A China-Europe freight train departs from Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang Province, via the Trans-Caspian International Transportation Corridor on the Jinhua-Bashi-Baku route. Photo: VCG

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become one of the key drivers of practical cooperation across the SCO space. It is no coincidence that Chinese leader first proposed the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt, starting the process of Belt and Road cooperation. Since then, the initiative has evolved into a global platform for connectivity while significantly enhancing Kazakhstan's role as a strategic transport and logistics hub linking East and West.

The BRI and the SCO are highly complementary and generate a synergy effect. While the SCO provides an institutional framework for dialogue, policy coordination and regional security, the BRI supplies the infrastructure, investment and connectivity that translate political cooperation into tangible economic outcomes. In this sense, connectivity has become an important component of regional security. Reliable transport corridors, resilient supply chains and deeper economic interdependence strengthen stability across Eurasia. In addition, the BRI and the SCO Development Strategy also both emphasize sustainable development, regional integration and mutually beneficial cooperation. 

Kazakhstan provides perhaps the clearest example of this synergy. Railway freight between Kazakhstan and China reached 35.6 million tons in 2025, an increase of 11.1 percent year-on-year. The positive trend has continued in 2026, with freight volumes reaching 18.7 million tons in the first six months of the year, up 9 percent year-on-year. 

The partnership is also expanding through major infrastructure projects. In March, the Kazakh Ministry of Transport said that freight delivery via the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or the Middle Corridor, has risen fivefold over the past seven years. The corridor starts from China, runs through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia to Türkiye and European countries, significantly strengthening the development of a more integrated Eurasian transport network.

Looking ahead, I believe connectivity will remain one of the most important pillars of SCO cooperation. In this context, the BRI serves as the backbone of a more interconnected SCO economic space, strengthening not only trade and investment but also the long-term resilience and prosperity of Eurasia. I also believe that China-Kazakhstan cooperation under the BRI framework should increasingly focus not only on expanding trade but also on creating new drivers of long-term growth for the entire SCO region.

The forthcoming SCO Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in August 2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of a regional cooperation platform that has grown stronger and more influential on the global stage. Against the backdrop of growing geopolitical fragmentation and uncertainty, I expect the summit to focus on translating existing commitments into practical cooperation. In particular, I anticipate progress in areas such as sustainable development, transport connectivity, digital cooperation and regional security.

I believe this summit will further reinforce the SCO's role as a platform for pragmatic multilateralism. Rather than pursuing ideological alignment or exclusive partnerships, the organization focuses on areas where member states have tangible common interests - from security and connectivity to sustainable development and technological cooperation. This practical, consensus-based approach is one of the key reasons the SCO has remained relevant for 25 years and continues to attract growing international attention.

More broadly, I believe the summit will reaffirm one of the SCO's defining characteristics: It is a pragmatic and results-oriented organization. Since its establishment, the SCO has demonstrated an ability to evolve in response to changing regional realities while preserving its founding principles of mutual trust, consultation and respect for sovereignty. At a time when many international institutions face growing difficulties, this adaptability has become one of the SCO's greatest strengths.

China has played a significant role in preserving the SCO's non-confrontational character. 

As one of the founding members and one of the organization's major driving forces, China has consistently advocated openness, inclusiveness, mutual respect and consultation as the guiding principles of SCO cooperation. These ideas are not unique to the organization itself; they have been a consistent feature of Chinese diplomacy more broadly and are reflected in many of China's multilateral initiatives, including the BRI.

This approach has therefore helped shape the SCO into a platform based on dialogue rather than bloc politics. Unlike military alliances or exclusive partnerships, the SCO does not require its members to share the same political system or foreign policy orientation. Instead, it encourages cooperation in areas where common interests exist while allowing countries to maintain their strategic autonomy. 

For Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, this approach is particularly valuable. The region has traditionally pursued balanced and multi-vector foreign policies, seeking constructive relations with all major partners. The SCO's emphasis on openness, non-alignment and consensus is therefore fully consistent with the interests of its Central Asian members.

I believe this experience offers an important lesson for global governance. In today's international environment, effective multilateralism should not be built on exclusivity or ideological divisions. It should be based on dialogue, respect for sovereignty, mutual benefit and practical cooperation. 

The author is the head of the International Security Department at Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Aliya Mussabekova Photo: Courtesy of Aliya Mussabekova