SCO Summit 2025 Tianjin: Members, Aims and India’s Role
Why in the news
PM Modi and President Xi Jinping held talks at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, as relations improved gradually after border disengagement.
About the SCO
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Nature | Regional body for political, economic and security cooperation |
| Founded | 2001, Shanghai; grew out of the Shanghai Five (1996) |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Permanent members (8) | China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan |
| Observers | Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia, Iran (moving to full membership) |
| Dialogue partners | Turkey, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, others |
Objectives and initiatives
- Peace and stability; action against terrorism, extremism and separatism; trade, energy, connectivity; multipolarity and non-interference.
- RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) is based in Tashkent.
- Proposed SCO Development Bank; annual Peace Mission military exercises.
2025 summit
- China hosted for the fifth time; theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move”.
- Agenda: a 2025-2035 development strategy, a 25-year review, counter-terrorism, trade, energy and climate action; 20+ leaders attended.
- India’s role: pushes connectivity (Chabahar, INSTC) and anti-terror cooperation, balancing ties with China, Russia and Central Asia.
Exam angle
- HQ: Beijing; RATS: Tashkent.
- Predecessor: Shanghai Five.