Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has arrived in Islamabad as Pakistan is all set to host two-day meeting of council of the heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the federal capital from Tuesday.
Prime ministers and other senior officials from SCO members, including those from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the First Vice President of Iran, will be present at the meeting. Moreover representing their respective nations will be Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China, and the External Affairs Minister of India.
What is Shanghai Cooperation Organization?
Established in 2001 by China and Russia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security, and defense organization. With 42% of the global population and a coverage of around 24% of the world’s land area (mostly Eurasia), it is the largest regional organization in the world in terms of both population and geographic extent. Its entire nominal GDP as of 2024 is about 23%, while its GDP as a percentage of PPP is over 36% of the global GDP.
What are the purposes of SCO?
The organization’s goals are to: combat terrorism, radicalism, separatism, organized crime, and illegal immigration; foster good neighborly relations and mutual trust among Member States; work together to protect regional peace, security, and stability; and strengthen cooperation in areas such as politics, economics, science, technology, energy, and the environment.
Who are the members of SCO?
People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus are the members, while, Afghanistan and Mongolia currently have the status of observer states.
Türkiye, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar are dialogue partners.
