The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is ready to embrace a more important role in the global arena, a yellow book report said on June 6. [Special coverage]
The yellow book on SCO development for 2017 noted that the organization has entered a new stage of development after India and Pakistan received full membership, bringing the membership to represent 44 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of its GDP.
The yellow book was jointly compiled by the Social Sciences Academic Press and the Institute of Russia, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Apart from India and Pakistan, SCO member countries also include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
The expansion of membership will push the organization to switch its main focus from peace and stability in Central Asia to regional peace and stability on the Eurasian continent. It will also work to promote a more fair political and economic world order, according to the yellow book.
Many SCO members are also participants in the Belt and Road Initiative. Once the initiative is integrated with local development to promote cooperation on basic infrastructure, industrial capacity, finance and agriculture, the rising economies of the organization will witness a profound improvement in their industrial capacity and technology.
However, the yellow book also warned that the two new members, who struggle with border issues and hold some controversial stances on terrorism and extremism, may add conflict to the organization, making it harder to reach consensus on security cooperation topics.
