RUSSIA & CHINA: Concerns over joint security pact
Updated
China's President Hu Jintao has begun a week-long tour of former Soviet republics in Central Asia. His trip is taking in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan -- and he'll also observe the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's anti-terrorism exercises in Russia. The SCO consists of China, Russia and the former Soviet states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and is focused mainly on security-related concerns.
Presenter: Xiaoning Mo
Speakers: Professor Paul Harris, Lingnan University, Hong Kong; Professor Stuart Harris, Centre of Asian and Islamic Studies at Australian National University
MO: Last week about 2000 troops from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member countries began a joint anti-terrorism exercise, starting phase two of Peace Mission 2007. The joint drill, according to an official statement, is aimed at showing the SCO members' determination to crack down on what it calls the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. But some international relations experts say all eyes will be on the SCO later this week, when Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of member states, gather in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. There is rising speculation China and Russia, which have increased their bilateral military cooperation, are demonstrating strength against Nato and the US and intend to build an anti-US, anti-Nato, strategic alliance. Professor Paul Harris from Lingnan University, in Hong Kong says it's too early to say if the SCO is building such an alliance, but it's quite clear they are trying to balance the power of the US.
HARRIS: I wouldn't say that it's anti-US or anti-NATO per se but clearly there is an effort on the part of these two countries to cooperate to on one hand balance the power of the United States and to a much lesser extent NATO and Western Europe, and also to create a more multi-lateral international environment. They do not like the fact that the United States remains the preeminent military power and they think that it ought to be balanced.
MO: Professor Harris says another reason for these activities is so Russia and other SCO member countries can show their sovereign territories, especially Chechnya in Russia and Xinjiang in China, breaking away will not be tolerated.
HARRIS: One thing that the SCO does for China and these other countries, not just Russia but the others in central Asia is to send a very strong message or signal to other countries, governments outside the region and separatist groups within the region that there is lots of support for these central governments to hold their states together.
MO: Professor Stuart Harris is from the Centre for Asian and Islamic Studies at Australian National University. He says China and Russia have a lot to offer each other. But both are also trying to show each other their strengths.
STUART HARRIS: Keep in mind that while Russia and China are working closely in a number of contexts parts of the reason Russia finds the SCO useful is to keep an eye on what China is doing, and I don't think it would be unreal to believe that there is mistrust between the two countries as well as the recognition that they need to work together.
MO: There is also international curiosity over the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's move to give full membership to four countries that currently only have observer status; India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran. Professor Paul Harris says the rivalry between Pakistan and India as well as the feeling between China and India, might lead to disagreement on many security issues. But he adds, that if they are willing to work together instead of arguing, there could be some real positives.
PAUL HARRIS: If India and Pakistan do join together anything that gets them talking on security issues and cooperating on security issues can only be viewed really globally as a good thing.
