Relevance:
Recently, China hosted a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government.
Key highlights:
- India did not affirm to the joint communique supporting the “Belt and Road initiative (BRI)” of China.
- India pitched for more trade through Iran’s Chabahar port and International North South Transport Corridors (INSTC).
- Trade and connectivity –
- Total trade value of its member states increased from $667 billion in 2001 to $6 trillion in 2020.
- India’s total trade with SCO Members is only $141 billion.
- Bulk of India’s trade with SCO countries is with China ($100 billion) this year.
- With central Asia, trade is less than $2 billion.
About SCO:
- HQ – Beijing
- It is a permanent intergovernmental political, economic, and military organization founded in Shanghai in 2001.
- Genesis – Shanghai Five (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan) – 1996
- Current Members – Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
- SCO summit in Dushanbe (2021) agreed for Iran to join and Belarushas also begun the membership process.
- Chairmanship – Rotation for a year by Member States (India for year 2023)
- Official Languages – Russian and Chinese
- Permanent Bodies –
- SCO Secretariat (Beijing)
- Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) (Tashkent)
Read more about SCO
Knowledge Booster:
- INSTC is a 7,200-km multi-modal transport corridor that combines road, rail and maritime routes connecting Russia and India via Central Asia and Iran.
- BRI is an ambitious project that focuses on connectivity and cooperation among multiple countries spread across the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Reference: The Hindu
