TOPIC

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defence organisation formed in 2001 by China and Russia as a successor to the Shanghai Five, which was formed in 1996 between the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. As well as China and Russia, current members also include Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The organisation also has several dialgoue partners, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Cambodia. The SCO is headquartered in Beijing, and its supreme decision-making body, the Heads of State Council (HSC), meets once a year.

US, Israel war on Iran

Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says

China’s Middle East position ‘relatively favourable’, professor says, and regional spillover from US-Israeli attacks likely to be limited to Tehran’s Shia militia allies.

6 hours agovideocam

Brics

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

14 Jan 2026 - 11:57PMvideocam

China-Russia relations

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

8 Dec 2025 - 11:41AM

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

28 Nov 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

India

Opinion | How India and the US can find their way back to better relations

This year has revealed the need for personality-driven diplomacy to be anchored by steadier institutional ballast.

13 Nov 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | China is supporting multilateralism one institution at a time

With a new organisation to promote mediation, among other global bodies, China is signalling its enthusiasm to get more involved in world governance.

26 Oct 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Pedestrians take pictures of the International Organisation for Mediation’s Hong Kong headquarters, in Wan Chai, on May 30. Photo: Dickson Lee

India

Opinion | Why India is hedging its bets on another China charm offensive

As Washington pushes New Delhi closer to Beijing, both Asian powers must exercise strategic patience for an effective detente.

13 Oct 2025 - 5:30AM

China trade

Kazakhstan seeks investment to become ‘transit hub’ for China-Europe trade

Deputy trade minister Asset Nussupov says obstacles need to be cleared for ‘Middle Corridor’ trade route to flourish.

9 Oct 2025 - 9:00PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | What China seeks to achieve with the Global Governance Initiative

The initiative does not seek to create an alternative system. Rather, it aims to strengthen the mechanisms of the current global order.

25 Sep 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | Focusing on pageantry, the West misses the point of China’s diplomacy

The West must realise the real contest is not about pageantry but which power can create space for others to feel secure, dignified, heard.

19 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh hold a trilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 2. Photo: Xinhua

US-China relations

As the US retreats, can Xi’s new initiative shape the future world order?

Analysts say the GGI reflects China’s ambitions to shape a multipolar world, but it needs more substance to avoid becoming an ‘empty shell’.

17 Sep 2025 - 12:20AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s moment to rewire the world is arriving. What will it do?

For the first time since the Cold War, the world is between orders and the momentum is with Beijing as geopolitical winds shift eastward.

16 Sep 2025 - 6:30AMvideocam

Archaeology and palaeontology

Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.

15 Sep 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Tourism is booming in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, with visitors from China drawn to the “crossroads of civilisation”. Photo: EPA

Laos

Laos embraces China, Russia-led SCO amid frustration with Asean

Laos is the third Southeast Asian nation to partner with the SCO, in a move that analysts say could erode Asean’s collective credibility.

14 Sep 2025 - 8:00AM

Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith arrives for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Opinion | China-led SCO is a critical salve for the ailments of the global order

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation does not seek to replace the UN but amid UN paralysis, regional multilateralism can help sustain global order.

12 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The EU could have shown up to confront Putin and engage on Ukraine. China could have chosen true leadership over coalitions of convenience.

11 Sep 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Editorial | Brics is looking for resilience, not an open clash with the US

It would be a mistake to discount Brics summits, where the aim is long-term strength amid global instability and geopolitical tensions.

10 Sep 2025 - 7:15AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses a virtual Brics Summit on September 8. Photo: Xinhua

China's military weapons

Where’s Labubu? Peek into Putin’s hotel reveals colourful China welcome

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asks about Labubu, the popular Chinese plush toy, according to video posted by state journalist.

9 Sep 2025 - 7:28PMvideocam

India

Letters | The China-India message from Tianjin: perpetual hostility is unsustainable

Readers discuss the Xi-Modi meeting, and restrictions on mobiles on the dashboards of Hong Kong taxis.

7 Sep 2025 - 11:30AM

Diplomacy

Opinion | In a summit full of symbolism, China lays out vision for multipolar order

The context of how Beijing sees its place in the evolving international system was conveyed in a subtle but unambiguous manner in Tianjin.

7 Sep 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

From the left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre in Tianjin on September 1. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Macroscope | Shanghai spirit for new world order needs to be matched by the West

SCO summit’s vision can’t be implemented without the requisite monetary and financial systems in place. The West must play a role if the world is not to fragment into blocs.

6 Sep 2025 - 4:30PMvideocam

Xi Jinping

Opinion | China’s multipolar ambition is making the US sit up and fire back

Through the SCO and Brics, China is building alternatives to Western-dominated financial and technological platforms.

6 Sep 2025 - 6:30AMvideocam

United States

Trump suggests India is moving towards ‘deepest, darkest’ China orbit

Aides warn that New Delhi could regret the move and might face new curbs.

8 Sep 2025 - 11:50AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Opinion | Solution to Ukraine war must be found in the UN, not the killing fields

A balanced assessment of peace and security on the basis of sovereign equality is needed – not unilateral sanctions and lethal weapons.

