MANIFESTLY, the successful hosting of the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has decisively tilted the regional geometry, geopolitics, and geo-economics in favour of Pakistan. The country has emerged as a connecting hub for economic cooperation, trans-regional connectivity, and socio-economic integration. Furthermore, it serves as a centre for meaningful diplomatic and political consultations aimed at addressing emerging issues related to security, terrorism, poverty eradication and job creation. The recent SCO summit has become a big diplomatic victory of Pakistan. The rigorous participation of India, visit of the Chinese Premier Li, the largest business delegation from Russia, wholehearted engagements of the Central Asian Prime Ministers and, above all, Pakistan’s systematic persuasion to realize the member countries and global power brokers about Afghanistan’s constant support to regional terrorism and sanctuaries has indeed boosted Pakistan’s confidence to fight against anti-human and anti-development elements in the region and beyond.
It augurs well that Pakistan has succeeded in convincing the member countries to move beyond cosmetic statements and stereotype pledges and signing of meaningful MOUs and the joint declaration covering core issues of the SCO’s budget, the operations of its Secretariat and regional counterterrorism efforts, security, trade and economic development. The summit, chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also saw member states reaffirm their dedication to promoting regional peace, political stability and socio-economic cooperation. In addition, the leaders recognised the need for enhanced cooperation in science, technology, digital economy and information security.
The advocacy for the right of peoples to independently and democratically choose their political, social and economic development—emphasizing mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, equality, mutual benefit, non-interference and the non-use of force—forms the basis for sustainable international relations. This is one of the main outcomes of the recently concluded SCO summit in Islamabad. Their commitment to promoting diplomacy, dialogue and development reflects a firm belief in peaceful conflict resolution, constructive foreign policy and support for a new economic charter of cooperation among member countries. Furthermore, the joint declaration’s emphasis on proposing a UN General Assembly Resolution in connection with the SCO Initiative “On World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony, and Development” is significant in countering false propaganda that portrays the SCO as a military group which is entirely untrue.
The confirmation of initiatives to promote interaction in building a new type of international relations in the spirit of mutual respect, justice, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as the formation of a common vision of the idea of creating a community of common destiny of mankind and the development of dialogue on the idea of “One Earth. One Family. One Future” showcases holistic and comprehensive spirits of the SCO and shades of the Chinese wisdom of international cooperation, economic globalization, transparency, openness and above all global shared prosperity for all. The joint persuasion of further develop cooperation in the spheres of politics and security, trade, economy, finance and investment, and cultural and humanitarian ties in order to build a peaceful, safe, prosperous and ecologically clean planet Earth to achieve harmonious coexistence of man and nature is a remarkable development moving all the member countries towards a true multiculturalism and new system of economic cooperation and investments.
It is a positive sign that the joint declaration highlights the strategic importance of information technology, digitalization, artificial intelligence, virtual/digital assets, and e-commerce. The member states expressed concern over challenges that have reduced investment flows, disrupted supply chains, and created uncertainty in global financial markets due to protectionist measures and other trade impediments. Addressing these protectionist trade measures contrary to WTO rules, while strengthening a non-discriminatory, open, equitable, inclusive, and transparent multilateral trading system, is a crucial step forward. Their support for multilateral trading systems and facilitation of global sustainable development reflect the SCO’s commitment to achieving regional economic recovery and global economic revival.
In summary the author suggest that the SCO should comprehensively activate scope, utility, functionality and importance of the RATS i.e. Regional Anti-Terrorism System among all the member countries guaranteeing regional peace, stability, harmony and development. There should be full-fledged SCO Information Bank promoting projects of information technology, Artificial Intelligence, digitalization and ICT among all the member countries in the days to come. The formation of a SCO Bank is the need of hour consolidating potential of achieving the desired goals of qualitative industrialization, science & space cooperation, and the last but not least, inching towards new emerging technologies i.e. EVs, lithium batteries, AI in all the member countries.
The building of a prosperous SCO through qualitative human capital, growth of SMEs, MSMEs, disaster management, crisis management, swapping of local currencies, banking & financial integration and above all SCO Climate Change Bank would be value addition further strengthening the Shanghai Cooperation Spirits. The formation of a SCO Energy Bank with its own Energy Charter Treaty would promote energy security mechanisms in all the member countries. The institutionalization of the SCO Hybrid Agriculture Bank would gear real agricultural potential of all the member countries in the days to come.
The policy makers of the SCO should consider polling of the member countries’ seaports, strategic railways and integrated transport system to further accelerate regional trade, commerce, investment, and joint ventures in the days to come. The Gwadar Seaport, Gwadar Airport and Karachi dry port are ready to facilitate all the member countries in this regard. The inauguration of CPEC Phase-2 will hopefully facilitate all the member countries in terms of regional connectivity, productivity and meaningful participation. The SCO main Secretariat badly needs experts of international marketing, international communications, conflict resolution, applied economists, experts of allied social growth and community development and above all experts of international law to safeguard the vested interests of the SCO mainly regional peace, stability, harmony, development, regional connectivity, and services of humanity.
—The writer is President, Pak-China Corridor of Knowledge, Executive Director, CSAIS, regional expert: China, CPEC & BRI.
(mehmoodulhassankhan@yahoo.com)
