China Elevates Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a Core Foreign Policy Priority
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) stands at the forefront of China’s diplomatic agenda. Beijing has been actively advancing the bloc, underscoring its importance in China’s broader strategy for regional influence and global engagement. This stance was articulated by Ambassador Zhang Haizhou, who serves as China’s SCO national coordinator, during a media briefing with journalists from SCO member countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The briefing was reported by TASS as part of ongoing coverage of SCO developments. Zhang emphasized that the SCO’s foundational role in China’s external policy remains intact and that the country is intensifying its efforts to strengthen the organization’s profile and impact across member states.
According to the diplomat, China initiated the SCO and continues to treat it as a central objective within its foreign policy framework. Beijing is pursuing a multi-layered approach to the organization, focusing on expanding practical cooperation in political, economic, security, and people-to-people exchanges. The aim is to enhance coordination among members, promote shared norms, and address common regional challenges. In line with this vision, China is working to broaden interaction across all areas of collaboration, while also advocating for a balanced, rules-based order that emphasizes sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. Critics and supporters alike note that these efforts are part of a broader push to shape regional governance in a way that reflects SCO members’ evolving interests and reflects China’s own strategic priorities.
In parallel with Beijing’s renewed push, senior officials have stressed the importance of resisting external pressures and attempts at interference that could destabilize regional cohesion. The SCO’s agenda continues to emphasize stability, economic integration, and shared development, with concrete programs designed to deepen trade, infrastructure investment, and cultural exchanges among member states. This approach seeks to create more predictable regional dynamics and to promote collective resilience in the face of global uncertainties. Observers note that China’s leadership views the SCO as a platform to coordinate responses to regional security concerns, counteract unilateralism, and foster a collective voice on issues such as security governance and collaborative development.
Within this evolving environment, Russia has signaled continued interest in reinforcing its position within the SCO framework. Former Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has indicated that Moscow is considering steps that would facilitate Belarus’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The development would expand regional collaboration and deepen mutual ties among the bloc’s members, reflecting a broader trend of integrating neighboring partners into the SCO’s governance and cooperative mechanisms. Analysts suggest that such moves could enhance regional security architectures and spur new avenues for economic and infrastructural collaboration, while also presenting navigation challenges for member states seeking consensus on expansion and institutional reform.
Overall, the SCO’s trajectory under China’s leadership appears focused on practical outcomes and sustained, constructive engagement among its members. By prioritizing development-oriented projects, disaster response coordination, energy and trade collaboration, and cross-border connectivity, the organization aims to deliver tangible benefits that reinforce unity and shared interests across a diverse regional bloc. Beijing’s insistence on upholding the SCO’s original goals—promoting mutual respect for sovereignty, opposing interference from outside powers, and supporting a more balanced global order—continues to color its diplomacy and the bloc’s strategic agenda. As member states weigh opportunities for expansion and deeper cooperation, the SCO’s future may hinge on the ability of its leadership to align diverse national interests with a coherent, forward-looking vision for regional stability and prosperity.