The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is looking at ways to address the most pressing global issues without being a disruptive influence

The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit promises to be a watershed moment in the bloc’s history, coming amid unprecedented global challenges and new, emergent tensions.

While the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting, which took place on May 4 and 5, was tasked with preparing the agenda for the July 3-4 summit in New Delhi, there is still much work to do to ensure that India’s chairmanship will be a success.

The West has broken virtually all links with Russia because of the Ukraine conflict. Western sanctions against Russia are unprecedented in scope, carrying significant ramifications also for the developing world, including the economic disruptions caused by the weaponization of the US dollar. The European security architecture is in tatters. For the West to seek Russia’s strategic defeat while the country possesses formidable military and material resources makes no sense. Risking a potential nuclear conflict in particular is totally irresponsible.

The European Union has lost its already limited capacity to play an independent role, especially with Germany losing clout and Brussels appropriating more power. The doors of dialogue and diplomacy are being kept closed as NATO seeks military advantage over Russia, and uses Ukraine as a proxy.

At the other end of Eurasia, US-China tensions are rising over Taiwan, regional maritime disputes, strengthening of US-centered regional alliances and NATO overtures to Japan and South Korea. The US and the EU are warning China against supplying lethal arms to Russia under pain of sanctions, even as they seek China’s support in persuading Russia to end its military intervention in Ukraine, and this in the background of the high-level dialogue between the US and China having virtually broken down.

Can Eurasia’s rising political bloc show a united front against the West’s encroachment?

Both Russia and China, the principal pillars of the SCO, are at loggerheads with the West to different degrees, and the summit agenda will inevitably reflect this reality. The SCO represents a building block of multipolarity within the global system at the political, economic and security levels, a goal reiterated at the Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

While the other SCO members have robust links to both Russia and China, their connections with India are not as strong, despite mutual goodwill and shared interests. This is largely due to a lack of contiguity and direct access to Central Asia. With Iran and Belarus joining as full members, the SCO will achieve greater Eurasian depth. Both of these countries have been politically and economically targeted by the West. The SCO Foreign Ministers meeting also agreed on May 5 to grant dialogue partner status to Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar and the UAE, in addition to the nine existing dialogue partners. The growing interest demonstrates the appeal of the SCO as a grouping of non-Western countries that provide an alternative platform for nations to pursue their interests outside the Western-dominated international system.

Association with the SCO increases their margin to maneuver, primarily at the political and economic levels. Diplomatic support, hedging against Western sanctions, access to non-Western development banks, benefits from connectivity projects and infrastructure development, cooperation against terrorism, extremism and separatism, are obvious advantages.

India has taken its current presidency of the SCO seriously, organizing and hosting more than 100 meetings and events, including 15 ministerial level meetings. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has also stressed the great importance for India of developing multifaceted cooperation. He introduced the term ‘SECURE’ SCO on the basis of Security, Economic Development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection.

As SCO Chair, India initiated an unprecedented engagement with the organization’s Observers and Dialogue Partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 socio-cultural events. Many of the events hosted by India occurred for the first time in the framework of the SCO, such as the Millet Food Festival, Film Festival, Cultural Festival, the Tourism Mart, and Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage.

Moscow Region representatives conduct roadshows to entice Delhi and Mumbai investors

Jaishankar noted that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, global supply chains had been disrupted, leading to a serious impact on delivering energy, food, and fertilizers to developing nations. He viewed these challenges as an opportunity for SCO members to address them collaboratively, noting that with more than 40% of the world’s population within the SCO, its collective decisions would surely have a global impact.

Additionally, Jaishankar highlighted the unabated menace of terrorism, and that combating it was one of the original mandates of the SCO. He drew attention to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan where the immediate priorities included providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities. This was echoed by the Chinese foreign minister.

India expressed its willingness to share its expertise and experience in the field of startups having helped cultivate over 70,000, more than 100 of which were ‘unicorns’. Last year, it proposed the creation of a Startups and Innovation working groups as well as one focused on traditional medicines, and the SCO meeting approved plans to operationalize these initiatives.

