中文
By Muhammad Asif Noor
Lead: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization marks its 25th anniversary this year, offering a model of cooperation built on trust, equality and shared development rather than division.
As the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marks its 25th anniversary this year, the world is searching for steadier ground. Global politics today is crowded with rivalry, economic pressure, supply chain shocks, technological competition and security concerns. In such an environment, the SCO offers a different message: cooperation can grow through trust, equality and shared development rather than coercion, alignment or exclusion. This is the essence of the Shanghai Spirit.
Established in 2001, the SCO began as a platform for confidence-building and security cooperation across Eurasia. A quarter of a century later, it has become one of the most significant regional organizations in the world. Its agenda has widened from security to trade, connectivity, energy, digital innovation, agriculture, poverty reduction, climate resilience, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. This expansion reflects the changing needs of Eurasia and the maturity of an institution that has grown with its region.
As of 2026, the SCO includes 10 member states, two observer states and 15 dialogue partners. Its member states represent about 3.47 billion people, nearly 42% of humanity. They account for roughly one-quarter of global GDP, with a combined nominal output estimated at around $29 trillion. Their landmass covers about a quarter of the world's total land area. Few organizations bring together such demographic strength, geographic reach, energy capacity, market scale and civilizational depth.
Yet the SCO's real importance lies beyond its size. Its members span the breadth of Eurasia, linking major energy producers with consumers, industrial economies with emerging markets, landlocked states with transit corridors and ancient centers of civilization with new engines of modernization. This geography gives the organization a distinct role in the 21st century. In a world where corridors, ports, railways, data flows and energy routes shape influence, the SCO has become a platform where geography translates into shared prosperity.
The Shanghai Spirit gives this geography a political foundation. Its principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and the pursuit of common development speak directly to the needs of a diverse region. The SCO brings together countries with different histories, systems, economies and strategic priorities, and its strength lies in building a culture of dialogue among them. In an age of sharper divisions, keeping diverse states engaged at the same table is itself a strategic achievement.
Security remains a core pillar of the SCO. The organization has long focused on combating terrorism, separatism and extremism. Through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure and sustained coordination among member states, it has helped create a framework for managing threats that cross borders and affect societies. This remains vital for Eurasia, where instability can spread quickly across borders through geography, ideology, criminal networks and poorly governed spaces.
The SCO's evolution also points to a larger truth: security gains strength when development advances. Poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, energy shortages, climate stress and weak infrastructure can create instability inside societies and across borders. The organization's move toward economic cooperation, poverty reduction, digital development and public welfare reflects a broader concept of security. Roads, jobs, schools, trade routes, health systems and energy grids are also instruments of peace.
This photo taken on Aug. 30, 2025 shows an exterior view of the main venue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 in Tianjin, north China. [Photo by Sun Fanyue/Xinhua]
Trade data confirms the growing substance behind this vision. China's trade with other SCO member states reached $512.4 billion in 2024, more than 40 times the level recorded in 2001. China's trade with the wider SCO family of members, observers and dialogue partners reached a record $890 billion the same year. From January to July 2025, China's trade with other SCO member states reached 2.11 trillion yuan (about $294 billion), up 3% year on year. The figures show the SCO has moved from diplomatic promise to economic weight.
Energy cooperation offers another strong example. SCO members include some of the world's key producers, consumers and transit countries. In 2024, China imported nearly $90 billion worth of crude oil, natural gas and coal from other SCO member states, a flow that reflects the growing importance of regional energy security amid price volatility and disrupted supply chains. The SCO can help build greater predictability in energy relations through long-term planning, infrastructure and dialogue.
Agriculture and food security deserve equal attention in the next phase. China imported $13.66 billion worth of agricultural products from SCO members in 2024. The region has large agricultural lands, major consumer markets, rising food demand and serious climate pressures. Cooperation in seed technology, irrigation, storage, fertilizers, machinery, logistics and climate-resilient farming can turn food security into one of the most practical pillars of the Shanghai Spirit.
Connectivity will decide how far the SCO can go in the next 25 years. Railways, highways, ports, dry ports, customs systems, energy pipelines and digital corridors can lower the cost of trade and expand regional opportunity. By June 2025, the China-Europe Railway Express had completed more than 110,000 trips, reflecting the growing value of Eurasian transport networks. The SCO has the geography and political framework to turn these corridors into engines of industry, commerce and employment.
The digital economy adds another layer to this transformation. Artificial intelligence, e-commerce, fintech, cybersecurity, digital payments, smart customs and online education are reshaping growth. The SCO can become a platform for digital public goods, small business access to markets, telemedicine, skills development and secure digital infrastructure, an agenda that carries direct meaning for young populations across Eurasia.
Climate change should also stand at the center of future cooperation. Eurasia faces floods, droughts, glacial melt, water stress, desertification and extreme weather, pressures that affect agriculture, public health, migration and economic stability. The SCO has the scale to promote early warning systems, disaster response, green finance, clean energy and environmental research.
The rise of the Shanghai Spirit is therefore the rise of a practical idea: peace grows stronger when states choose consultation over confrontation, development over division and mutual respect over dominance. At 25, the SCO has gained scale, experience and strategic confidence. Its next task is delivery. Deeper trade, stronger connectivity, credible climate action, digital cooperation and wider people-to-people exchanges can make its principles more visible in daily life.
The SCO matters because it reflects the future of a multipolar world taking shape across regions. It shows Eurasia can be a platform for stability, growth and common progress. If the Shanghai Spirit continues to guide its next chapter, the organization can become one of the defining institutions of this century.
Muhammad Asif Noor is the executive director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and heads the Centre for SCO Studies, both based in Pakistan.
