Prez back with full SCO membership

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

President Pranab Mukherjee today arrived in the Capital after a four-day visit to China where the President met the top Chinese leadership. The visit has helped serve the purpose of both Asian giants agreeing to cooperate even as talks continue to resolve many of their outstanding issues.

One of the major outcomes of the visit is the Chinese position, which has clarified that India can expect to be granted membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) when the summit meeting of the SCO is held in Uzbekistan on June 23. Pakistan, too, will be granted full membership along with India.

India had applied for full membership to the SCO in 2014. In 2005, both India and Pakistan were granted ‘observer’ status. The induction of both countries in the SCO will help India strengthen its economic and political clout in the region.

There seems to be a change in the mindset or the attitude of the Chinese who during the Pranab’s visit made this clear. While Xinhua blamed the West for creating tensions between India and China, Global Times, a leading Chinese newspaper, today carried an article arguing that the Chabahar port deal between India and Iran was good news for China too.