Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - News and Discussion

[SSridhar]

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[SSridhar]

Fix accountability for terror aid, India says while Pakistan skips meet - ToI

India on Friday called upon the eight member states of the SCO to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism in all its forms, and fix accountability on those who aid or fund such activities, even as Pakistan defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif skipped the meeting.

“If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others, but for itself too,” defence minister Rajnath Singh said, in an obvious reference to Pakistan days after five Indian soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush in the Rajouri area of J&K on April 20. Any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form is a major crime against humanity, and peace and prosperity cannot coexist with this menace, Singh added.

The SCO meet hosted by India was attended by the defence ministers of six other members, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as two observer countries Belarus and Iran in person. Pakistan was represented by special adviser to PM Shehbaz Sharif on defence Malik Ahmed Khan through video conferencing.

Singh said, “Radicalisation of youth is a cause of concern not only from the point of view of security, but it is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society. If we want to make the SCO a stronger and more credible international organisation, our top-most priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism.”

With Chinese defence minister General Li Shangfu listening, Singh said India envisioned a robust framework of regional cooperation which “mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests”.

He asserted that India strives to further bolster trust and cooperation among the members of the SCO as it believes in maintaining peace and security based on the provisions of the UN charter.

Singh called for concerted efforts by the SCO members on collective prosperity so that the region shifts to the mindset of ‘great gain from win-win paradigm’ from ‘great game of zero sum, win-lose paradigm’. At the end of the deliberations, all the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.

[Cyrano]

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation being subverted to become Sanatan Cooperation Organisation

[SSridhar]

Qin Gang Chairs the Fourth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
I am posting this here because this meet comes just a few days ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting scheduled for May 3 & 4 in Goa. It included all CAR members of CSO.

Last year, the heads of state of the six countries jointly announced the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, and the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism came into being. . . Qin Gang said that the world finds itself in a new period of turbulence and transformation. Unity is strength. The more chaotic the world is and the more complex the situation is, the more we need to stay focused, strengthen unity and enhance cooperation. The two sides should continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning respective core interests, and remain to be friends and partners with common aspirations, honesty and mutual trust. . . .The foreign ministers expressed concerns over the current complex situation and geopolitical conflicts, and stressed the need to build bridges rather than walls. All parties spoke highly of the constructive phone call between President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and held the belief that it would be helpful for an early ceasefire and resumption of peace talks. All parties support China’s proposal to promote peace talks and hold that conflicts should be resolved through diplomatic means in accordance with the spirit of international law. They are ready to strengthen coordination with China and jointly commit to universal security, lasting peace and sustainable development in the region.

[SSridhar]

China minister set to hold talks with Jaishankar on sidelines of SCO

China announced on Tuesday its foreign minister Qin Gang will visit India for the SCO foreign ministers' meeting in Goa on May 4-5. This will be Qin's second visit to India after his participation in the G20 foreign ministers' meeting here in March.

Beijing said Qin will exchange views with other SCO member states' foreign ministers on the "international and regional situation and SCO cooperation in various fields, among other topics, to make full preparation for this year's SCO summit." Russia and Pakistan foreign ministers had earlier confirmed their participation in the meeting of the Eurasian group.

Chinese President, along with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, is likely to visit India for the SCO summit that India will host on July 3-4. The summit will likely see on the margins the first bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi since the military standoff erupted in eastern Ladakh in April-May 2020.

India, which holds the presidency of the Eurasian group currently, is hosting a series of meetings leading up to the summit. China also participated in the SCO defence ministers' meeting last week here.

Qin will look to discuss the agenda for Xi's visit in his likely second bilateral with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the SCO meeting. Jaishankar is likely to reinforce India's point about the need for early completion of the disengagement process in eastern Ladakh, and for further de-escalation, that can help restore normalcy to ties. Jaishankar had told Qin in their last meeting that the relationship remained abnormal because of the dangerous border situation.

While there was no announcement by Beijing, reports in Pakistan media said he will travel to Islamabad from India for a trilateral with Afghanistan. This will be Qin's first visit to Pakistan as China's foreign minister. The government doesn't usually encourage foreign dignitaries to club visit to India with a trip to Pakistan.