India believes that the SCO should look at reform and modernization to keep the organization relevant in a rapidly transforming world, and noted that discussions on these issues had already commenced. It also sought support for its long-standing demand to make English the SCO’s third official language, as this would enable a deeper engagement with English-speaking members and would take the SCO’s work to a global audience.

India also proposed the New Delhi Declaration as an SCO Summit Declaration at the meeting, as well as four other thematic joint statements on cooperation in de-radicalization strategies, promotion of millets, sustainable lifestyles to address climate change and digital transformation. India sought support for a timely finalization of these documents for approval at the SCO Summit.

Indian delegation wraps up successful business tour in Russia

According to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, all participating parties considered the SCO as an important platform for joint combat against terrorism, separatism, drug trafficking, as well as cyber crimes. All favored more cooperation in such fields as transportation, energy, finance, investment, trade, the digital economy, regional connectivity, deeper cultural and people-to-people exchanges, environmental protection, climate change, sustainable development, and SCO’s strengthened cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries.

The meeting also offered the gathered foreign ministers an opportunity for intense bilateral meetings. For example, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov met his Chinese counterpart to discuss the implementation of agreements reached between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in March.

The SCO continues to enlarge its footprint, widen its agenda, and carve out a non-Western space in the international system, but some key points of friction remain between members especially China and India. The two countries are currently embroiled in a border dispute that has yet to be settled. Additionally, India stands in opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative due to India’s concerns about connected sovereignty issues.

The other, less important fault line, is India-Pakistan relations. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bhutto Zardari did not help matters by making indirect jibes at India during his speech at the SCO meeting and further criticism of New Delhi in his interviews to the media. His comments elicited a sharp response by the Indian Foreign Minister, but only after the SCO meeting was completed. Pakistan is currently in the throes of a major internal crisis, which may affect its participation in the SCO summit. However, India-Pakistan differences are not germane to the SCO’s growing stature. Far more important is the Russia-India-China triangle.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of TSFT.

You can share this story on social media:

PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME

SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS

Rome is considering leaving the Belt and Road Initiative in a move which will place virtue signaling to other Western states above its own interests

Italy’s membership of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is up for renewal at the end of this year, and Western media outlets are speculating that Rome may choose to leave the pact.

Italy became the first and only G7 nation to join China’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure vision, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) just before a tidal wave of anti-China sentiment was unleashed on the world. Indeed, the country’s leadership was in a very different place then, with Italy being led by Giuseppe Conte of the Five Star Movement, whose populism faulted the Euro-Atlantic establishment for decimating the Italian economy through the 2008 debt crisis and the brutal austerity measures which followed. It is little wonder that Italy had decided to look eastwards.

Even 15 years on from the events of 2008, Italy’s economy still has not fully recovered. It was worth $2.4 trillion at the end of that year, but is only at $2.1 trillion now, and barely growing at all. New and concurrent economic crises have taken a toll. Italy’s current leadership no longer believes all roads lead to Rome, let alone to China’s modern-day Silk Road – rather, they lead to Washington. As pressure on the country has grown, its successive leaders, Mario Draghi and Giorgia Meloni, have sought to reset its foreign policy back to transatlantic-oriented goals, ending its rebellion against the establishment and thus contemplating quitting China’s grand initiative.

Italy may exit ‘New Silk Road’ – FT

Oddly enough, the truth remains that it is the EU and US that stand as the biggest threat to Italy’s prosperity, not China. While dumping the BRI will receive plaudits from the US-dominated commentary circles in these countries, the reality is that they offer no alternative, no plans, and no incentives to make Italy a wealthier country. It is the “sick man” of the G7, an advanced economy that has increasingly lost its competitiveness, but also one that has been thrust into decline by being a southern EU country and a net loser of Eurozone policies.

