Evolution of Priorities in Shanghai Cooperation Organization since its Establishment up to 2019

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Professor of International Relations, University of Tehran

2 Ph.D. Student of Regional Studies, University of Tehran

Abstract

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 1996 at the initiative of China to solve border problems of five neighboring countries. Nearly a quarter century after its creation, it has become a major regional organization expanding most of Eurasia. With 20 percent of the world’s oil and 50 percent of the world’s gas reserves, it has the potential to become one of the world’s largest international economic and energy hubs in the coming decades, managing and controlling much of the world’s energy. Extensive geographical Territory, large population, vast energy resources, possessions of nuclear weapons, strong armed forces, veto power of two of its member countries in the United Nations Security Council, and other factors, give the organization this great economic, political, and military potentials. SCO has the largest gas producing and the largest energy consumers countries among its members. After a brief review of developments in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, this paper examines the organization’s capabilities in terms of economic and energy security and shows how this limited regional agreement has become a huge regional cooperation organization. In this article, we also review the energy routes in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s vast geography. We look at the various regional, ethnic, and political conflicts that have a negative effect on the Organizations internal dynamic. We especially examine the policies of its two giant partners, namely, China and the Russian Federation.
We also review the evolution of the organization’s goals and priorities, ranging from resolving border disputes between China and Russia to economic cooperation and securing energy lines.  This paper suggests that despite its great potentials, this organization will not be able to materialize this potential. This study shows that after nearly a quarter of a century, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has not been able to materialize its huge potential. The reasons may be found in two important political and economic factors. A prerequisite for economic success of such associations or unions is complementary economies, where each country contributes to the union what other member countries lack. In today’s globalized world, however, countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization look elsewhere for cooperation. China’s economy, for example, is more tied to the huge US market than to its allies in SCO. Russia’s huge energy resources, in turn, are aimed more at the European market, rather than at China’s.
Politically, unlike EU member states that have a liberal democratic system and a common ideology, members of the Shanghai Organization have different worldviews and different governmental and ideological systems. Political instability in some of SCO countries has been an additional obstacle to realization of the mentioned potential. Regional conflicts, frozen and active, such as those in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and the Sinkiang region further inhibit free and safe multilateral economic cooperation.
The initial goals and priorities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have evolved during the past quarter of century because of economic, political, and security dynamics of this vast region in a globalized world. The huge potential envisioned by many of policymakers in the organization has not materialized.