[SSridhar]

Ajit Doval meets Iranian President ahead of July SCO Summit - ET

National security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met President Ebrahim Raisi during his Tehran visit on Monday and discussed Iran's entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) economic projects, including connectivity initiatives and regional developments.

Iran will be formally admitted into the SCO as the group’s ninth member at the July summit in Delhi. Raisi is expected to attend the summit.

Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Samarkand on the sidelines of the 22nd SCO summit last September, the Iranian president said the leaders of both countries are determined to expand trade relations.

Raisi told Doval that regional and international organisations such as the SCO and BRICS have remarkable power and resources, said people with knowledge of the matter. Iran is also keen to enter BRICS.

The Iranian president also said, according to the people, that enhanced cooperation between Iran and India can help the settlement of regional issues, including the developments in Afghanistan.

Doval, on his part, referred to technological changes and their impact on the economy, and suggested increasing economic cooperation with Iran.

This was the first high-level visit from India to Iran since Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a rapprochement, which will have a profound impact on the region where India has huge stakes.

?Earlier, Iranian NSA Ali Shamkhani pitched for using national currencies (rupee and rial) for trade with India, including in oil, during his meeting with Doval on Monday. He said using national currencies in bilateral trade between Iran with India would help the two countries achieve their joint economic objectives, said officials.

During the meeting, Shamkhani and Doval discussed economic, political, and security issues concerning Iran and India as well as important regional and international developments.

Stating that improved Iran-India ties are not against any other country, the Iranian NSA underlined that global and regional developments had created very good conditions to strengthen interactions between the two countries in energy, transportation and transit, technology and banking.

India has earlier used national currencies for oil trade with Iran and, over the past year has started trade with a number of countries in national currencies.

Welcoming the role played by India in regional and international developments, Shamkhani highlighted that Iran considers India’s active participation in political, economic and security initiatives, in Central Asia and the Persian Gulf region, necessary and helpful.

Doval said that the deep influence of Iranian culture in the daily life of Indians is a sign of deep ties between the two nations.

He also said that the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalise their diplomatic ties would have profound regional effects on changing relations in the international system.

Emphasising the need for cooperation between Iran and India to boost stability in Afghanistan, Doval said the two countries should work together to combat terrorism. He said India considers Chabahar Port, in south-eastern Iran, as a gateway for increased cooperation between Iran and India.

The duo also discussed boosting the International North South Transport Corridor, which has played a major role in increasing Indo-Russian trade volume since February 2022.

[SSridhar]

This was missed out being posted here.

Quad, AUKUS attempts to contain China: Russia

Russia on Friday lashed out at the US and multilateral groupings like the Quad, of which India is a member, and AUKUS as moves to contain China, at the defence ministers’ meet of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) here.

The US and its allies are actively opposing the formation of a multipolar world in the Asia-Pacific, with “counter-measures” through military and political alliances such as Quad and AUKUS which are “integrating into NATO”, Russian defence minister Sergei K Shoigu said.

“The concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific region is now promoted…In order to contain China, a front is forming,” he said, stressing that the US and “its enablers” are pursuing a strategic agenda to provoke military confrontation with Russia and China.

“The conflict in Ukraine is a clear demonstration of this criminal policy. Its real aim is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, threaten China, and maintain its monopoly position in the world,” Shoigu said.

The Russian minister’s critical references to the Quad and the explicit support expressed for China on Indian soil will not go down well with New Delhi, which is already concerned over the tightening Moscow-Beijing strategic embrace amid the continuing three-year military confrontation in eastern Ladakh and the fallout of the ongoing war in Ukraine.­

[Cyrano]

The byline of the article is one Rajat Pandit. Sounds familiar...

[SSridhar]

SCO bilaterals: Focus on border with China, ‘trust-­based’ talks with Russia - ToI

The Sino-Indian border strife in eastern Ladakh again dominated foreign minister S Jaishankar’s second bilateral with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang as the former reiterated India’s position that bilateral ties will return to normal only after the situation along the LAC is fully resolved.

In another bilateral meeting on Thursday, Jaishankar had "trust-based" exchanges with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on bilateral and "topical" global and regional issues.

