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The first high-level meeting of the SCO since its enlargement was supposed to be a big stage to showcase the results of cooperation, especially in the context of international turmoil, when the need for regional cooperation to stabilize the economy has become even more important.
However, India's performance has made the atmosphere a little awkward, causing trouble on two things.
But China and Russia are not used to it, and they thundered off the sidelines.
India is making trouble
At this meeting, almost all member states expressed their support for the Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative led by China aims to bring the countries of Europe and Asia closer together by building infrastructure.
For many member countries, such as Kazakhstan, Belarus and Pakistan, the Belt and Road Initiative is not only an opportunity for economic development, but also a path to win-win cooperation.
So, they're very excited about this initiative. However, India has once again openly opposed it, and this "contrarian" attitude makes people have to think more.
Especially when everyone is actively cooperating, India's performance not only makes China a little dissatisfied, but also embarrasses other countries that support the initiative.
After all, as a member of the SCO, India's "outsider" attitude directly affected the atmosphere of cooperation, and even poured cold water on the overall effect of the meeting.
In fact, this performance of India is not new. In the past few SCO meetings, it has been vague about the Belt and Road Initiative, and the root cause is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
This corridor passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which India considers to be its own territory, so for them, China and Pakistan are directly stepping on their "red line" by engaging in infrastructure construction here.
This is not just an economic issue, but a sensitive topic of India's sovereignty. So no matter how China explains the economic benefits of this initiative, India just feels awkward and doesn't want to buy it.
India's performance this time was still surprising, after all, the meeting was of a high level, and it was originally expected that it would "take the big picture into account". As a result, the prime minister was not sent to attend, and the joint communiqué in support of the "Belt and Road" was refused.
In the eyes of the outside world, this is completely a gesture expressed by India: it will not easily fall to China and Russia, nor does it want to completely bind itself to the West, but hopes to keep a little distance on both sides.
In other words, "I don't want to delay on either side." This subtle gesture can be understood diplomatically, but in multilateral cooperation, it is a bit too much.
The core idea of the SCO is to bring its member states closer together to tackle challenges by strengthening political, security and economic cooperation.
But India's attitude of watching the fire from across the strait will be marginalized sooner or later after a long time.
At present, China and Russia are promoting the "Belt and Road" unabated, and countries such as Pakistan and Kazakhstan are also actively participating, hoping to obtain more development opportunities through the SCO.
India's boycott is a short-term demonstration of "independence," but in the long run, it is likely to lose its place in Eurasian cooperation.
Obara Thunder strikes
At the same time as the SCO, Russia and Pakistan quietly conducted a military exercise called "Friendship-2024".
The two-week exercise, which began at Pakistan's largest counter-terrorism training centre, not only covered a variety of combat training, but was also deliberately chosen to take place during the SCO meeting.
Why is Russia making such a big move with Pakistan at this point in time? The reason is very simple, India has just openly opposed the "Belt and Road" at the SCO meeting, and China and Russia must of course "speak with actions" on the sidelines.
Russia sent quite a few elite troops to participate in the exercises this time, and even transferred special forces from the Caucasus. You know, these units have a lot of experience in anti-terrorist operations in the mountains, and they are obviously carefully selected.
Naturally, the Pakistani side was also very cooperative, and the two sides not only cooperated in depth in tactics, but also strengthened communication and coordination during the exercise, which appeared to be full of tacit understanding.
The exercise is not only a support for Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts, but also a "reminder" from China and Russia to India: the core concept of the SCO is cooperation, not anyone's "stage show".
If India wants to go it alone in this multilateral organization, China and Russia have the means to change the situation.
During the exercise, Pakistan and China also held bilateral talks, in which China reaffirmed its firm support for Pakistan's counter-terrorism and even expressed its willingness to provide more resources to help Pakistan improve its counter-terrorism capabilities.
These actions undoubtedly showed a "muscle of friendship" in front of India.
At the same time, Russia is expressing its support for the SCO in its own way.
In recent years, India has gradually reduced its dependence on Russia in arms procurement and has begun to purchase equipment from United States and other Western countries in large quantities.
For Russia, there is obviously a feeling of "falling out of favor". Therefore, Russia is also adjusting its diplomatic strategy and has begun to extend an olive branch to Pakistan.
Despite the old feud between India and Pakistan, Russia now needs more allies, especially in the context of tensions with Western countries, Pakistan is undoubtedly a worthy partner.
Therefore, this "Friendship-2024" exercise is not only a reaction to India's proximity to the West, but also a gesture of goodwill to Pakistan to attract more cooperation.
India's approach is undesirable
This may not be good news for India.
Its diplomatic strategy has always been to balance the right and left, hoping to have a place in the SCO, actively participating in the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" and maintaining cooperation with the United States, Japan and Australia.
This "no delay on both sides" approach has indeed brought it more options, but it has also made it appear vacillating on some major issues.
By participating in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, India has increased its military cooperation with the United States and Japan and expanded its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, but if it cooperates too closely here, its role in the SCO will become very awkward.
The contradiction between the SCO, which is dominated by China and Russia, emphasizes economic and security cooperation in the region, and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which is a product of confrontation with China, is obvious.
China and Russia have clearly seen this, so they are constantly exploring new models of cooperation within the SCO in an effort to eliminate the differences brought about by India.
Despite India's negative performance in economic cooperation, China and Russia have consolidated the overall direction of SCO cooperation through off-the-field actions, especially with Pakistan.
As more countries show interest in the SCO and BRICS, China and Russia hope to take the opportunity to expand the organization's influence.
By uniting more like-minded partners, the overall picture of SCO cooperation remains solid, even if India "drops the chain" on key issues.
In the future, the task of major member states such as China and Russia is to find a cooperation model that can better balance the interests of all countries, especially in the face of India's "unsociability", how to deal with it will be the key.
China and Russia have already made their attitude clear through the "thunderous attack" on the sidelines, but they still need to "bind" the interests of other member states more skillfully in diplomacy, so that India cannot easily get out even if it keeps its distance in regional cooperation.
In general, India's "troublemaking" behavior at the SCO meeting this time has certainly caused everyone a headache, but it has not shaken the determination of China and Russia to promote regional cooperation.
For India, if it continues to "go it alone", it will only lose its voice within the SCO. And the solidarity of other member states such as China and Russia is the best response to this behavior of "stepping on two boats".