BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. Central Asian countries put forward a range of practical proposals at the SCO summit in Bishkek that could shape the organization’s economic, transport and technology agenda for years to come.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and the SCO Plus meeting held in Bishkek on September 1 showed that Central Asian countries are seeking not only to participate in the organization’s work but also to help shape its future direction.
For Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the SCO is of particular importance. All four countries are founding members of the organization, which was established in 2001 on the basis of the Shanghai Five. Today, the region remains one of the SCO’s key economic and geographic hubs, linking China, Russia, South Asia, the Caspian region and Europe.
At the same time, the substance of the agenda is evolving. While security and confidence-building were the main priorities for the region in the organization’s early years, issues such as infrastructure, investment, digitalization, artificial intelligence, energy and sustainable development are now gaining increasing prominence.
The scale of economic ties provides a solid foundation for this shift. Trade among SCO countries rose from about $271 billion in 2021 to $674 billion in 2024. By 2025, intra-regional trade accounted for roughly 16–17% of the organization’s members’ total trade, up from around 11% in 2017.
Central Asia is also gradually strengthening its own connectivity. Intra-regional trade among the five Central Asian countries reached $12.3 billion in 2025, nearly doubling from 2020. Meanwhile, China’s trade with Central Asian countries hit a record $106.3 billion.
Against this backdrop, one of the summit’s key proposals was the establishment of an SCO Development Bank. Member states called for moving from years of discussions to the practical implementation of the mechanism.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said: “We believe it is advisable to direct the bank’s resources primarily toward infrastructure, technology and industrial projects. If there is consensus among the member states, Kazakhstan could host this institution and its headquarters.”
For Central Asia, such a mechanism has direct practical relevance. The region needs to modernize transport infrastructure, expand energy capacity, deepen industrial cooperation and attract capital. The Development Bank could therefore serve as a link between the SCO’s economic ambitions and concrete cross-border projects.
Uzbekistan proposed compiling a portfolio of priority projects for the future bank in transport, energy, industrial cooperation and digital infrastructure. Tashkent also proposed creating a digital map of SCO industrial cooperation that could bring together special economic zones, production facilities, markets and logistics infrastructure across the organization’s member states.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev linked these initiatives to the SCO’s longer-term development. “Today, it is important not only to address emerging challenges effectively, but also to have a clear understanding of what we want the organization to look like in the long term. The competitiveness of our countries will directly depend on the SCO’s ability to offer practical solutions,” Mirziyoyev said.
He proposed developing a long-term vision, “SCO 2040: A Space for Common Development,” envisaging the free flow of investment, technology and knowledge, the implementation of major infrastructure and industrial projects, and stronger direct ties among regions, businesses and people.
Digitalization is another major area of focus. Uzbekistan called for the creation of an open, multilingual data corpus to support the development of artificial intelligence. Kyrgyzstan proposed building a common technology space to help narrow the digital divide among member states.
Kyrgyzstan is also placing a strong emphasis on transport connectivity. President Sadyr Japarov highlighted the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as a strategic project that could strengthen trade links between China and Central Asia.
Kazakhstan proposed developing an SCO Transport Connectivity Strategy through 2035 and a unified digital transit platform. Another proposal was to establish SCO cross-border trade zones based on existing border trade centers, with streamlined procedures, digital processes and modern payment solutions.
A broader logic is gradually taking shape: transport infrastructure needs to be backed by financial instruments, digital solutions and trade facilitation. This is particularly important for Central Asia, as its location between major economic centers makes transit one of the key potential drivers of future growth.
Tajikistan brought another dimension to the agenda by linking economic development with energy, agriculture and environmental issues.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon proposed exploring the establishment of economic growth zones across the SCO space and a Regional Digital Agro-Ecological Platform.
According to Rahmon, the expansion of the digital economy, innovation and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, supports the long-term development of SCO countries. At the same time, Dushanbe called for renewed momentum in trade and economic cooperation in industry, energy, transport and transit, as well as agriculture. “Another priority remains trade and economic cooperation,” Rahmon said.