6 Sep 2025 - 7:00AMvideocam

China-Russia relations

China’s vision of multipolar order depends on yuan-based system: Oleg Deripaska

Russian billionaire and Putin associate says Beijing is taking a cautious tack on dedollarisation.

11 Sep 2025 - 10:08PMvideocam

Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska says Chinese banks are too dependent upon dollar assets, and “scared to death to take any risk”. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s vision of ‘true multilateralism’ resonates with Muslim world

The age of uncontested US primacy is fading and a new chapter in global politics is being written.

5 Sep 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

China’s military drills

Xi’s diplomatic blitz casts new light on China’s foreign policy

Chinese president’s meetings this week with several key leaders highlight Beijing’s shifting overseas priorities.

4 Sep 2025 - 5:23PMvideocam

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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says

China’s Middle East position ‘relatively favourable’, professor says, and regional spillover from US-Israeli attacks likely to be limited to Tehran’s Shia militia allies.

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

Opinion | How India and the US can find their way back to better relations

This year has revealed the need for personality-driven diplomacy to be anchored by steadier institutional ballast.

Opinion | China is supporting multilateralism one institution at a time

With a new organisation to promote mediation, among other global bodies, China is signalling its enthusiasm to get more involved in world governance.

Opinion | Why India is hedging its bets on another China charm offensive

As Washington pushes New Delhi closer to Beijing, both Asian powers must exercise strategic patience for an effective detente.

Kazakhstan seeks investment to become ‘transit hub’ for China-Europe trade

Deputy trade minister Asset Nussupov says obstacles need to be cleared for ‘Middle Corridor’ trade route to flourish.

Opinion | What China seeks to achieve with the Global Governance Initiative

The initiative does not seek to create an alternative system. Rather, it aims to strengthen the mechanisms of the current global order.

Opinion | Focusing on pageantry, the West misses the point of China’s diplomacy

The West must realise the real contest is not about pageantry but which power can create space for others to feel secure, dignified, heard.

As the US retreats, can Xi’s new initiative shape the future world order?

Analysts say the GGI reflects China’s ambitions to shape a multipolar world, but it needs more substance to avoid becoming an ‘empty shell’.

Opinion | China’s moment to rewire the world is arriving. What will it do?

For the first time since the Cold War, the world is between orders and the momentum is with Beijing as geopolitical winds shift eastward.

Central Asia beckons for China’s cultural tourists retracing ancient Silk Road

Beijing’s infrastructure programme and other partnership initiatives with the Central Asian republics have seen visitor numbers soar.

Laos embraces China, Russia-led SCO amid frustration with Asean

Laos is the third Southeast Asian nation to partner with the SCO, in a move that analysts say could erode Asean’s collective credibility.

Opinion | China-led SCO is a critical salve for the ailments of the global order

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation does not seek to replace the UN but amid UN paralysis, regional multilateralism can help sustain global order.

Opinion | For EU and China, Beijing parade was a missed chance to build bridges

The EU could have shown up to confront Putin and engage on Ukraine. China could have chosen true leadership over coalitions of convenience.

Editorial | Brics is looking for resilience, not an open clash with the US

It would be a mistake to discount Brics summits, where the aim is long-term strength amid global instability and geopolitical tensions.

Where’s Labubu? Peek into Putin’s hotel reveals colourful China welcome

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asks about Labubu, the popular Chinese plush toy, according to video posted by state journalist.

Letters | The China-India message from Tianjin: perpetual hostility is unsustainable

Readers discuss the Xi-Modi meeting, and restrictions on mobiles on the dashboards of Hong Kong taxis.

Opinion | In a summit full of symbolism, China lays out vision for multipolar order

The context of how Beijing sees its place in the evolving international system was conveyed in a subtle but unambiguous manner in Tianjin.

Macroscope | Shanghai spirit for new world order needs to be matched by the West

SCO summit’s vision can’t be implemented without the requisite monetary and financial systems in place. The West must play a role if the world is not to fragment into blocs.

Opinion | China’s multipolar ambition is making the US sit up and fire back

Through the SCO and Brics, China is building alternatives to Western-dominated financial and technological platforms.

Trump suggests India is moving towards ‘deepest, darkest’ China orbit

Aides warn that New Delhi could regret the move and might face new curbs.

Opinion | Solution to Ukraine war must be found in the UN, not the killing fields

A balanced assessment of peace and security on the basis of sovereign equality is needed – not unilateral sanctions and lethal weapons.

China’s vision of multipolar order depends on yuan-based system: Oleg Deripaska

Russian billionaire and Putin associate says Beijing is taking a cautious tack on dedollarisation.

Opinion | China’s vision of ‘true multilateralism’ resonates with Muslim world

The age of uncontested US primacy is fading and a new chapter in global politics is being written.

Xi’s diplomatic blitz casts new light on China’s foreign policy

Chinese president’s meetings this week with several key leaders highlight Beijing’s shifting overseas priorities.

Open Questions | Iran war’s impact on China limited, scholar Pan Guang says

Opinion | Despite their strong ties, Russia and China are emotional opposites