Ten member states—China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus—make up the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a powerful regional bloc that is making great efforts to improve its systems for dealing with regional security threats.
Member nations are stepping up their deliberations to create a comprehensive security center aimed at bolstering cooperation against a wide range of security concerns in the run-up to the 2025 SCO Summit, which is set for August 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, China.
Since China is currently the bloc’s rotating chairman, its leadership has played a crucial role in guiding the agenda toward stronger regional security cooperation.
In a recent media conference, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, described the importance and extent of these SCO member meetings. The establishment of specialized institutions within the larger comprehensive center—a counternarcotic center to bolster anti-drug efforts, a center specifically devoted to combating transnational organized crime, and an information security center to combat cyber and digital threats—is at the heart of the current discussions.
Reinforcing law enforcement cooperation and developing a new, integrated paradigm of regional security cooperation that tackles changing and complex threats in a world growing more linked are the main objectives.
With the presence of leaders from all member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the heads of ten international organizations, the Tianjin summit is expected to be a significant occasion that highlights the high-level commitment to the effort.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s attendance at the Foreign Ministers’ conference in Tianjin earlier in July 2025 is proof that India has already shown that it is involved in the process.
Guo Jiakun emphasized China’s goal to make sure the summit is characterized by unity, solidarity, and useful results. The goal of the final stage of preparations is to guarantee outcomes in the following crucial areas: development, security, quality of life, and institutional procedures.
There is a conscious focus on group benefit and building a closer-knit SCO community with a common future goal.
China characterizes the upcoming summit as a springboard for the SCO to enter a new stage of high-quality development, marked by increased energy, coordination, and a wider involvement in regional and global issues.
China has energized SCO operations since assuming the rotating presidency in July 2024, organizing more than 100 events covering a wide range of topics, including politics, security, defense, economic cooperation, investment, energy, education, connectivity infrastructure, technological innovation, green industries, digital economies, and cultural exchanges. Nearly half of these have been institutional gatherings that have strengthened mutual confidence and consolidated frameworks for long-term collaboration among member nations.
The “Shanghai Spirit,” which emphasizes mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for cultural variety, and the pursuit of common growth, has been firmly reaffirmed as a fundamental principle of the SCO. The group has been speaking more and more in unison on important regional and global issues, supporting the multilateral trading system, denouncing the abuse of force, and promoting justice and the rule of law internationally.
The SCO’s architecture has undergone a substantial evolution with the creation of the comprehensive security center and its sub-entities, making it a more dynamic platform that can handle both established and new non-traditional security threats like cybercrime, drug trafficking, and cross-border organized crime.
The bloc’s dedication to a safer, more stable Eurasian region is evident in the consultative process spearheaded by China and the active participation of significant regional actors like India and Russia. The outcomes of the Tianjin summit will probably determine the course of the SCO’s future and establish it as a key player in the regulation of regional security.
