Context:

For the first time, India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting after it joined the eight-member grouping in 2017.

Explain: SCO

• The SCO is an economic and security bloc in which India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017.
• Its founding members included China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Its driving philosophy is known as the “Shanghai Spirit” which emphasizes harmony, working by consensus, respect for each other’s culture, non-interference in the internal affairs of others, and non-alignment.

Historical Background

• After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the then security and economic architecture in the Eurasian region dissolved and new structures had to come up.
• The original Shanghai Five were China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
• The SCO was formed in 2001, with Uzbekistan included.
• It expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.