives is an SCO dialogue partner — India leveraging multiple platforms.
- Trump 2.0 (Jan 2025): More transactional US posture could accelerate SCO's anti-sanctions coordination.
Way forward for India in SCO
- Stay and shape — exiting would be a strategic error; engagement preserves influence.
- Leverage RATS for counter-terror signalling.
- Push Central Asia connectivity via INSTC, Chabahar, and specific project proposals.
- Use SCO for diplomatic bandwidth with Russia and Iran, while preserving Quad and IPEF engagement.
- Maintain the line on BRI — continue refusing endorsement while engaging on other pillars.
UPSC Relevance
GS-II: "Bilateral, regional and global groupings involving India; India and its neighbourhood."
Probable questions
- Examine the relevance of the SCO to India's foreign policy in an era of strategic autonomy. (15 marks)
- What are the benefits and trade-offs of India's SCO membership alongside its Quad role? (15 marks)
- Evaluate RATS and SCO's counter-terror cooperation from an Indian perspective. (10 marks)
Prelims trigger words — Shanghai Five, Three Evils, RATS (Tashkent), Peace Mission exercises, CSTO, Astana Summit 2024, Belarus membership, CPEC, BRI.
For India, SCO is not about choosing sides. It is about keeping the Eurasian door open — to energy, connectivity and counter-terrorism — while the Indo-Pacific and Global South tracks run in parallel.