SCO Members in Talks to Establish Comprehensive Centre to Address Security Threats: China

By R Anil Kumar

• The Tianjin SCO summit from 31 August – 1 September, is anticipated to be a pivotal event, with the participation of leaders from all member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and heads of ten international organisations, underlining the high-level commitment to the initiative

Beijing. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an influential regional bloc comprising ten member states – China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus – is taking significant strides to elevate its mechanisms for addressing regional security threats.

In the lead-up to the 2025 SCO Summit, scheduled for August 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, China, member countries are intensifying their consultations to establish a comprehensive security centre aimed at strengthening cooperation against a broad spectrum of security challenges.

As China currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the bloc, its leadership has been pivotal in steering the agenda toward more robust regional security collaboration.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, during a recent media briefing, outlined the scope and urgency of these consultations among SCO members. Central to the current discussions is the creation of specialised institutions within the broader comprehensive centre: an information security centre to combat cyber and digital threats, a centre specifically dedicated to countering transnational organised crime, and a counternarcotic centre to intensify anti-drug efforts.

The overarching goal is to reinforce law enforcement collaboration and construct a new, integrated paradigm of regional security cooperation that addresses evolving and multifaceted threats in an increasingly interconnected world.

The Tianjin summit is anticipated to be a pivotal event, with the participation of leaders from all member states, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and heads of ten international organisations, underlining the high-level commitment to the initiative.

India has already demonstrated its engagement with the process, as evidenced by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s participation in the Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Tianjin earlier in July 2025.

Guo Jiakun highlighted China’s intention to ensure the summit is marked by solidarity, unity, and practical outcomes. The concluding phase of preparations is focused on ensuring results in key areas: security, development, quality of life, and institutional mechanisms.

There is a deliberate emphasis on collective gain and the fostering of a tighter-knit SCO community with a shared vision for the future.

The forthcoming summit is being positioned as a launchpad for the SCO into what China describes as a new phase of high-quality development, characterized by enhanced coordination, energy, and a broader contribution to regional and international affairs.

Since taking up the rotating presidency in July 2024, China has invigorated the SCO’s operations, orchestrating over 100 events spanning diverse sectors such as politics, security, defence, economic cooperation, investment, energy, education, connectivity infrastructure, technological innovation, green industries, digital economies, and cultural interactions. Almost half of these have been institutional events, consolidating frameworks for enduring cooperation and solidifying mutual trust among member states.

A key tenet of the SCO, the “Shanghai Spirit”—emphasizing mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development—has been forcefully reaffirmed. The organization has increasingly spoken in a unified voice on pressing international and regional concerns, upholding the multilateral trade system, condemning the misuse of armed force, and advocating for the rule of law and justice on the global stage.

The establishment of the comprehensive security centre, along with its sub-entities, marks a significant evolution in the SCO’s architecture, transforming it into a more dynamic platform capable of addressing not only traditional but also emerging non-traditional security threats such as cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, and cross-border organized crime.

The consultative process led by China, and the active involvement of major regional players like India and Russia, demonstrate the bloc’s commitment to a safer, more stable Eurasian region. The results of the Tianjin summit will likely set the tone for the SCO’s trajectory in the coming years, positioning it as a pivotal actor in regional security governance.