Chapter 3 China and Central Asia
3.2. The SCO Role for the Security of Central Asia
3.2.3. The Future Prospect of SCO
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3. All member states should promote economic and trading development through cooperation of culture, education, environmental protection, and tourism. By constantly expanding cooperative fields to finally reach the final goal of regional stability within SCO.
After the establishment of SCO, the first minister of cultural meeting was held in 2002, during which the “SCO joint statement of minister of culture” was signed and agreed to hold a minister of culture meeting every two years thereafter, focusing on concrete measures of the cultural cooperation.
The cultural exchanges of member states include holding cultural activity, the exchanges of foreign students, the foundations of language institution, and the establishments of Confucius institution, etc.
The non-governmental human and culture exchanges are not frequent enough because most of those exchanges are carried out by the government institutions, and because Central Asian states usually focus on domestic economic development, using limited funds to enhance national modernization so as to improve comprehensive national power. Because these reasons mention above, most of the Central Asian states are lack of passions in terms of building the “soft power,” not to mention using extra funds to build a sound basis of national soft power.96
3.2.3. The Future Prospect of SCO
After the end of Cold War, the international status has become “one superpower and many big powers.” The United States has always paid close attentions to Chinese and Russia's developments in terms of the global strategy. Washington thought it is
96 朱新光，「中亞國家軟實力探略」，俄羅斯中亞東歐研究 2 (2008): 47。[Zhu Xinguang, Zhongyaguojia Ruanshili Tanlve (Soft Power Analysis of Central Asian States) Elosizhoyadonou Yanjiu (The Russian Central Asia and East European Studies) 2 (2008): 47.]
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very important for Beijing to not only being regionally but also being globally developed which it is an essential element in today's international strategic environment, especially China is eager to maintain its rapid economic growth rate and also to keep its economic power caused by the fast economic and political growth.
Meanwhile, the United States also encourages China to become a responsible country in the international system.97
The U.S. strategic interests in Central Asia can be divided into three aspects as follows: (1) to prevent Russia and China from monopolizing Central Asia. Central Asian region was under Russia's influence in the former Soviet Union period. At present, Russia not only wants to monopolize the abundant natural resources in this region by using the framework of SCO, but also to unilaterally occupy the natural gas and petroleum in Central in order to monopolize the supply market of the European Union (EU). Meanwhile, China also wants to become the economic and trading dominator in Central Asia by using the institutional structure of SCO.98 The Eurasia continent is undoubtedly a key strategic point for the United States. Thus, while the U.S. troops stationed in this region at the time when the September 11 Event occurred, it also protracting its influence into Central Asian states in the fields of political and economy by all means, in order to change Russia and China's advantage influences in the region, and to compress their scope of influence. Finally to increase the U.S.
influence as a leading force led by the West; (2) to secure interest of energy. The U.S.
interests toward Central Asia are quite obvious. The U.S. would like to keep down the rising of international oil price, and to secure its energy security through American
97 Daren Adam Epstein, The Impact of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on U.S.-China Relations (CA: Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, 2003), pp. 45.
98 Aitmakhanov Nurzhan, The New Great Game: The Competition for the Energy Resources of Central Asia (Zonli: Chingyun University, 2010), pp. 108.
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private investments and plural supplies to ensure sufficient needs of both the United States and the Western countries.99 In order to prevent the same incident of Russia's cutting off Ukraine's oil supply in January, 2006 from happening again, the United States has to have not only plural oil and gas supply channels, but also to have substitute channels for export, which will prevent oil price from rising caused by pipeline damage during the refinery process.100 In addition, the interests gained by the U.S. oil companies in Central Asia will not only facilitate industry developments which make Americans rich, but also make the U.S. actively involved in dominating natural resources in the Central Asia region; and (3) to prevent Central Asia from Iran's influence. The U.S. applied to become the observer of the SCO in July, 2005, and being refused by SCO, because it does not belong to either Central Asia or South Asia. Meanwhile, Iran had joined in the SCO in the same year of 2005, which makes the U.S. suspicious about the future development of the organization. 101 Furthermore, the Iran's president was invited to participate in the SCO leader summit 2006 in Shanghai, which made the U.S. uneasy and worry. Therefore, the U.S. claims to cooperate with other countries in the region and to prevent Iran from influencing on the government or political parties in this area, and also to prevent Iran from being member state of SCO by all means.102
As to the United States, Iran has Muslim background, strong military strength, and strong intentions of getting involved in Central Asian affairs, except influencing
99 Nichol, Jim, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, RL33458, U.S. Congressional Research Service, 14 December 2007, p. 6
100 Gene Germanovich, “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization: A Threat to American Interests in Central Asia?,” China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly 1 (Washington: Winter 2008): 19-38.
101 張如倫, 「上海合作組織的再發展與影響因素」，陸軍學術雙月刊 492 (桃園: 2007): 160。
[Chang Rulun, Sanhaihotautsuzi De Zaifazhan YuYingxanyinsu (The SCO Future Development and Influence), Lujunxueshu Shuangyuekan (Army Bimonthly) 492 (Taoyuan: 2007): 160.]
102 Michael Vail., “U.S. Irked by Iran’s Joining SCO”, IntelliBriefs, April 9, 2008, available at:
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-irked-by-irans-joining-sco.html, (accessed: 20110220)
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the military and political affairs of Central Asia, it may become an Islam alliance with Central Asian states, which has abundant strategic natural resources like oil and gas, to connect to the Caspian Sea, therefore endangers the U.S. strategic energy interests in this region. As a result, one of the U.S. strategic objectives is to suppress Iran from becoming a great power in Central Asian region.103