Keywords

References

Aris, Stephen and Agalaya Snetkov (2013), “Global Alternatives, Regional Stability and Common Causes in the International Politics of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and its Relationship to the West”, Eurasian Geography and Economics, Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 202-226.
Bambawale, Malavika Jain and Benjamin K. Sovacool (2010), “China’s Energy Security: the Perspective of Energy Users”, Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Vol. 88, No. 5, pp. 1949-1956.
Bolonina, Aleksandra (2019), “Securtiy Dimension of Chinas Presence in Central Asia”, Available at: https://www.iris-france.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/04/Asia-Focus-108-Eng.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
BP (2019), “Statistical Review of World Energy Full Report”, Available at: https://www.bp.com/.../bp.../ _.pdf, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
Chatzky, Andrew and James McBride (2019), “China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative”, Available at: https://www.cfr.org/ backgrounder/chinas-massive-belt-and-road-initiative, (Accessed on: 5/4/2020).
De Haas, Marcel (2008), “The Shanghai Cooperation Organisations Momentum towards a Mature Security Alliance”, Netherlands Institute of International Relations, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 14-30.
Farchy, Jack, James Kynge, Chris Campbell and  David Blood (2016), “One Belt, One Road”, Available at: https://ig.ft.com/sites/special-reports/one-belt-one road/, (Accessed on: 5/4/2020).
Fearon, James and David D. Laitin (2011), “Sons of the Soil, Migrants, and Civil War”, World Development, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 199-211.
Forsberg, Tuomas and Graeme P. Herd (2005), “The EU, Human Rights, and the Russo-Chechen Conflict”, Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 120, No. 3, pp. 455-478.
Francis, David R. (2008), “Petropolitics at Heart of Russia-Georgia Clash”, Available at: https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/2008/0816/ p14s01-cogn.html, (Accessed on: 22/6/2019).
Global Security (2017), Available at: https://www.globalsecurity.org, Tashkent_Declaration_by_Heads_of_the_Member_States_of_the_SCO.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
Ipek, Pinar (2009), “Azerbaijan’s Foreign Policy and Challenges for Energy Security”, Middle East Journal, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 227- 239.
Judge, Andrew and Jack Sharples (2014), “EU Energy Security and the Crisis in Crimea”, European Policies Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, Apr. 4, Available at: https://www.academia.edu/6908143/ EU_Energy_Security_and_the_Crisis_in_Crimea, (Accessed on: 7/5/2020).
Kanet, Roger E. and M. Sussex (2016), “Power, Politics and Confrontation in Eurasia: Foreign Policy in a Contested Region”, International Affairs, Vol. 92, No. 3, pp. 742-743.
Koolaee, Elaheh and Mandana Tishehyar (2013), “An Outlook on Energy Cooperation Approaches in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Region”, Geopolitics Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 41-71.
Mohapatra, Nalin Kumar (2018), “Energy Security and Pattern of Regional Conflicts in Eurasia: from a Constructive Framework of Analysis”, Available at: https://www.veruscript.com/a/UQ2OTI/, (Accessed on: 20/4/2019).
Molchanov, Mikhail A. (2017), “Russia-China Relations in Central Asia and the SCO”, Changing Regional Alliances for China and the West, Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312147023_ Russia-China_relations_in_Central_Asia_and_the_ SCO, (Accessed on: 7/5/2020).
Papava, Vladimer and Michael Tokmazishili (2010), “Russian Energy Politics And the Eu: How to Change the Paradigm”, Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 103-111.
Rahman, Khalid (2011), “Central Asia, Energy Security and Shanghai Cooperation Organization”, Policy Perspectives, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 65-76.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2000), Available at: http://Declaration_on_the_establishment_of_the_SCO.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2004), Available at: http://Tashkent_Declaration_by_Heads_of_the_Member_States_of_the_SCO.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2009), Available at: http://Joint_initiative_on_accelerated_multilateral_economic_cooperation_to_overcome_the_global_financial_and_economic_crisis_impacts.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).   
 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2018), Available at: http://eng.sectsco.org/documents/List_of_documents_introduced_for_signing_at_the_meeting_of_the_Council_of_Heads_of_State_of_the_Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2019) (a), Available at: http://Statement_by_the_heads_of_government_of_the_member-states_of_the_SCO.pdf/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2019) (b), Available at: http://Shos_130619_Бишкекская_декларация.docx/, (Accessed on: 13/8/2019).
Van de Graaf Thijsand Jeff D. Colgan (2017),“Russian Gas Games or Well-Oiled Conflict? Energy Security and the 2014 Ukraine Crisis”, Energy Research and Social Science, Vol. 24, pp. 59-64.
Umbach, Frank and Slawomir Raszewski (2016), “Strategic Perspectives for Bilateral Energy Cooperation between the EU and Kazakhstan Geo-Economic and Geopolitical Dimensions in Competition with Russia and Chinas Central Asia Policies”, Kazakhstan Energy Study,Available at:https://www.kas.de/ c/document_library/get_file?uuid=00e96cba-e1e7-30ca-2457-5b611c6d6c9b&groupId=252038, (Accessed on: 7/5/2020).
Wong, Erebus, Lau Kin-chi, Sit Tsui and Wen Tiejun (2017), “China’s Strategy for a New Global Financial Order”, Available at: https://monthlyreview.org/2017/01/01/one-belt-one-road/, (Accessed on: 5/4/2020).
Yigit, Süreyya (2012), “Energy Security, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Central Asia”, ORSAM Books, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 12-14.
Zhou, Jiayi, Karl Hallding and Guoyi Han (2015), “The Trouble with China’s ‘One Belt One Road’ Strategy”, Available at: https://thediplomat.com/2015/06/the-trouble-with-the-chinese-marshall-plan-strategy/, (Accessed on: 5/4/2020).
Central Eurasia Studies
Volume 13, Issue 1
Spring & Summer
April 2020
Pages 143-160

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics