Nepal and Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Yuba Nath Lamsal

With yet another powerful and resourceful regional organization taking shape and wielding influence and clout in its neighborhood, Nepal needs to enter into Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and make its best utilization to further boost Nepal’s strategic value and security interest. Viewed as the counterweight to the NATO expansion and consolidation, the Western countries are taking this regional group as their security threat.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional group given shape at the initiative of China way back in 1996. The organization was originally called the ‘Shanghai Five’ as China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan met in Shanghai of China in 1996 to discuss mutual cooperation mainly on issues concerning settlement of border disputes in a peaceful manner and largely to demilitarize the border mainly between China and the countries of former Soviet Union. In 2001, the organization added Uzbekistan and renamed itself the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Mongolia was awarded an observer status in 2004. Similarly, Iran, Pakistan, and India became observers the following year. The SCO signed memoranda of understanding with ASEAN and the Commonwealth of Independent States in 2005.Afghanistan has recently been admitted to the group as an observer. With the Afghanistan’s admission, three SAARC members are now in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The SCO is growing slowly but steadily which has already made significant impact on several issues encompassing regional and international security, trade, culture and other issues. With each passing year, the members and observers are focusing more on cooperative efforts in trade, culture and security affairs, which may have irked the Western countries mainly the United States of America as it was seen as a threat to  their influence and domination in the world in general and the Asia and the Pacific in particular. Given the nature, its organizational structure and activities do not appear to be confrontational but merely focused on mutual cooperation in the region and this is definitely an initiative to collectively counter the Western in the Asia and the Pacific region, if necessary.

Unlike NATO, the SCO by no means intends to be a military bloc, which has been made clear right from its beginning. It intends to forge unity among the countries in the region demonstrating common interests and concerns regarding global and regional political affairs. More importantly, the SCO is the basic framework arrangement for the member countries for their common security and settlement of border disputes in a peaceful and amicable manner. China and the Soviet Union had border disputes in certain points, which some Central Asian countries have inherited after they attained the status of separate independent countries. China, too, was eager to resolve these issues once and for all in a friendly manner so that they could be engaged more on mutual cooperation on issues concerning trade and development. China is worried for possible infiltration of terrorist, separatist and fundamentalist elements through some Central Asian countries, which are predominantly Muslim populated areas, that may try to create disturbances in some of its southwestern parts of Xinjiang. With proper management and surveillance of borders with them, China wants to make sure that its security and order may be maintained in some of its provinces. Begun with this modest objective, the SCO has now grown a strategic group which can ultimately emerge as a powerful regional bloc to counter the US domination in the Asia and the Pacific region.

The twelfth summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) took place in Beijing in June this year. In this summit, the group pledged to work more closely with the Afghan government on security and other issues, without providing details. The meeting's main emphasis was on "regional security," laying out a plan for the strategic and medium-term development of the SCO and a "Mechanism of Response to Events Jeopardizing Regional Peace, Security and Stability."

Until the existence of Soviet Union, the world was unipolar, which had, to some extent, maintained check and balance in the international power politics. With the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the international order took a paradigm shift. After the end of the Cold War, the U.S. emerged as the lone superpower and did its best to take advantage of the situation and ensure its sole domination in the world. Other Western countries and powerful states have also been trying to use this turbulent period to their advantage.

It had been thought that the end of the Cold War would bring about peace and stability in the world. In fact, the Cold War ended but wars did not come to an end. More inter-state and intra-state wars have been fought and more people were killed after the end of the Cold War than during the Cold War. Unfortunately, people have felt more insecure after the collapse of the Soviet bloc and it gave rise to some more contradictions and conflicts.  This situation was also reflected in the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now this scenario seems to be a temporary phenomenon and the world is getting multi-polar soon. Some new powers have emerged and some are emerging clearly posing a serious challenge to the US domination. China has emerged as the second largest economy and a military power. Russia is also remerging and trying to regain its lost image. Against this background, the formation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an attempt to collectively resist unnecessary and unfounded domination, pressure and threat of the Western World mainly the United States. Some Western analysts and the media often describe the SCO as the "Eastern bloc," " or the "NATO of the East”, this organization seems to be basically economic bloc aimed at fostering economic cooperation and collaboration. Unlike the NATO, the SCO is definitely not a military organization but it collectively resists any kind of military adventure that the NATO ever tries to make.

Soon after its formation, this organization has attracted interest of several countries in Asia and the Pacific including India, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and Mongolia. Some more countries are watching its activities more closely so that they may opt to join it. Although the SCO is not a military bloc but cooperative regional initiative to promote peace, this group is now being seen as a counterbalancing force, which is likely to gain more strength and popularity in future.

In the past decade, the SCO consolidated its position as a more economic grouping than the military alliance. There have already been mutual multi-billion-dollar investments, particularly by China, in infrastructure developments like construction of roads, railways, airports, hydro-electric power stations, mining, gas wells and petroleum pipelines and banking sector. Similarly, relationship among the member countries in general and between China and Russia have strengthened, which signals a new beginning in the collective security and meaningful cooperation among the members.

China needs the Central Asian nation and countries of the Caspian Sea regions for energy supplies. Some pipeline works for the supply of oil right from the Middle East and Central Asia to China have been completed, one in the final phase of competition. More pipeline works are expected to undertake very soon. Upon completion of pipeline works, energy supply to China would be easier and cheaper that would immensely contribute to China’s economic growth and development on the one hand and strengthen the relations between the Central Asian countries and China, on the other. Moreover, it will make China less dependent on supplies of oil and energy from the Middle East, which is predominantly controlled by the United States. In order to facilitate trade with the Central Asian countries and transport of goods to and from Central Asian countries, China has already developed huge infrastructure projects in the Xinjiang province which border with several central Asian countries.

Pakistan and India both want closer ties with the SCO. Turkey, too, has shown keen interest in joining this group, although it also a NATO member. The United States requester for SCO membership, but US application was rejected. This is the manifestation of growing strategic and economic implication and significance in the world. Since the SCO is not a military bloc but an economic cooperation forum, it would bode well if Nepal takes initiative to enter into this organization. Although located in a strategically vital location, Nepal has so far not been able to use its strategic position for its benefit. Since three of the eight members of the SAARC have already joined the SCO, Nepal, too, needs to follow suit. Entry into the SCO would further strengthen Nepal’s strategic position and would help Nepal to come out of unnecessary India’s influence and domination.