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Shi Jiangtao

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has issued its first dedicated declaration on nuclear safety and security, condemning attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities and outlining practical cooperation, amid tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme and wider questions of global nuclear governance.
The document was adopted on Tuesday at the bloc’s 25th anniversary summit in Bishkek by leaders of all 10 member states – China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
It called for stronger cooperation on regulation, emergency response and the fight against illicit trafficking of nuclear materials, while reaffirming that nuclear security responsibility rested entirely with each state.
It also underscored members’ rights to the peaceful use of nuclear energy under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.


Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Centre for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, pointed to several converging factors behind its adoption: China and Russia’s long-standing interest in deeper cooperation; growing demand for safety frameworks as civilian nuclear programmes expand in Central Asia, particularly Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; and Iran’s full membership since 2023.
Zhu said it heightened concern over nuclear risks amid the Iran conflict and the Israel–Palestine situation, and regional unease over Japan’s nuclear waste water discharge, but the new document was not an abrupt reaction to recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“Similar initiatives had already been circulating within the organisation,” Zhu said.
The proposal was first raised at the bloc’s 2025 Tianjin summit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who called for a declaration to support peaceful nuclear energy, emergency response and the global non‑proliferation regime.
In his summit speech on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping explicitly endorsed strengthening nuclear safety partnerships and linked them to China’s Global Security Initiative.
“We believe in a sensible, coordinated, and balanced approach to nuclear security, and support a stronger multilateral partnership for nuclear safety and security,” he said, framing the declaration within a broader agenda that prioritises “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security”.
Xi told fellow leaders that the SCO must “stay committed to taking security as a key goal and foster an environment of common security”, while urging the early opening of four SCO security centres to boost members’ capacity against threats ranging from terrorism to cyberattacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored the issue of sovereignty, insisting that nuclear safety must remain under national control and denouncing what he called Western “double standards”.
The declaration stated that responsibility for nuclear safety rested with facility operators and the host state, echoing long-standing International Atomic Energy Agency principles.
Member states voiced “deep concern” over the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials, threats to nuclear facilities and infrastructure – including cyber risks – and the danger of nuclear terrorism.


Without naming Iran, the text said members “resolutely condemn any attacks or threats of attacks against peaceful nuclear facilities, deeming such acts a violation of international law”, and called for restraint, de-escalation and a political settlement.
The language echoed the broader Bishkek Declaration adopted at the close of the SCO summit the same day, which explicitly supported Iran’s sovereignty, condemned military strikes on Iranian territory and civilians, and opposed unilateral coercive measures.
The nuclear document also outlined practical steps, including regulatory exchanges, stronger domestic control systems, joint research and training, physical protection upgrades, radioactive waste management, radiation monitoring, early‑warning data sharing and personnel development.
The declaration came amid stalled US-Russia arms control talks and Washington’s reported review of its nuclear posture to expand tactical options in potential regional conflicts with Russia or China, after the last remaining bilateral treaty, New Start, expired in February this year without a successor.
Washington has pressed Beijing to join trilateral arms control talks with Moscow, a proposal China has rejected as disproportionate given the size of its arsenal relative to the US and Russia.
At the same time, US officials have accused China of expanding its stockpile without sufficient transparency over missile tests and alleged secret nuclear experiments, charges Beijing has dismissed as “groundless”.
Li Lifan, an expert on Russia and Central Asia at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the declaration’s emphasis on sovereign control, peaceful use and resistance to unilateral measures reflected a broader pushback against what he called “nuclear hegemony” by Western powers.
“China’s stance on nuclear issues has remained consistent, avoiding the kind of practices and thinking often associated with Western approaches,” he said.
The document’s stress on the peaceful use of nuclear energy also aligned with Beijing’s long-standing position, Li added.
“China has been consistent in its opposition to the first use of nuclear weapons proposed by countries including Russia. This also represents China’s attitude towards nuclear deterrence,” he said.
But Zhu cautioned against overreading the declaration as a direct challenge to Western initiatives.
“Its intent lies more in asserting autonomy than direct rivalry,” he said.
The SCO, he noted, was seeking to “shape perceptions and nuclear safety norms grounded in international law, global order, and members’ own interests, while projecting a unified non‑Western voice in global governance”.
He said it was noteworthy that despite differing views among members about relations with the US and Israel, the SCO nonetheless reaffirmed collective support for Iran’s sovereignty and opposition to the use of force against members.
“In essence, ‘supporting member sovereignty plus opposing attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities’ has become the broadest consensus within the SCO,” Zhu said.


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The SCO has released its first dedicated declaration on nuclear safety and security. Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

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The bloc underscores members’ rights to peaceful nuclear development in broader pushback at Western powers, analyst says


The bloc underscores members’ rights to peaceful nuclear development in broader pushback at Western powers, analyst says.


SCO takes landmark stand on nuclear security as Iran comes under renewed attack

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The bloc underscores members’ rights to peaceful nuclear development in broader pushback at Western powers, analyst says

The bloc underscores members’ rights to peaceful nuclear development in broader pushback at Western powers, analyst says