Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Photo: EPA/UPG
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang is on an official visit to Pakistan until 17 October, in parallel with his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad, EFE reports.
The summit takes place a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Russia to attend the BRICS summit. The event is taking place against the backdrop of serious geopolitical challenges, such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the Taiwan Strait. Li Qiang is expected to try to coordinate strategies with the partners of the SCO, an organisation founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In subsequent years, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus joined the organisation. This year’s summit is taking place from 15 to 16 October, for the first time in Pakistan, which has become an important moment for the country amid heightened security measures in Islamabad due to the risk of insurgent attacks.
The CSTO is the largest organisation in the world in terms of geographic reach and population, representing approximately 80% of Eurasia and 40% of the world’s population, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. Although its members claim that it is not a military bloc, many experts consider the OSC to be a counterweight to NATO.
The organisation has not been involved in any military conflicts, but regularly conducts joint military exercises aimed at “promoting cooperation” in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism. An important event was the accession of Iran, which gave Xi Jinping the opportunity to demonstrate support for the country’s sovereignty and its desire to defend national dignity.
For China, the OSC is not only a tool for reforming global governance, but also a platform for promoting its own economic and security initiatives, such as the New Silk Roads project.
