What Are the Highlights of the SCO Qingdao Summit?

By Liang Yingchao

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold its eighteenth Council of Heads of State in Qingdao, China on June 9, 2018.

Over the past 17 years, the SCO has grown from an organization only dealing with border issues into an international platform for political communication and economic cooperation.

Here are the highlights of the upcoming SCO Qingdao Summit worthy of attention.

Achievements of Security Cooperation Remain the Highlight This Year

Since the establishment of the SCO, there has been remarkable progress in security cooperation among its member states. They have coordinated closely with each other in fighting against three forces–religious extremism, regional separatism, and international terrorism, and their efforts have contained the spread of these three forces. Leaders of SCO member states signed the Shanghai Convention against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism at the 2017 SCO Astana Summit, indicating their commitment to this battle.

In 2017, many countries suffered terrorist attacks, showing that they are becoming more frequent. Investigation and analysis shows that most of them are caused by or related to ISIS.

At the end of 2017, ISIS was defeated through a joint campaign involving Syria, Iran, Iraq and Russia. However, ISIS has not vanished completely. It still exercises influence. In the “post-ISIS” era, the SCO is still facing serious security threats. For example, many ISIS fighters have made their way to Afghanistan and Central Asia. ISIS promotes its extremism in Central Asia through the Internet, and recruits extremists to conduct attacks.

Facing these are huge challenges, it is worth of attention what documents involving security cooperation the SCO Qingdao Summit will adopt to secure a safer region.

Key Measures in Economic Cooperation

After taking office in January, 2017, US President Donald Trump adopted an economic policy with an obvious anti-globalization and protectionist slant. In August 2017 the United States launched a 301 anti-dumping investigation against China. In March 2018 the US released the 301 investigation report, detailing measures to restrain China’s development. The unilateralism and protectionism shown in American foreign economic policy have brought great uncertainties to the world economy.

Dealing with the world economic situation is a major challenge for all SCO member states. As some voices call for unilateralism and protectionism, economic cooperation between SCO members can help develop their economies, and set an example of multilateralism for to the world.

In Sept. 2013 President Xi Jinping proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt Initiative, which received a positive response from all SCO member states and led to a rapid acceleration of economic cooperation among SCO members.

In May 2015 Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin signed the Joint Declaration on Construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and Construction of the Eurasian Economic Union. At the SCO Ufa Summit held in Sept. 2015, the two leaders affirmed that the SCO will be an essential platform for construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and Eurasian Economic Union.

Since India and Pakistan joined the SCO in 2017, SCO has represented a larger economic aggregate, and its member states have enjoyed greater opportunities for economic cooperation.

During the Astana Economic Forum (AEF) on May 17 2018, Fu Ziying, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce and Trade Negotiator, and Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Eurasian Economic Commission, together with other member states in the Eurasian Economic Union, signed the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Eurasian Economic Community. This agreement signifies a major step forward in China-Russia cooperation on the Silk Road Economic Belt and Eurasian Economic Union. It is also fundamental to the forthcoming SCO Qingdao Summit.

Economic cooperation is a slight weakness of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Therefore, the SCO should seek out further potential for economic cooperation, and define detailed approaches for economic cooperation, among its member states.

SCO Free Trade Area

In early May, 2018, Qingdao was approved as SCO China’s first pilot zone for regional economic and trade cooperation. If the SCO Qingdao Summit can promote this pilot zone to other SCO member states, it will augur well for the future. Seven years ago, China put forward the idea of establishing an SCO free trade area, but his has not yet come to fruition. If the SCO Qingdao Summit can define a timetable or road map for an SCO free trade area, this will be a major highlight of this Summit.

Liang Yingchao, research assistant and post-doctor of China’s Frontier Research Institute in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Editor: Cai Hairuo

The article represents the author’s personal opinion which does not represent the China Focus’ stance.