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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.

Iranians walk past an anti-Trump billboard on a street in Tehran on September 23. In a speech at the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump asked aloud whether he should “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly”. Photo: EPA

United States

My Take | How Beijing is neutralising Washington’s sanctions machine

As alternative networks like China’s CIPS gain traction, the multilateral pushback is steadily eroding US financial dominance.

27 Sep 2026 - 8:30PM

United States

Opinion | The world is not so much embracing China as recoiling from Trump’s US

15 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Central Asia

China rallies Central Asian police chiefs on terrorism threats, energy and trade

8 Sep 2026 - 4:20PMvideocam

US-China relations

Editorial | China’s Xi sends a strong message before his US visit

Xi’s month of travel signals that China is playing a key role in South-South cooperation amid a tariff war and geopolitical instability.

8 Sep 2026 - 7:15AM

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his wife Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport on September 1. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Belt and Road Initiative

China marks major tunnel milestone for Central Asia railway bypassing Russia

Conceived in 1997, the 500km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will offer the shortest land route from China to the Middle East and Europe.

7 Sep 2026 - 8:00AM

China trade

What Xi’s tour of Egypt and Central Asia reveals about China’s trade strategy

Presidential tour highlights strategy of shifting manufacturing abroad, shielding domestic exporters from growing global barriers.

3 Sep 2026 - 1:04PMvideocam

Shanghai

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

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

3 Sep 2026 - 10:09AMvideocam

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

Central Asia

In Bishkek, US envoys shadow SCO summit in challenge on Beijing and Moscow’s turf

Central Asian countries in focus as Washington pursues outreach serving to blunt Chinese influence in strategically valuable region.

2 Sep 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Xi makes world tour ahead of White House summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting leaders from across the Global South ahead of a probable summit with US leader Donald Trump.

2 Sep 2026 - 5:24PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | 25 years on, the SCO’s pragmatic strategy is working better than ever

The SCO’s significance is practical: it gives those who do not want their future defined in Washington a forum to coordinate and hedge.

2 Sep 2026 - 5:26PMvideocam

Heads of state attend a session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on September 1. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Xi, Trump and Putin may hold trilateral meeting at next Apec forum, Kremlin says

Senior Russian aide confirms possibility of all three leaders meeting in Shenzhen in November ‘was discussed’ at this week’s SCO summit.

2 Sep 2026 - 10:22AMvideocam

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping calls on SCO members to team up for bigger global tech-security role

The world is at a crossroads and the group should shoulder its responsibility, Chinese president says at Bishkek summit.

1 Sep 2026 - 7:21PM

India

‘Aloof’ but engaged: what India’s SCO comeback reveals

New Delhi’s re-engagement with the China-led bloc serves as a reminder to the US that it has other options, analysts say.

1 Sep 2026 - 3:19PM

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, August 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met 31 national leaders this year and may meet Trump during a busy September.

1 Sep 2026 - 11:27AM

China’s President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov. Photo: AFP

Russia

Xi, Putin vow to deepen strategic ties after meeting at SCO summit

Xi said relevant departments from both sides are implementing initiatives he and Putin discussed during Putin’s state visit to China in May.

1 Sep 2026 - 1:50AMvideocam

China-Africa relations

Xi’s Cairo trip marks ‘best ties in history’ as Egypt seeks to balance West

Chinese president’s visit comes amid expanding Suez investment and joint air force exercises.

31 Aug 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

Central Asia

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s 25th anniversary summit expected to offer clues to China’s ambitions for a more multipolar Asia, analysts say.

31 Aug 2026 - 2:57PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

The opposite of commitment is breach, not multiplicity. A nation’s reliability isn’t measured by how many treaties it signs.

25 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM

The United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York on March 25. Governments increasingly face the same demand: prove the depth of your commitment by closing the door on everyone else. Photo: Zuma press wire / dpa

Central Asia

China-led SCO, a counterweight to the West

The 10-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation convenes in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for its annual summit on August 31.

31 Aug 2026 - 5:03PM

China trade

China’s Central Asia push

China has become Central Asia’s top trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing US$100 billion last year on the back of increased oil and gas imports.

17 Aug 2026 - 9:44AM

Diplomacy

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

11 Aug 2026 - 10:29AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

17 Jun 2026 - 6:58AMvideocam

(From left to right) Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. Photo: SPUTNIK / AFP

Mongolia

China will be a neighbour Mongolia can rely on, foreign minister says

Wang’s visit focuses on cross-border transport and trade links as he calls for closer alignment between the countries’ development strategies.