Jaishankar met Qin and Lavrov here ahead of the meeting of the SCO foreign ministers that began later in the day with a dinner and cultural programme hosted by the Indian minister.

In his last meeting with Qin, on the margins of the G20 meeting in March, Jaishankar had told Qin that the relationship currently was abnormal and the message on this occasion was no different.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," tweeted Jaishankar after the meeting.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh had told his counterpart Li Shangfu in another SCO meeting last week that China’s violations of bilateral agreement for border peace had eroded the basis of bilateral ties. While India wants disengagement of troops in the remaining areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh to be completed before resuming normal bilateral exchanges, China believes the border issue should not be allowed to come in the way of progress in the relationship.

In the middle of this military and diplomatic gridlock, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India for the SCO summit on July 4. Xi and PM Narendra Modi are expected to have on the margins their first bilateral meeting since the border flare-up in May 2020 but India will hope to see more progress in the disengagement process before the meeting.

The SCO meeting on Friday will also look to firm up the agenda for the summit in July which will see participation also by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Jaishankar’s meeting with Lavrov Thursday saw, as the former said, a comprehensive review of the bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation between the 2 countries.

"Appreciated Russia’s support for India’s SCO presidency. Also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS,’’ he tweeted.

According to Russian authorities, a trust-based exchange of views on the main issues of bilateral relations, including the schedule of upcoming contacts, as well as topical issues on the global and regional agenda took place in the meeting.

"The ministers praised the dynamics of cooperation in key areas of the special and privileged strategic partnership between our countries,’’ said a Russian readout of the meeting, adding that the 2 sides agreed to work further towards building a "fair multipolar system of interstate relations".

Lavrov, who arrived in India a day after Russia claimed Ukraine launched a drone attack on Kremlin to assassinate Putin, also had bilateral meetings with Qin and his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

According to Pakistan, Lavrov and Bilawal discussed bilateral, regional, and international issues of interest. The 2 leaders also discussed ways to deepen cooperation for food security, energy and people to people contacts. Russia maintains that its ties with Pakistan are independent of the relationship with India and that it’s mindful of India’s security interests while developing relations with Islamabad.

[Dilbu]

Is India Wasting Time In The SCO, Where China Calls The Shots?

Since India-China ties took a nose-dive following the military confrontation in the summer of 2020, public opinion in the country has taken a sharp anti-Beijing turn. Many are wondering why India should be a part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a grouping conceived by China and Russia, but where Beijing clearly calls the shots. So, is the SCO an anachronism as far as India is concerned and a waste of time? Some believe India should abandon the SCO and concentrate instead on quad and the western alliance aimed at containing China’s rise in Asia.

International politics however, is not guided by emotion but hard facts. "It is in India’s interest to engage with the SCO. We cannot leave the field to others because of our differences with China or because some want us to distance ourselves from Russia. The Eurasian space – Central Asia, Caspian and beyond – is in our near neighbourhood, where Russia, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries are pursuing their interests. We have to protect and further our interests in this space. If Russia and China are getting close to each other, that is a stronger argument for our continued presence in a region that they dominate,’’ says P.S. Raghavan, Chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board (NSAB).

Since the Ukraine war, the US and its allies have been making the point that Russia and China are in a tight embrace and there is little New Delhi can gain from continuing to be close to Russia. Many people in India too buy this argument. That China and Russia have similar strategic considerations and are working closely with each other is nothing new. It has been on over the last two decades as Russia and China hope to keep the former Central Asian countries, once a part of the former Soviet Union out of American’s sphere of influence. Ever since the break up of the Soviet Union, the Americans have also been pushing to make a dent in the region.

In 1996, five years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Shanghai Five was formed in the city from where it derived its name. The original members were China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Moscow wanted to make sure that the now independent republics remain within its political influence while China was keen on increasing trade with these countries.

By 2001, the leaders of these five countries admitted Uzbekistan and renamed the group as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. In 2002 the SCO charter was signed. With India and Pakistan joining in 2017, the SCO is now an eight member body, but many other countries are keen to join. Iran and Afghanistan are waiting in the wings. So are Belarus and Mongolia. Others in the queue are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia. Many of these countries either have observer status or are dialogue partners of the SCO at present.

