Is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Just a Talking Shop?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is often challenged as an ineffective "talking shop" with limited concrete deliverables beyond counter-terrorism cooperation and border demarcation. Despite lagging economic integration and a failure to act in regional crises like the 2022 Kazakhstan turmoil, the organization serves two key strategic goals for China. For Beijing, the SCO is a critical tool for managing Russian reactions to China's growing influence in Central Asia, preventing potential conflict in Russia's traditional sphere of influence. It also functions as a platform to present an alternative international security order, challenging the existing West-dominated narrative on global affairs.