Central Asia stable, SCO can further Belt and Road: think tank

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a Chinese government think tank, says the overall political and economic situation in central Asia is "fragile" but "stable" and that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can play a positive role in the Belt and Road initiative.

The CASS has unveiled the latest editions of two of its annual reports – the Yellow Book of Central Asia and the Yellow Book of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the independence of central Asian countries from the former Soviet Union. The new report on the region says while there is great variation in political, economic and other development among central Asian nations, the overall situation in the region remains stable.

"In these 25 years, central Asian countries have shown different characteristics in their development. We have mainly noticed the political pluralism, the challenges and complexity in economic development and the role of major countries in the stability of the region," said Sun Li with the CASS, the Editor-in-Chief of the report.

The Yellow Book of Central Asia says the situation in the region last year can be characterized as "fragile but balanced, challenging but stable." It says economic challenges, social problems and security issues have dominated the region's development. The report says in the area of security, while the region has seen a rise in terrorism and extremism, the general situation remains controllable.

It also says that in the last 25 years, China has grown into a strategic partner of central Asia from just a friendly neighboring country, which means the development of the region also impacts that of China.

"Central Asia is China's neighbor and also a core region of the Silk Road Economic Belt. The stability of central Asia is important to the successful implementation of the Belt and Road initiative," said Sun.

Meanwhile, the report on the SCO says the grouping should serve as a platform for further cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative, which it can do by prioritizing infrastructure construction and cooperation in production capacity, finance and agriculture.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Kazakhstan, he will attend a leaders' summit of the SCO, which will see India and Pakistan inducted as new members of the organization. The report says with expanded membership, the SCO will be further upgraded in its regional functions and influence.

Li Ziguo with the China Institute of International Studies said that giving more power to the SCO should be a priority, given the present challenges facing the region.

"Many regional issues still need to be addressed. For example, in terms of security, there is not a list of consensus on which groups are considered extremist. There is still disagreement over which of them fall into that category. There is still room for improvement in economic integration. We have already set our economic goals, but then new impetus is needed to realize them, namely the establishment of a Free Trade Zone. There is a need for such upgrades," said Li.

The SCO was formed in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Defined originally as a mutual defense grouping, the SCO has since grown to include cooperation in other areas, including economics and culture.