Beijing, JurnalPost.com — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has reached its 25th anniversary amidst a period of profound shifts in global geopolitics. Rising inter-state tensions, increasing protectionism, great power competition, and various cross-border challenges have brought the effectiveness of global governance back into the spotlight.
In this climate, the SCO is seeking to expand its role from an organization initially focused on regional security to a forum encompassing trade, connectivity, technology, education, and global governance.
This direction became increasingly apparent after Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) during the SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.
While presenting the proposal, Xi stated that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change.
“I would like to propose the Global Governance Initiative,” Xi said in his speech in Tianjin, calling for the construction of a global governance system that he described as more just and equitable.
The GGI is the fourth global initiative introduced by Xi, following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.
Five Principles of the Global Governance Initiative
The GGI is built upon five core principles: sovereign equality of states, respect for international law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and an emphasis on concrete action.
This concept shares several similarities with the principles long cultivated by the SCO through what is known as the “Shanghai Spirit.”
These principles emphasize mutual trust and benefit, equality, consultation, respect for the diversity of civilizations, and common development.
The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Over time, the organization has continued to grow and now includes 10 member states.
SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev noted in February 2026 that the SCO member states have a combined population of more than 3.4 billion people.
With such reach, the organization's development carries increasing weight in the geopolitical map of Eurasia.
Security Cooperation Remains the Foundation
Although the scope of its activities has broadened, security remains one of the SCO's primary foundations.
Since its inception, the organization has built cooperation to counter terrorism, separatism, and extremism through the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS).
A report on the 2025 global security situation published by the China Institute of International Studies stated that cooperation among SCO countries between 2001 and 2025 contributed to thwarting more than 1,400 cases related to terrorism and extremism.
During the same period, more than 40 joint counter-terrorism exercises and operations were conducted.
Institutional measures were also strengthened at the 2025 Tianjin Summit. Member states agreed to establish new mechanisms and centers related to security threats, transnational organized crime, information security, and narcotics control.
The strengthening of this structure demonstrates the SCO's effort to transform political coordination into a more permanent mechanism.
Digital Economy and AI as New Agendas
The most visible change in the SCO's development over the past few years is the expansion of its agenda from security toward economic and technological development.
In the last year, seven China-SCO cooperation platforms have been launched. The areas covered include green industry, digital economy, scientific and technological innovation, energy, higher education, vocational and technical education, and artificial intelligence (AI).
According to a Xinhua report in late August 2026, these seven platforms have generated more than 160 cooperation projects.
Trade is also an indicator of the vast economic space of SCO member states.
Xinhua’s calculations, based on World Trade Organization (WTO) data, indicate that the total import and export of goods from the 10 SCO member states reached approximately 8.88 trillion US dollars in 2025.
Connectivity is a vital part of this strategy.
One project receiving significant attention is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, designed to open new transportation routes in Central Asia and enhance trade connectivity between China and the region.
Beyond physical infrastructure, the SCO is developing a network of university cooperation and e-commerce services linked to the Silk Road economic corridor.
The goal is to ensure regional integration does not stop at intergovernmental relations but also touches upon trade activities, education, and people-to-people mobility.
SCO Seeks to Expand Global Role
The SCO's role in international governance has also gained more attention after the organization expanded its cooperation patterns through the SCO Plus format.
The SCO Plus meeting in Tianjin in 2025, for instance, involved not only the 10 member states but also various partner countries, observer states, and international organizations such as the UN, ASEAN, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
This format is one way the SCO expands dialogue with countries outside its core membership, particularly developing nations and the Global South.
However, the SCO's ability to act as a primary actor in global governance remains a subject of debate.
An analysis by the Stimson Center following the 2025 Tianjin Summit noted that the SCO's concrete cooperation in the past was considered limited compared to the scale of its political agenda. On the other hand, the establishment of new security centers and the expansion of the economic agenda are seen as potential ways to strengthen its institutional capacity.
Thus, the challenge for the SCO is no longer just expanding its membership or agenda, but ensuring that multilateral decisions yield measurable benefits.
Bishkek Summit as the Next Test
Entering its quarter-century mark, the SCO is now under the chairmanship of Kyrgyzstan for the 2025–2026 period.
The next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is scheduled to take place in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. A number of documents have been prepared, including the Bishkek Declaration to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding.
The meeting will be a crucial moment to observe the direction of the SCO after a quarter-century of existence.
For China, the SCO experience is viewed as an example that countries with different political systems, levels of development, and civilizational backgrounds can build cooperation mechanisms without needing to share the same model of government.
However, the extent to which this model can contribute meaningfully to global governance will depend heavily on implementation.
Amidst geopolitical fragmentation and rising great power rivalry, the SCO's ability to maintain consensus while producing concrete cooperation will be the primary measure of whether the “Shanghai Spirit” can evolve from a regional principle into a relevant model of multilateralism on the global stage.
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