Russian President Vladimir Putin (left), Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev (center), and Chinese President Hu Jintao at an SCO summit in June (epa)
July 26, 2006 -- A U.S. State Department official has said the United States should not be overly concerned about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Steven Mann said on July 25 that institutions like NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should have enough allure to keep SCO members friendly to the West.
The group comprises China, Russia, and the Central Asian states, excluding Turkmenistan.
(AP)
China In Central Asia
China In Central Asia
BEIJING ON THE RISE: The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States prompted Washington to topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. At the time, many predicted the United States would gain a new foothold in Central Asia: new U.S. military bases appeared in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, U.S. foreign aid increased, and much U.S. attention was lavished on the region. Russia and China looked on warily. But the pendulum may be swinging back in Moscow’s and Beijing’s favor. China, especially, has expended great effort at winning friends in Central Asia and is becoming a force to be reckoned with....(more)
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