'Shanghai Spirit' draws new members to join SCO

GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES ASSUMED

The 16th SCO summit is poised to further advocate the "Shanghai Spirit" and point out the direction of the bloc's further development, featuring security cooperation in a broader region of Eurasia and wider economic cooperation.

"By admitting India and Pakistan into the bloc, the SCO is facing up to the dynamics of the security threat in the broader Eurasian region," said Ye Hailin, researcher on South Asian issues at the Academy of Social Sciences. "The group will be combating security threats like terrorism in a broader regional space."

Ye's remarks are highly relevant as the situation is changing swiftly though the security situation is relatively stable in Central Asia.

"There has been an increase of violent regional tensions and terrorist activities," said Andre Kazantsev, director of the Analytical Center at Russia's Moscow Institute of International Relations.

He said the Islamic State group has recruited a large number of people from this economically uneven area and the possibility that terrorist activities will originate from Central Asian nations is on the rise.

"We are faced with increasingly heightened border stress, which could grow more grave in the future," said Yuri Tavrovsky, professor at People's Friendship University of Russia.

"Therefore, it is very necessary for us to enhance our coordination to combat terrorism and safeguard the security in Central Asia," Kazantsev said.

Mechanisms within the SCO have been created for joint anti-terrorism drills, securing international activities, intelligence exchanges, and joint work against cyber terrorism. But more coordination and cohesion are needed, said Zhang Xinfeng, director of the Executive Committee of the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Agency.

Sun Zhuangzhi, secretary-general of the SCO Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the SCO is also facing unconventional security threats.

"Securing food sources has become a priority for many Central Asian countries whose food supply relies heavily on imports," Sun said, adding that "nations such as Kazakhstan that are better off economically need to attach importance to financial security."