Energy is particularly important for Tajikistan. Against the backdrop of volatility in regional and global energy markets, the president called for stronger coordination among SCO countries in this area. This includes both conventional energy and green transition projects.
Dushanbe also supported progress toward establishing the SCO Development Bank, underscoring the overlap between Tajikistan’s priorities and the broader economic agenda emerging in Central Asia.
Tajikistan’s environmental proposals also extend beyond the national agenda. Rahmon highlighted the strategic importance of preserving glaciers, ensuring the sustainable use of water resources, preventing land degradation and strengthening environmental security.
For Central Asia, this is one of the most sensitive issues. Water resources are directly linked to agriculture, energy and food security, making climate change an increasingly important part of the region’s broader economic agenda.
Security, meanwhile, remains another key pillar of Central Asia’s engagement with the SCO. Kyrgyzstan called for accelerating the launch of the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats and expressed its readiness to host in Bishkek a Center for Combating International Organized Crime.
Tajikistan also emphasized the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime. “In this regard, a practical step would be to launch as soon as possible the Anti-Drug Center and the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats,” Rahmon said.
Kazakhstan proposed holding a Ministerial Conference on Strategic Stability and Confidence-Building Measures in Eurasia, focusing on reducing military risks, preventing an arms race and avoiding dangerous incidents.
The Central Asian agenda at the summit, however, went beyond the SCO’s internal mechanisms. At the SCO Plus meeting, regional leaders also called for using the organization as a broader platform for discussions on the future of the international system.
Tokayev said: “Our common strategic task is to build a world order in which the cult of force and confrontation gives way to a logic of mutual responsibility, shared development and long-term cooperation.”
Japarov, in turn, emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue among countries with differing positions. “A just world order does not require all states to think alike. It requires something else: that we respect each other’s choices, honor our commitments and keep talking even in the most difficult times,” the Kyrgyz president said.
Uzbekistan proposed expanding the SCO Plus format as a platform for interregional dialogue, with a focus on sustainable growth, advanced technologies, climate adaptation, human capital and education. “I believe it is important to use the SCO Plus format to promote cooperation in sustainable growth, advanced technologies, climate change adaptation, human capital, accessible education and youth development,” Mirziyoyev said.
Taken together, the proposals put forward by the four countries indicate that Central Asia is gradually developing its own practical agenda for the SCO. Kazakhstan is emphasizing finance, security and transport connectivity; Kyrgyzstan is focusing on infrastructure, digitalization and the fight against transnational crime; Uzbekistan is prioritizing long-term economic and technological development; while Tajikistan is highlighting energy, agriculture, water resources and climate issues.
The next challenge is implementation. Around 28 documents were signed at the summit, including the Bishkek Declaration, amendments to the SCO Charter, provisions on new security mechanisms, plans for developing port and logistics infrastructure and a green technology corridor, as well as concepts for regional data centers and artificial intelligence development.
This creates a foundation for moving from political statements to concrete projects. For Central Asia, three areas are particularly important: establishing an SCO financial mechanism, developing transport corridors and building shared digital infrastructure.
The region has the necessary conditions to pursue these goals. It brings together SCO member states, is rapidly expanding trade with China, is strengthening intra-regional ties and sits at the center of emerging transport routes. Its contribution to the organization’s development can therefore extend well beyond the political sphere.
Central Asia can become one of the main sources of the SCO’s practical agenda — from railways and trade zones to digital platforms, energy, artificial intelligence and climate-related projects.
If these initiatives are implemented, the region’s role in the SCO will no longer be defined solely by its historical status as one of the organization’s core regions. Central Asia could help determine which SCO mechanisms will deliver results over the next decade and how effectively the organization can translate its growing economic potential into tangible cross-border projects.
This is perhaps the key takeaway of the Bishkek summit for Central Asia: the region has presented the SCO not with a single standalone initiative, but with a set of interconnected proposals that, if pursued consistently, could form part of a new economic and technological foundation for the organization.