While economic cooperation remains an important focus, fighting religious extremism has assumed great importance since the rise of Islamic groups across the region. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, jihadi warriors from neighbouring central Asian countries poured into the country and got indoctrinated. Many received arms training inside Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden was very much in Afghanistan at that time and the effort was to overturn the largely corrupt rulers of central Asia nations and bring in religious governments that would impose Sharia law, as Mullah Omar had done in Afghanistan. Much has happened since those early days of the SCO, but regional security and fighting religious extremism remains a core focus for the group.

Combating terrorism and radical ideology as well as regional security is vital for India’s growth. The SCO also happens to be one of the world’s largest regional groupings covering around 60 per cent of Eurasia and 40 percent of the world’s population. Considering the region is regarded by India as its extended neighbourhood, opting out of this large group would be foolish. Considering our geography India needs to have a say and leverage in Eurasia and engage with all countries of the region.

Former diplomat Ajay Bisaria was at headquarters in 2012 as Joint Secretary in charge of Eurasia, when India took the plunge to apply for membership of the SCO. He was dealing with India’s entry into the SCO and recalls that there were questions even at that time whether India should be part of a forum which was China-created, China-dominated and China-led. He said Russia was keen to have India on board to balance China, as well as to give a more democratic look to a forum packed with authoritarian leaders.

"The decision and instinct to join the SCO was correct, even though it is a China-led body, since India now has this additional platform to pursue its interests in Eurasia,’’ says Bisaria. India’s leaders can engage better with Central Asian leaders, have an additional lens to deal with Afghanistan and can explore a wider set of options for connectivity in this space.

As an emerging pole in a multi-polar world, India needs to have access to multiple platforms to pursue its interests in different geographies: like the SCO in Eurasia, the QUAD in the Indo-Pacific, the I2U2 in West Asia, he explains. "This is what nimble diplomacy is about. As the SCO chair, India gets to set and shape an agenda in this space more aligned to our strategic interest, rather than leave it to the Chinese to do so,’’ Bisaria adds.

And if all this is not enough to convince those who believe that the SCO is a waste of time, the old saying : Keep your friends close and your enemies closer is a point to reflect.

[Dilbu]

SCO Meet: India is set to pitch for shared Buddhist heritage in Eurasia

India is set to take the lead for a shared Buddhist heritage in Eurasia at the SCO foreign ministers' meet on Friday. ET has learnt that India will pitch itself as the land from which Buddhism spread across the region amid China's efforts to claim the legacy.

The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers will also formalise Iran's entry to the grouping at the summit due in July and deliberate on launching the process for the entry of Belarus. Besides, the foreign ministers will also focus on the entry of India's neighbours, the Maldives and Myanmar, and extended neighbours, Bahrain and Kuwait, as SCO partners, ET has learnt.

[SSridhar]

India as Mentor

[SSridhar]

Called out Pakistan’s Bilawal in SCO meet for acting as terror mouthpiece: Jaishankar

[BENAULIM, GOA: As the foreign minister of a member-state of the SCO, Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly, but as a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of Pakistan’s mainstay - the terror industry – his position was called out by India in the foreign ministers’ meeting here, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said summing up his counterpart’s participation in the event.

In a scathing, if not unprecedented, attack on Pakistan after the meeting, Jaishankar said victims and perpetrators of terrorism can’t sit together and that Pakistan’s credibility was depleting faster than its forex reserves. Jaishankar was addressing the media after the anti-terror operation in Rajouri in which 5 army jawans lost their lives. This was the second major terror-related incident in J&K in the past few weeks and since the official announcement about the G20 meeting that India will host in Srinagar later this month.

Jaishankar said Pakistan had nothing to do with not just G20 but also Srinagar. "The only issue to be discussed in J&K is Pakistan’s illegal occupation of PoK and when they will vacate it," said the minister, adding it’s natural for India to host a G20 meeting there.

