China, Russia, Pak. to attend SCO anti-terror meet in Delhi
Counterterrorism teams from Russia, China, Pakistan and Central Asian countries will gather in Delhi on the weekend ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Regional Anti-Terror Structure (SCO-RATS) meeting hosted by India from May 16 to 19.
Countries attending the Meeting:
- Pakistan: a three-member team will attend meeting in India for first time since both countries became members.
- China: a Chinese delegation may not be able to travel to India at present, indicating COVID-19 regulations, and a team from the Chinese Embassy would attend the exercise in its place.
- India: an Indian team also travelled to Pakistan to attend the SCO-RATS exercises in Pabbi.
SCO Summit, 2023:
- Expected Host: India
- To be Attended by: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
“Friendship Border-2022”
- Host: Kazakhstan
- Attended by: the SCO member states
Importance for India
- Security
- India through RATS can improve its counterterrorism abilities by working toward intelligence sharing, law enforcement and developing best practices and technologies.
- Through the SCO, India can also work on anti-drug trafficking and small arms proliferation.
- Cooperation on common challenges of terrorism and radicalisation.
- Energy
- India being an energy deficient country with increasing demands for energy, SCO provides it with an opportunity to meet its energy requirements through regional diplomacy.
- Talks on the construction of stalled pipelines like the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline; IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline can get a much needed push through the SCO.
- Trade
- SCO provides direct access to Central Asia – overcoming the main hindrance in flourishing of trade between India and Central Asia.
- SCO acts as an alternative route to Central Asia.
- Economic Ties - Central Asian countries provids India with a market for its IT, telecommunications, banking, finance and pharmaceutical industries.
- Geopolitical
- Central Asia is a part of India's Extended Neighbourhood – SCO provides India an opportunity to pursue the “Connect Central Asian Policy”.
- Helps India fulfil its aspiration of playing an active role in its extended neighbourhood as well as checking the ever growing influence of China in Eurasia.
- Platform for India to simultaneously engage with its traditional friend Russia as well as its rivals, China and Pakistan.
Challenges of SCO Membership for India
- Pakistan’s inclusion in SCO poses potential difficulties for India.
- India’s ability to assert itself would be limited and it may have to play second fiddle since China and Russia are co-founders of SCO and its dominant powers.
- India may also have to either dilute its growing partnership with the West or engage in a delicate balancing act - as SCO has traditionally adopted an anti-Western posture.
Exam Track
Prelims Takeaway:
- Regional Groupings
- SCO
Mains Track
Q. SCO has emerged as a key regional organisation in the Eurasian space. In the light of the statement discuss the opportunity for India to fulfil its national interest. (250 Words)