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This report is the seventh one of a series since the release of its first one A Development Report of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It is an annual research report edited by the CASS Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies. Since 2013, the Shanghai University SCO Academy for Public Diplomacy has participated in this editing project. The authors of the volume chiefly consist of experts and scholars from SCO research institutions. In the perspective of their profound expertise, they address issues related to the SCO development and render the account highly authorities and professional, presenting an important reference value to the readers who hope to learn about the current situation of the SCO development.

The theme of this annual report is Boosting SCO Development. The entire book is made up of the following five parts: Introduction, Important Conferences, Regional Situations and Hot Issues, Special Studies, the Current Situations of Member and Observer States and their Relations with the SCO and Appendix. It analyzes the international and regional situation with which the SCO is faced with at present, and the changes in geopolitical and economic framework of complexity, interprets in an in-depth manner international and regional hot-point issues and important events, and their impact on the SCO, makes in-depth and detailed discussion on important issues met with some organizations, such as those of integration, regional security, and member states’ views on the development model of China. The experts make many suggestions of important reference value. As a part of the SCO development report’s main body, this book also gives a detailed and objective description of the current development of the SCO member and observer states and their relations to the SCO.

This report takes the SCO development course of 2014 as its main line, but also partly concerns the development of the first half of 2015 because the authors handed in their manuscripts at different times. The SCO confronts many new situations and issues, both opportunities and challenges coexisting. In Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, in September 2013, the Chinese President put forward the initiative of Economic Zone of Silk Road, and aroused positive responses from the countries along the Silk Road. In the meanwhile, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan were unifying economic space to become the Eurasian Economic Union on January 1, 2015. In this case, there are the readers who care about whether the SCO are marginalized.

A matter of fact, however, such a thing has not happened. The member states attach importance to all kinds of cooperation as ever before, making remarkable achievements in many areas. As for regional security and stability, the member states have better dealt with adverse impacts resulting from the continued turbulences in the Middle East and North African and the Ukrainian crisis, and positively cooperated in attacking the “Three Strands of Force”, drug traffic, and transnational organized crimes, serving as an important power for regional security.

In terms of economic cooperation, the member and observer states have effectively stood up to various crises and challenges, overcoming numerous difficulties and continuously pushing forward in energy, internet connections transport convenience and SCO Development Bank. Collaboration in humanities areas have more developed both in depth and scope. Cultural exchanges have got increasingly close, mutual communication and understanding among populaces of the various countries has got smoother, laying down a solid foundation for furthering political and economic relations. The year of 2015 is the key one for the SCO development. On the basis of the relevant documents approved in 2014, the process of increasing SCO memberships has started, with its organizational status and influence to be improved further. With increased international and regional challenges and threats, the cooperative willingness of various member states have become stronger, so that it is predicted that there will be important breakthroughs and developments. Observer and dialogue partners will participate in more economic cooperation within the SCO framework. Now there appears a community of common fate and interest with a vast territory, a large population where member states coexist in harmony.