SCO shifts its focus to economy from politics

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is expected to shift its focus of cooperation from politics to concrete economic projects in the next 10 years, media reporters told China Daily.

By doing so, the organization can "substantially" explore its potential in creating a multipolar world order and promoting trade for stability, said reporters covering the SCO summit that opens in Beijing on Tuesday.

"The SCO is at a turning point," said Oleg L. Ostroukhov, senior correspondent with RIA Novosti. "The next round of 10 years of its development gives it new tasks to fulfill."

The SCO was established in 2001 and now has six permanent members - China, Russia and four Central Asian countries.

Ostroukhov said China and Russia, serving as rotating president of the secretariat of the SCO this year and the next, have paid attention to updating the cooperation mechanism within the framework.

He pointed out that economic cooperation such as the foundation of a development bank to carry out investment projects - rather than cooperating around political agendas - would "meet the real need" in the future.

Ather Farook, a senior reporter with Pakistan Television, agreed, adding that some energy-sufficient Central Asian countries of the SCO have discussed the possibility of transmitting electricity and channeling gas to solve the energy crisis in his country. But question is "where the money will come from" to build the transport facilities.

He said Pakistan's industry will be revived if the energy crisis is solved, and that will contain terrorism in the country.

Reporters also foresee that the SCO would develop the ability to address regional issues and uphold peace.

Although the SCO is not a security organization like NATO, it should have some sort of mechanism to promote peace, Farook said.

"Personally I think the SCO should be a counterweight to NATO." He describes the United States, which leads NATO, as the "only superpower and there should be some balance on the world stage".

"So if the SCO includes India as an observer, then it will represent 50 percent of the world population and can be a very important organization bringing balance to world politics."

While Farook expects the SCO to fill the vacuum that will be created when NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, Askerova Kifayat, a reporter from Kyrgyzstan, would like to see how the SCO faces the security issue.

"I look forward to seeing what mechanism the summit will bring to enable SCO member states to respond successfully to possible emergencies in the region."

Ostroukhov said he wouldn't be surprised if Afghanistan's application to access the organization as an observer was granted during the current SCO summit.

"The next 10 years will be a period when the SCO fully uses its abilities."

wanghuazhong@chinadaily.com.cn