"Victims of terrorism don’t sit with perpetrators of terrorism. Victims call it out and delegitimise it. To come here and preach hypocritically as if we are on the same boat…I don’t want to jump the gun (on Rajouri attack) but we are all feeling outraged," said Jaishankar, responding to a query about Bilawal’s peace overtures in which he had told the Pakistan media ties should not be allowed to remain hostage to history. "Don’t know if peace is our destiny but terrorism certainly can’t be any country’s destiny. You can’t do terrorism and speak about peace in the same breath," said Jaishankar, responding to Bilawal’s remark that "peace is our destiny". Bilawal had left for Pakistan before Jaishankar’s press interaction.

Earlier in the day, after a mostly uneventful SCO welcome dinner, India and Pakistan returned Friday to spar at the business end of the foreign ministers’ meeting on the issue of cross-border terrorism. Jaishankar reminded the member-states that combating terrorism was one of the original mandates of the SCO and also tweeted later, responding Zardari’s assertion State actors must not be conflated with non-State actors, that they should not allow anybody - individual or State - to hide behind non-state actors.

Addressing the meeting, Bilawal also said terrorism should not be weaponised for "diplomatic point scoring". Jaishankar countered it at his press briefing later by saying Bilawal had unconsciously revealed a mindset. "They seem to think terrorism is legitimate and normal and can be weaponised. Am I supposed to put up with it? We are only exposing Pakistan politically and diplomatically," he said.

Both leaders spoke in the meeting without naming each other’s country though as the practice at SCO is to not raise bilateral disputes. Bilawal didn’t specifically mention the J&K issue in the meeting but said "illegal and unilateral" measures in violation of UNSC resolutions ran counter to SCO objectives. On Bilawal's comment before the media that India had to review the decision to abrogate Article 370, Jaishankar said, "'Wake up and smell the coffee...370 is history".

"Menace of terrorism has continued unabated and taking our eyes off it would be detrimental to our security interests. There can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism," said Jaishankar in his opening remarks in the meeting. With his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang also present, he reiterated India’s position that while connectivity was key to progress, it had to be accompanied by respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member-states.

Bilawal was the only foreign minister with whom Jaishankar didn’t have a bilateral meeting. Briefing Pakistan journalists after the meeting, he blamed India’s decision to revoke the special status of J&K for the current stalemate in ties. Bilawal, however, complimented Jaishankar for not allowing bilateral differences to come in the way of SCO cooperation and said he was happy with the treatment he got here.

Jaishankar welcomed all guests on camera to the meeting venue in the morning with a namaste, and not a handshake. While no photo of the dinner on Thursday was made public, Pakistani sources were quoted by the media accompanying Bilawal as confirming that the 2 leaders shook hands and greeted each other. India has not confirmed the handshake.

[SSridhar]

Chinese Minister Qin takes indirect potshots at US; Russia directly - ET

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang has called for 'carrying forward the Shanghai spirit' following the 'resurgence of cold war'. Addressing the foreign ministers' meeting of SCO in Goa on Friday, Qin said that the world faced multiple crises today.

"The cold war is resurgent, unilateral protectionism is surging against the current and hegemonism and power politics are on the rise. As an important constructive force in international and regional affairs, SCO should firmly build a closer community with a shared future as the international situation becomes increasingly turbulent," Qin said.

He put forward five suggestions, including adherence to strategic independence and strengthening unity and mutual trust. China was willing to continuously expand cooperation with members, join hands on the road of national development and revitalise and work for building a community with a shared future, he said.

On his part, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov alleged the US was trying to interfere in Afghanistan again and there was solid evidence to confirm it. He expressed the hope that the SCO-Afghanistan group would be activated. The situation "really requires urgent measures," he said.

"Americans are trying to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs again. There is convincing evidence that the Americans support terrorist groups remaining in Afghanistan and opposed to the Taliban", which has been banned in Russia.

[Vayutuvan]

“Five principles”?! stinks of panchasheela of Bandit-Mao entente with a generous dose of Chou en li.

[SSridhar]

“Five principles”?! stinks of panchasheela of Bandit-Mao entente with a generous dose of Chou en li.

That was directed at India. China is desperately trying to break India from the Quad

[Vayutuvan]

Thank goodness Minister Dr. SJ is there to guide Bharat through the treacherous waters of international diplomacy and PM Modi to take action when needed.

[RoyG]

Thank goodness Minister Dr. SJ is there to guide Bharat through the treacherous waters of international diplomacy and PM Modi to take action when needed.