It is precisely because of the economic upheavals that the country has faced over the past 15 years and widespread political dissatisfaction, that radical and populist politics have gained ground. China was rightfully seen as an alternative, a country that could rapidly expand Italy’s exports and invest in crumbling public infrastructure. However, this has quickly become politically incorrect. Italy’s leaders argue that BRI participation has been a waste of time. However, the reality is that when Eurocrat Mario Draghi came to office, he sought to reset Italy’s foreign policy and began using new “golden powers” to veto and cancel Chinese investments in Italy on a large scale. In 2021 alone, he blocked three Chinese takeovers, including a seed and vegetable producer.

Following Draghi, Giorgia Meloni, despite her outward populism, has been even more prone to pledging Rome’s loyalty to the transatlantic cause, having decided to become vocal in support of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and even visit Kiev. At this stage, it is very little surprise that her country is contemplating canceling participation in the BRI, something which can score political points and help dispel doubts about her loyalty to Brussels and Washington. Predictably, the mainstream media narrative readily depicts the BRI in predatory and malign terms, ignoring the obvious empirical truth that it is the EU that has saddled Italy with a national debt larger than its GDP, and not China. Of course, there is no alternative scheme or plan for Italy on offer should it leave the BRI, meaning it is cutting its nose off to spite its face.

EU defenseless against China – Berlusconi

By forfeiting its BRI membership, Italy will undoubtedly lose the opportunity to massively enhance its trade competitiveness, namely by opting out of projects such as Chinese-owned ports and railway links. As an example of this, Greece, to the southeast, has positioned itself as a “gateway to Europe” through Chinese ownership of Pireaus port and its connecting railways, which allows cargo to go up through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, into the port and then across Europe. Italy could have competed for a share of this, but it has chosen not to, and it’s not like it will be selling anything additional to the US with its protectionist “America first” policies, is it?

In doing so, Italy has chosen to stop being a leader pursuing its own path in the world to better strengthen its global clout, but instead to be a follower, to play second fiddle to the transatlantic establishment which doesn’t see it as a particularly prominent partner to begin with. Italy joined the BRI precisely because it was sick of being a “rule taker” from Brussels, in a similar vein to what Greece has experienced. Now it appears happy again to hold up the political orthodoxy of the elitist, US-led G7. In doing so, it can kiss goodbye any hopes of becoming a powerful and influential country again anytime soon. Italy is admired mostly for its past, as opposed to what it offers to the world presently, and if its current leadership has its way, that will likely remain the case.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of TSFT.

You can share this story on social media:

PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME

SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS

In mid-April, a fledgling political party that recently formed in the Czech Republic called Pravo Respekt Odbornost (Law Respect Expertise; PRO) whipped up a large protest in Prague’s Wenceslas Square.

Thousands turned out for the PRO rally on April 16th – nearly 100,000 by the party’s own count. They rallied against the crippling inflation biting the country’s working class and called for the resignation of the ruling center-right coalition government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

Pro-Western outlets, like Voice of America, as well as the mainstream Czech media, have described the group as pro-Kremlin and xenophobic. An earlier protest staged by the group in front of the National Museum in Prague saw rallygoers shout out “Go Home!” to counter-protestors holding Ukrainian flags, apparently telling Ukrainian refugees to leave the Czech Republic for good.

During the April 16 protest, the lead organizer of the group, Jindrich Rajchl, told the crowd, “We want the government’s resignation” while the crowd chanted, “Resign, resign.”

Rajchl’s group has not been alone. Prague has been experiencing continual waves of protests since September of last year attended by the center-left Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO), far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM). One protest on September 3 gathered an estimated 70,000 people.

PRO is just the latest group to tap into a broad populist swath of Czechs that are unhappy with their government’s foreign policy, ability to manage the inflation crisis, and its (admittedly poor) style of communication. After their large protest in mid-April, PRO continued a sit-in at Prague’s Straka Academy, which is the working area of the prime minister. I met up with Rajchl, who is a lawyer by profession, and his fellow protestors on April 17 to get a sense of what was really going on.

