SCO membership: CPEC likely to get a further boost

BEIJING: The entry of Pakistan and India into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) regional bloc is expected to give a further push to the development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“SCO has played a positive role in pushing forward the One Belt One Road initiative, in which CPEC has long been seen as a flagship project. Pakistan’s entry (into the bloc) will likely offer convenience in attracting new partnerships in CPEC,” Chinese newspaper Global Times reported on Wednesday.



The next SCO summit will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan in June this year when Pakistan and India are likely to become members of the organisation. Their entry was expected to give a boost to cooperation between the two rivals in areas such as infrastructure building and anti-terrorism fight, the newspaper commented.

In a bid to become members of the SCO, the two countries will need to sign a number of documents and pledge to perform in accordance with the SCO law.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2017.

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