India and China recently engaged in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Bilateral Consultations in New Delhi to deliberate on implementing SCO Leaders’ decisions and the organization’s future direction. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) disclosed that both nations have affirmed their commitment to enhancing mutual cooperation and consultations within the SCO framework. The meeting, led by India’s SCO National Coordinator Ambassador Alok A Dimri and China’s National Coordinator Ambassador Yan Wenbin, emphasized the importance of ongoing collaboration in various areas such as security, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people ties.
The SCO, founded on June 15, 2001, includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as its founding members. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, expanding the membership to 10 states. Additionally, the SCO has two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, and others. Kyrgyzstan currently holds the SCO chairmanship for 2025-2026, with President Sadyr Japarov setting the theme as “25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.”
China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, expressed Beijing’s commitment to strengthening strategic alignment, enhancing practical cooperation, and fostering people-to-people exchanges with India on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xu emphasized the significance of China-India relations and the mutual benefits derived from being good neighbors and partners.