“We sent them (the government) about two months ago our requirements, which are positive and very constructive, and we requested a reaction, which is based on the reaction of hundreds of thousands of Czechs, and they haven’t reacted at all,” Rajchl told me. According to him, the group plans to “level up” their protests and continue to apply pressure as long as the government ignores their proposals.

Rajchl asserts that the government’s financial problems aren’t solely due to its lethal support to Ukraine, which is just “one piece” of the issue. “The problem is that they are not able to manage the finances here in the Czech Republic,” he explained. He also noted that the Czech Republic has the highest electricity prices in the European Union while being one of the largest energy exporters, which he said is “completely absurd.” For his part, Prime Minister Fiala has questioned official data published by the European Union on this, saying it does not reflect reality.

The organizer also called attention to the issue of freedom of speech. He is, notably, the attorney of Martina Bednarova, a Czech school teacher who allegedly parroted pro-Russian misinformation. She now faces criminal and civil penalties. But according to Rajchl, she merely encouraged her students to think for themselves about the Ukraine crisis.

He also mentioned Miroslav Sevcik, a dean at Prague’s University of Economics and Business, who attended a PRO rally and was pushed by police, caught on video, and encouraged to resign by some students for his attendance. His faculty has since backed his employment despite public pressure.

On the issue of NATO, which has been the focus of much of the local media, Rajchl didn’t say that he wants the Czech Republic to abandon the organization outright. Rather, he explained that he would be in support of NATO ending its adventurism around the world, such as in Afghanistan or Iraq. “A lot is made of Article Five – but no one talks about Article One and Two, which require members to resolve issues peacefully and to contribute to the further development of peace,” he told me.

When we picked up our interview on April 28, Rajchl spoke about his political influences. Perhaps to some people’s surprise, it’s not Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, but actually Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and even fellow RT columnist Scott Ritter – all Americans.

Rajchl revealed himself to be extremely anti-vaccine and vowed to sue European politicians connected to large vaccine producers should he be elected to the European Parliament in the future. He also wants to cut spending on some social services, such as universities, and pass the financial burdens of tuition onto students. However, these fees would be far less than, for example, in the United States. It is meant to help rein in the Czech Republic’s out-of-control public finances that were, until recently, the envy of Europe.

Despite our disagreements on these issues, he mostly appeared to be someone who wants to tell the truth – even at great cost. We spoke, for example, about the hypocrisy of Czech foreign policy through the years and he mentioned the excellent example of Serbia.

Czechs protest price rises and Ukraine military aid

For instance, when Tomas Masaryk, the president and founder of the first Czechoslovak state in the early 20th century, had his passport confiscated by the Austro-Hungarian Empire for his secessionist activity, Serbia gave him a passport. He used it to travel abroad and organize Czechoslovak dissidents. Later, when Hitler, along with the West, bit off a piece of the country – the Sudetenland – tens of thousands of Yugoslav fighters were sent by their government to fight against the superior force. But they were called off.

In 1968, during the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia led by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Yugoslavia protested in what was part of the Soviet-Yugoslav split. Essentially, every time Serbia – and later Yugoslavia – had a chance to side with the Czechs, they did so without question. But, when Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic itself joined the West, President Vaclav Havel joined the coalition to bomb Serbia and Yugoslavia to hell. In fact, current President Petr Pavel is a decorated war “hero” of the Yugoslav wars and a former NATO chief.

Despite the accusations, Rajchl and his party are not a Russian fifth column. They are actually products of a perhaps long-forgotten political tradition in the Czech Republic. More than anything, they are seeking to return the country to a course that it has since deviated from. According to polling commissioned by his campaign, he’s currently just over the 5% threshold needed to get into parliament in the 2025 election, and he hopes to form a coalition government with other opposition parties.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of TSFT.

You can share this story on social media:

PLEASANT MUSIC FOR YOUR CAFE, BAR, RESTAURANT, SWEET SHOP, HOME

SUITABLE MUSIC FOR YOGA LOVERS