SCO AND INDIA – INTERNATIONAL
News: PM
to host Xi, Putin, Sharif virtually for SCO summit
What's in the news?
● Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will "virtually host" Russian President
Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif and Central Asian Presidents as India chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's
Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS).
Important objectives of the SCO:
● Strengthening mutual
confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries.
● Promoting
effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology,
culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental
protection and other fields.
● Making
joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace,
security and stability in the region, moving towards the establishment of a
new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.
● SCO
pursues its internal policy based on the principles
of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the
diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development.
● SCO
pursues its external policy is conducted in accordance with the principles of
non-alignment, non-targeting anyone and openness.
Importance of SCO to India:
1. Central Asia relationship:
● SCO
allows India to deepen its strategic reach in Central Asia.
● India
already has substantial soft power
potential (Buddhist linkages, Bollywood movies etc.) in Central Asia, which it can exploit through
SCO.
● SCO
will help India fulfil its aspiration of playing an active role in its extended
neighbourhood as well as checking the ever-growing influence of China in
Eurasia marking it a geo-strategic significance.
2. Energy security:
● India’s
membership of SCO can boost energy security by providing access to mineral and
energy resources of the Central Asian countries.
● SCO
countries along with Iran, Azerbaijan & Turkmenistan hold some of the
largest oil (~25%) and natural gas
reserves (~50%) of the world.
● Kazakhstan
is the largest producer of Uranium.
Uzbekistan & Kyrgyzstan are important regional producers of Gold
● SCO
membership could help advance talks on construction of stalled pipelines like
TAPI & IPI.
3. Market for export:
● The
membership, with its emphasis in trade relations, provides an inroad for the
Indian investors to explore the untapped market potential in the Central Asian
region.
● For
example, FICCI hosted the SCO Business
Conclave.
4. Forum for bilateral talks:
● SCO
can provide a platform to discuss bilateral issues with Pakistan and China.
● SCO
provides a platform for strengthening Indo-China relations and resolving their
existing disputes. Russia had played a role in reducing tensions between them
after Galwan Valley clashes.
● Cooperation with Pakistan
- SCO can be seen as an opportunity for the India and Pakistan to cooperate on
issues of mutual interest without bringing in their bilateral disputes.
5. Combat terrorism:
● SCO
can play a pivotal role in combating
terrorism, extremism and radicalization through its RATS structure.
● The
new initiative of unification of all terrorist organization and terrorist will
be very useful for India.
● For
its terrorism combat exercise. For example, the Dushanbe declaration, aims towards regional stability.
6. Connectivity to Eurasia:
● India’s
presence in the SCO will help in India’s aim to link itself to the larger
Eurasian region, and to Europe via an INSTC. Thus, boosting connectivity in the
region.
● Strong
engagement with SCO is a great example of India's 'Multiple Engagement' foreign policy.
● Earlier
it was an organization of a particular region but now the addition of Iran has
added importance to this organization.
7. Drug trafficking:
● Most
of the members are located in between two drug trafficking regions, the Golden
Triangle and the Golden Crescent; this forum will be useful to combat drug
trafficking in the region.
8. Economic:
● With
SCO countries contributing almost 42% of the world population and 20% of the
GDP, the proposed FTA with Eurasian Economic Union can provide India with a
wider market base for its IT, telecommunications, banking, finance, and
pharmaceutical industries.
9. People-to-people Connectivity:
● With
cultural connection and shared history, it also has potential to boost the
tourism sector of the country (presently SCO countries constituted only 6% of
India’s total tourists).
Problems of India with SCO members:
1. Dominance of China:
● SCO
is a China dominated organization. Barring India, the Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) has been endorsed by all the members.
● Chinese
army's transgression in the northern border of India in Ladakh region.
● China's
one China policy and its recent military exercises in Taiwan strait is against
QUAD where India is a member.
● Pakistan
and China's Gwadar port is a main threat to India.
● China's
refusal of India's resolution to add Masjid Hussain in the world terrorist
list.
2. Controlling Pakistan Sponsored terrorism:
● China
has always condoned Pakistan’s link with terrorist activities in India. SCO may
not prove very effective in controlling Pakistan sponsored terrorism.
● India
blames Pakistan for cross-border terrorism into India, as well as in providing
shelter and safe haven to terror groups that have attacked Afghanistan,
including the Taliban itself.
3. Trust deficit:
● Growing
closeness of Russia and China adds to the difficulties that India faces due to
the China-Pakistan axis in the SCO.
● Other
member countries are also well disposed towards Pakistan. This puts India at
the risk of being isolated in the organization.
4. Lack of connectivity with Central Asia and beyond:
● A
major impediment in connectivity with Central Asia and Eurasia remains the
strategic denial of direct land connectivity between India and Afghanistan and
beyond by Pakistan.
5. Low Economic Footprint:
● India’s
bilateral trade with Central Asia stands at about $2 billion against over $50
billion of China’s.
6. Dominant Players:
● India’s
ability to assert itself would be limited and it may have to play second fiddle
since China and Russia are co-founders of SCO and its dominant powers.
7. Taliban issue:
● India
is not on the same page as most SCO countries when it comes to dealing with the
Taliban- shut down its embassy, and only engaging Taliban to ensure no
terrorism spillover.
8. Interests of India:
● To
strengthen its position within the organization, India may also have to either
dilute its growing partnership with the West or engage in a delicate balancing
act – as SCO has traditionally adopted an anti-Western posture.
● The
two important countries in the SCO Russia and China are having close relations
with Myanmar where the military took over the administration from the elected
government but QUAD had condemned the coup.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Improving Mutual Trust -
consistent efforts should be made by SCO to improve mutual trust among the
member states. India’s concerns over
violations of ‘sovereignty and territorial integrity’ must be adequately
addressed by China.
2. Revitalize connectivity projects
- The opening of Chabahar port and entry into the Ashgabat agreement should be
utilized for a stronger presence in Eurasia besides a clear focus on
operationalizing INSTC.
3. Maintain an independent voice
- India-Russia diplomatic relations and India’s cultural and historical connect
with the Asian Republics could be leveraged for promoting India’s interests in
the SCO.
4. Constructively engage Pakistan
- Recently Russia, at the request of India, has decided not to enter into an
arms relationship with Pakistan. India should mobilize opinion in the SCO to
ensure its connectivity projects to extended neighbours are unblocked by
Pakistan.
5. Play a constructive role
- India could play a role in de-radicalization of youths in Central Asia.
6.
India should also leverage its soft
power to enhance its spheres of engagements in the field of culture,
cuisine, education etc. This will ensure India does not get isolated in the
organization.
7.
There should be consensus over issues
like terrorism and extremism and RATS-SCO should be tasked to identify and
assess the presence of major terrorist groups throughout the SCO region.
India’s
membership of SCO can help in achieving regional integration, promote
connectivity and stability across borders. However, the ability of SCO to grow
into a successful regional forum depends on its ability to overcome bilateral
differences between its members and their respective geopolitical calculations.