14 Jun 2026 - 3:07PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

30 May 2026 - 8:08AMvideocam

China trade

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank, rival Western lenders

Member states seek more financial autonomy and localised credit by advancing an effort to fund regional growth using their national currencies, not the US dollar.

29 May 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Flags wave outside the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on September 1. Photo: AFP

China-India relations

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

20 Apr 2026 - 6:12PM

A picture shared by Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong shows Yan Wenbin (right), China’s national coordinator for SCO affairs, with his Indian counterpart Alok Amitabh Dimri during talks in New Delhi on April 16-17. Photo: X/China_Amb_India

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial China-India relations

India is a vibrant, emerging and complex power with much to offer the city and China as a whole.

16 Mar 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

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 Mar 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}My Take | How Beijing is neutralising Washington’s sanctions machine

As alternative networks like China’s CIPS gain traction, the multilateral pushback is steadily eroding US financial dominance.

Opinion | The world is not so much embracing China as recoiling from Trump’s US

China rallies Central Asian police chiefs on terrorism threats, energy and trade

Editorial | China’s Xi sends a strong message before his US visit

Xi’s month of travel signals that China is playing a key role in South-South cooperation amid a tariff war and geopolitical instability.

China marks major tunnel milestone for Central Asia railway bypassing Russia

Conceived in 1997, the 500km China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will offer the shortest land route from China to the Middle East and Europe.

What Xi’s tour of Egypt and Central Asia reveals about China’s trade strategy

Presidential tour highlights strategy of shifting manufacturing abroad, shielding domestic exporters from growing global barriers.

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

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

In Bishkek, US envoys shadow SCO summit in challenge on Beijing and Moscow’s turf

Central Asian countries in focus as Washington pursues outreach serving to blunt Chinese influence in strategically valuable region.

Xi makes world tour ahead of White House summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting leaders from across the Global South ahead of a probable summit with US leader Donald Trump.

Opinion | 25 years on, the SCO’s pragmatic strategy is working better than ever

The SCO’s significance is practical: it gives those who do not want their future defined in Washington a forum to coordinate and hedge.

Xi, Trump and Putin may hold trilateral meeting at next Apec forum, Kremlin says

Senior Russian aide confirms possibility of all three leaders meeting in Shenzhen in November ‘was discussed’ at this week’s SCO summit.

Xi Jinping calls on SCO members to team up for bigger global tech-security role

The world is at a crossroads and the group should shoulder its responsibility, Chinese president says at Bishkek summit.

‘Aloof’ but engaged: what India’s SCO comeback reveals

New Delhi’s re-engagement with the China-led bloc serves as a reminder to the US that it has other options, analysts say.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, August 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met 31 national leaders this year and may meet Trump during a busy September.

Xi, Putin vow to deepen strategic ties after meeting at SCO summit

Xi said relevant departments from both sides are implementing initiatives he and Putin discussed during Putin’s state visit to China in May.

Xi’s Cairo trip marks ‘best ties in history’ as Egypt seeks to balance West

Chinese president’s visit comes amid expanding Suez investment and joint air force exercises.

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s 25th anniversary summit expected to offer clues to China’s ambitions for a more multipolar Asia, analysts say.

Opinion | For states, being part of everything doesn’t mean being part of nothing

The opposite of commitment is breach, not multiplicity. A nation’s reliability isn’t measured by how many treaties it signs.

China-led SCO, a counterweight to the West

The 10-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation convenes in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, for its annual summit on August 31.

China’s Central Asia push

China has become Central Asia’s top trading partner, with two-way trade surpassing US$100 billion last year on the back of increased oil and gas imports.

Opinion | The SCO is caught between regional weight and global ambitions

As the SCO marks its 25th anniversary, internal rifts as well as limited financial integration and security cooperation are holding it back.

Opinion | How Asia can benefit from a Russia-India-China dialogue revival

Far from acting as another bloc, such a grouping could help ensure that regional competition is managed rather than reproduced.

China will be a neighbour Mongolia can rely on, foreign minister says

Wang’s visit focuses on cross-border transport and trade links as he calls for closer alignment between the countries’ development strategies.

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank, rival Western lenders

Member states seek more financial autonomy and localised credit by advancing an effort to fund regional growth using their national currencies, not the US dollar.

India and China wall off border rows to focus on trade and security

Analysts say the two sides are returning to a state of ‘managed coexistence’ after their Shanghai Cooperation Organisation talks.

Opinion | Hong Kong can play vital part in boosting crucial China-India relations

India is a vibrant, emerging and complex power with much to offer the city and China as a whole.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}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.

My Take | How Beijing is neutralising Washington’s sanctions machine

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