The external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, took a swipe at China and Pakistan by pointing out their failures to protect national integrity and combat terrorism, on Wednesday, and stated, “The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), should have an “honest conversation” on lack of trust and neighbourly ties.
A day after becoming the first Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in almost a decade, Jaishankar made comments during the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Islamabad and spoke on behalf of India to a gathering including Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif at session of SCO’s second highest decision-making body.
PM Sharif suggested that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which India has long opposed due to its route through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), should be broadened and integrated into a “robust SCO connectivity framework”. But SCO forbids discussing such matters in bloc meetings.
The SCO Charter, which discusses fostering friendship, good neighborliness, and mutual trust as well as regional cooperation, offers some suggested solutions to the problems highlighted by Jaishankar, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, and extreme weather events.
In equally strong terms, Charter stated, the three main issues the SCO needs to address are terrorism, separatism and extremism and therefore, it is imperative that we have an open discussion.
To which, Jaishankar stated, “If activities across borders are characterized by these three issues, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges in parallel”. He added, “New opportunities for different types of cooperation have been brought about by globalization and rebalancing, and can be advantageous for SCO region and its foundation must be “mutual respect and sovereign equality”, in addition, territorial integrity and sovereignty should also be acknowledged. Jaishankar also calls out, terrorism, separatism and extremism as “three evils”.
“The bloc needs to acknowledge the “current constraints on our cooperation” and concentrate on the future in order for the SCO to achieve its goals”, he said. He also recommended that the SCO member states work together in the following areas: MSME partnership to create jobs, industrial cooperation to boost competitiveness and broaden labor markets, and promotion of investment flows.
Jaishankar pledged to distribute the advantages of India’s international endeavors, encompassing the Global Biofuel Alliance, the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and digital public infrastructure. He also pitched for “reformed multilateralism” and comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council in the permanent and non-permanent categories.
As chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, Sharif stated that Pakistan has concentrated on regional peace and stability, as well as enhancing connectivity and sustainable development. To improve Eurasian connectivity and act as a gateway for regional trade, he advocated for the establishment of a “robust SCO connectivity framework.” In order to strengthen connection, he stated, “projects like the International North-South Corridor (INSC), China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can be expanded, focusing on roads, railways, and digital infrastructure.”
While, Chinese Premier Li Qiang advocated for “pragmatic cooperation” in order to address issues such as poverty alleviation, the digital economy, green development, connectivity and facilitation of trade and investment across regions, and the preservation of industrial and supply chain stability.
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