In Tianjin, Heads of States Approve SCO Development Strategy Until 2035

The leaders of member countries approved the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) Development Strategy through 2035, along with a package of other documents, following the 25th SCO summit held in Tianjin. Signatures on the decisions of this international forum were also affixed by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, reports BELTA.

The strategy outlines the goals and objectives of the SCO, as well as the methods to achieve them by 2035. Based on the principles and values of the organization, tasks have been formulated to strengthen mutual trust and good neighborliness among member states; to jointly counter security challenges and threats within the SCO space; to deepen practical cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, finance, and investment, among others.

The outcomes of China’s chairmanship are reflected in the Tianjin Declaration.

A package of documents concerning cooperation across various spheres was also adopted. These include the Program of Cooperation among SCO member states to Counter Extremist Ideology for 2026-2030, and the Roadmap for implementing the Energy Development Strategy until 2030.

The SCO has been granted observer status within the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Laos has been granted the status of SCO dialogue partner. Additionally, within the organization, a decision was made to unify the categories of "observer" and "dialogue partner" into a single category—"SCO Partner." This move aims to streamline the system of international cooperation within the SCO.

Following the summit, two intergovernmental agreements were signed: one establishing the SCO Anti-Drug Center, which will be based in Dushanbe as a permanent body, and another creating the Universal SCO Center for countering security challenges and threats among member states. The latter will be located in Tashkent within the framework of the SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure and will also operate as a permanent body. The Universal Center will include an Information Security Center, as well as a Center for Countering International Organized Crime in Bishkek as its branch.

The city of Cholpon-Ata in Kyrgyzstan has been declared the tourist and cultural capital of the SCO for 2025-2026.

A series of declarations from the SCO Heads of State Council were also adopted, covering topics such as the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations; strengthening cooperation in digital economy; sustainable energy development; green industry collaboration; further deepening international cooperation in artificial intelligence; support for a multilateral trading system; effective solutions to the global drug problem; and the advancement of scientific, technological, and innovative cooperation.