You've actually highlighted the problem. Our policies are too personality driven. Need an institutional framework for ensuring that challenges are tackled effectively with the best information.

[Vayutuvan]

@RoyG, excellent. You got me there. How do we - bhaarateeya - get out of this personality cult? We Americans suffer from the same disease - Clinton - original bubbba, Hillary, Ombubba, Hillary, Trumpwaa, Xiden and Baptist Harris.

[Cyrano]

We do, only regretfully its brown sahib mentality of our institutions which were created by white sahib to lord over us. This institutional memory and ingrained reflex needs to be re-wired completely. Can happen with a violent bloody destructive revolution that we cant afford, or by generational replacement which will take too long, or progressively by reforms which we can hope to be taken up during the third term. But even that will take a decade or two because whatever system is in place is actually an ecosystem with myriad tentacles that create interdependencies at every level of the society and this creature will resist in ways we cant even imagine.

[SSridhar]

SCO members vote unanimously to adopt India’s proposal on DPI - Economic Times

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Saturday voted unanimously to adopt India’s proposal for developing digital public infrastructure (DPI) as the right way for deploying digital technology, a senior government official said.

“The Digital Ministers of SCO member states met today. This DPI is very important from the perspective of having completion, making sure that technology is democratized and making sure of digitally inclusive growth among member states,” the official said.

During the meeting on Saturday, member nations of the SCO also agreed to look at the possibility of setting up an organisation which will decide common standards for the interoperability of digital systems being developed by each country, the official said.

In the meeting, chaired by India, the union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw also suggested that the time was ripe for nations across the world to create an apt regulatory environment for artificial intelligence.

“I would urge all fellow members of SCO to assess, evaluate and adopt India Stack and benefit from this digital public infrastructure,” Vaishnaw told member nations, the ministry official said.

In his proposal, Vaishnaw also urged member nations to support the adoption of India’s digital public infrastructure services such as Aadhaar, UPI, DigiLocker, and Cowin, the government official said.

DPI or digital public infrastructure are blocks or platforms built either by private or government agencies with government support. These platforms are meant to deliver essential services in the digital space.

India’s DPI has received raving reviews from several international organisations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which said that the country was able to quickly provide support to an impressive share of poor households during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its resilient DPI.

In a paper released in April, the IMF said that the government played a catalytic role, acting as an anchor client and establishing institutions to ensure continuity in India Stack's operations.

"Together they enable online, paperless, cashless, and privacy-respecting digital access to a variety of public and private services. The benefit of this investment is felt across the country and served India well during the pandemic," the paper said.

[a_bharat]

GoI seems eager to score worthless brownie points by giving away or open sourcing India's digital platforms. I don't see much upside to this, but a big downside: making it easy for the enemies to find the security weaknesses and launch cyber attacks.

[yensoy]

Did we just massively devalue SCO by hosting the annual meeting online instead of having a massive in-person congregation? Did we dodge a bullet by not having to deal with the fallout of potentially hosting Putin? Did we prefer to go online because emperor Xi didn't want to attend in person maybe to cut us to size, and we ended up cutting SCO to size instead? So many questions...

[Cyrano]

In my view Modi doesn't want Xi to set foot in India ever again. He will never forgive Xi's back stabbing after Mahabalipuram by doing Glawan. Just like after visiting Pakistan impromptu and offering a hand of friendship, he never forgave Pak for doing Balakot. And I think he will never go to China as long as he is PM and Xi/CCP are in power.

Our foreign policy will dictate what we do with/at SCO. Not the other way round.

India stack is a kind of open approach. Compare that to what China tried to do with Huawei and you will see that this resolution has made China wince in pain I'm sure because India has made it obvious to the whole world and SCO members that nothing good and generous can or will ever come from India. IIRC China had some west dream of defining standards for the next few decades for itself and the world. India has just blown that to bits ad well.

BTW, DPI is way more far reaching, and may be India will offer parts of its 5 & 6G stacks as well. By the time anyone gets to hacking it, we'd have moved on....

[yensoy]

^^^^ Good points. But Xi will be invited for G20. Hope he watches the proceedings from his cave.

