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The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit

By Dr. Upendra Gautam

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Media and Think Tank Summit took place in the city of Zhengzhou, Henan. As a center of Chinese civilisation, this city holds historical significance. Driven by its geographic position and infrastructure investments, Zhengzhou’s modern role as a BRI hub is well established. As an observer of China and SCO affairs, I keenly watched the Summit event.

I have fond memories of my work in Henan from 1995 to 2000. Together with a team of Chinese and foreign experts, I worked with local government officials, staff of the Municipal Office of Comprehensive Agricultural Development, farmers’ representatives, and local water resources bureau officials in the Guangli Irrigated Area, Jiaozuo City, Chinyang Water User Association—on reform in rural irrigation water management. In those days, Henan was a slow-progressing province. I had also noted this feature of Henan in the work I was associated with.

But after 25 years, I found that Henan has rejuvenated its glorious civilizational position in China as “Henan, where China begins again.” Just one example from my area of fieldwork: the irrigated area reflects Henan’s integrated strategy of using well-operated and well-maintained water infrastructure not only to feed crops but also to nourish communities.

The Summit

About 400 media professionals and experts from 26 SCO members, observers, and dialogue partners represented their respective countries at the Summit. It was duly scripted in Chinese and Russian characters. Henan takes pride in the industrial and cultural skills of its people, including the Muslims, who make up about 1 percent, or one million, of the Henanese population.

Mutual Trust

Mutual trust resonated deeply in the Summit. One of the most important goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, is to strengthen mutual trust, friendship, and good-neighborliness between member, observer, and partner states.

Starting by recalling the foundation of this important organization reaffirms this basic value. The SCO was officially established on June 15, 2001. But the roots of this cooperation go back even further. Indeed, China holds a great sense of history.

In 1996, five countries came together. They were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Russia—forming the Shanghai Five. What united them initially were security concerns, particularly around border demarcation and demilitarization. But what grew from those talks was far more meaningful: a spirit of cooperation that extended into trade, culture, and mutual security.

What is the Shanghai Spirit, after all? The Shanghai Spirit, which underpins the SCO, is built on a single core principle: mutual trust. And this trust leads to mutual benefits, equality, respectful consultation, and shared development—despite diversity in civilizations and systems.

This spirit reminds us of a deeper truth—that cooperation among neighbors forms the most stable foundation for regional and even global partnerships. That is exactly what happened with the Shanghai Five—it laid the groundwork for the creation of the SCO.

Today, the SCO has 10 members. It includes all the original members and has expanded to include India, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. It also engages with Afghanistan and Mongolia as observer states, and has fourteen dialogue partners—from Nepal to Saudi Arabia, from Türkiye to the UAE—demonstrating its inclusiveness and growing global relevance.

The SCO Astana Declaration of 2024 provides examples. A major focus of the Declaration is on enhancing trade in native currencies—a move aimed at reducing transaction costs and boosting economic competitiveness. The SCO has also adopted a Development Strategy until 2035, outlining cooperation in energy, security, trade, and finance.

Broader View

Now, let’s take a broader view. In the last 70 years, China’s global role has evolved remarkably. In 1955, China, along with Asian and African countries, participated in the Bandung Conference, which adopted the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. These principles have guided the diplomacy of the Global South and continue to shape China’s international initiatives.

In the 1990s, China engaged with ASEAN, learning lessons in regional development.

It later proposed the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, though that project faced geopolitical barriers.

Recognizing the need for broader alliances, China joined with Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa—countries experiencing “dynamic economic growth”—to form BRICS, now expanded to include 11 countries, with several more as partners.

In 2013, China initiated the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project envisioned as part of the Belt and Road Initiative—its signature global development strategy. The BRI connects countries across Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America, aiming to improve policy coordination, financial integration, trade, infrastructure, and people-to-people contacts.

Through all these efforts—from Bandung to BRICS, SCO to BRI—one theme remains constant: China’s commitment to mutual trust, peaceful coexistence, and shared development.

As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, China is rejuvenating the importance of these values in today’s world—reaffirming its solidarity with developing nations and its vision of building a community with a shared future for all humanity.

To conclude, the Shanghai Spirit is not just a regional idea—it is a global, multilateral model of how trust, respect, and partnership can create a more secure and prosperous future for everyone. What this Spirit recognizes is, as a Persian proverb has it:

“One flower does not bring spring.”

SCO Tea Chat

This observer really liked the moments that SCO diplomats shared with the media and think tank people on July 24. The sharing was as fragranced as the Henan tea—very refreshing and candid.

During the tea chat, appropriately forthcoming was the Kuwaiti Ambassador to China, Faisal R. Alghais. His statement legitimately demonstrated the Shanghai Spirit. Within the SCO cooperation framework, he pledged Kuwait’s assistance and support to fellow SCO countries in areas of energy security and transportation connectivity. These are the critical development areas of Nepal, a dialogue partner of SCO and also a BRI member country.

Who from Nepal would take a sustained initiative to get engaged with Kuwait and China to benefit from this Kuwaiti offer?

How Should Nepal Move Forward in the SCO?

Nepal can move forward in the SCO—not by worrying much about what we don’t have, but by building on what we already have.

First and foremost, Nepal’s location is our biggest strength. Nepal sits right between China and India—two great neighboring members of the SCO; though India is yet to be liberated as China. That gives us a natural advantage.

We can serve as a bridge—not just for trade and transport, but also for ideas and cooperation between South, East, and Central Asian regions. Nepal cannot afford to miss a single moment the BRI and SCO cooperation have offered it to become the high trans-Himalayan bridge. We sincerely expect India’s liberation from vicious colonialist encirclement, because this way India can equally be an endowment for Nepal’s sovereign, independent development.

Nepal is known for its international policy guided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and the One-China Policy. We’re not aligned with any bloc, and we don’t interfere in others’ affairs. We are aware that only this can make us an honest, trusted partner—something the SCO values deeply.

These are the moments when Nepal needs concrete, practical actions. Nepal should focus on geographic and energy grid connectivity.

It should work more with SCO think tanks and academic groups to bring in the Himalayan perspective. In the end of the day, being a Dialogue Partner doesn’t mean we stay passive. It means we pick our spots, speak up where we have value, and engage with purpose.

In resilience and robustness, Nepal may be likened to a Rhino, which has its own way of communication—and the SCO is an empowering place to exercise it.

Dr Gautam is the Secretary General of the China Study Center Nepal