[chetak]

In my view Modi doesn't want Xi to set foot in India ever again. He will never forgive Xi's back stabbing after Mahabalipuram by doing Glawan. Just like after visiting Pakistan impromptu and offering a hand of friendship, he never forgave Pak for doing Balakot. And I think he will never go to China as long as he is PM and Xi/CCP are in power.

Our foreign policy will dictate what we do with/at SCO. Not the other way round.

India stack is a kind of open approach. Compare that to what China tried to do with Huawei and you will see that this resolution has made China wince in pain I'm sure because India has made it obvious to the whole world and SCO members that nothing good and generous can or will ever come from India. IIRC China had some west dream of defining standards for the next few decades for itself and the world. India has just blown that to bits ad well.

BTW, DPI is way more far reaching, and may be India will offer parts of its 5 & 6G stacks as well. By the time anyone gets to hacking it, we'd have moved on....

Cyrano ji,

the govt seem to have got reports of planned riots and disturbances like what happened during trump's visit

the g-20 guys are also here

Great opportunities for the jihadis, the khalis, and the commies, to create an embarrassing situation for Modi and India

That's why the govt took the opportunity to convert the SCO meeting to a virtual one and the SCO countries are not at all happy about it as many wanted to meet their counterparts in person, and many others even wanted to hold small group meetings on the sidelines

This was the best over all solution for the Modi govt

[drnayar]

the unified currency bit from BRICS seems not to take off .. because of India ? is it because the Chinese stand to benefit ? the USD hegemony days are limited anyway

[Cyrano]

SCO countries are not at all happy about it as many wanted to meet their counterparts in person, and many others even wanted to hold small group meetings on the sidelines

You mean Pakistan is not happy they got no chance to go around with their begging bowl?

And China couldn't muscle others on this or that, some of it against India on Indian soil?

We have stopped letting some internal protests - there will always be something when you have a free and diverse country with several religions, languages, political parties, ethnicities ityadi - dictate the foreign ministry calendar. Trump came and went, G20 delegates came to Kashmir and went. Life goes on with all its splendid colours and cacophony in India. We are like this onlee...

[chetak]

SCO countries are not at all happy about it as many wanted to meet their counterparts in person, and many others even wanted to hold small group meetings on the sidelines

You mean Pakistan is not happy they got no chance to go around with their begging bowl?

And China couldn't muscle others on this or that, some of it against India on Indian soil?

We have stopped letting some internal protests - there will always be something when you have a free and diverse country with several religions, languages, political parties, ethnicities ityadi - dictate the foreign ministry calendar. Trump came and went, G20 delegates came to Kashmir and went. Life goes on with all its splendid colours and cacophony in India. We are like this onlee...

It is not a question of some "internal protests", Cyrano ji.

It is a question of diplomatic, economic, and geopolitical sabotage, deliberately orchestrated by offshore pursuits inimical to Indian interests to defame and belittle India under Modi and to seriously hurt India's developmental narrative, reduce FDI in flows, and interfere adversely with our exports

State and national elections are staring us in the face, manipur has flared up and is being dragged out in the western media as oppression of "minorities" by the Modi govt

there is a coordinated assault by soreass like interests and it would be wise to keep this in mind. SB 403 will pass in california. There is no let up in the global efforts to belittle and contain Hindus and India

do not mistake it for "colours and cacophony" and "internal protests", that would be a fatal mistake

Modi's India is well past that stage where an idiot like neverwho would arrange and showcase snake charmers to wow his gora gori guests

Why allow media space to SCO malcontents when the G-20 is India's primary focus at present.

The SCO virtual meeting neatly ticked all of India's boxes. Well played indeed

[Cyrano]

Chetak ji,
I'm not down playing the influence of "foreign hand" colluding with domestic asses. Neither does the GoI. But in my view that doesnt stop GoI anymore from doing what it must, in India or abroad.

Getting into SCO where the official languages are only Chinese and Russian show the far sightedness of Modi. He is able to switch horses between SCO, BRICS, QUAD, I2U2, UN and whatever else and Dr JS riding them like a master to further India's interests.

Yatra yogeshwarah NaMo, yatra SJ dhanur dharaha I
Tatra shrir vijayo bhutir, dhruva nitir matir mama II