Prospects of cooperation between Russia, China, Mongolia

On the 23th and 24th of June the 15th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) with the participation of 18 countries. The agenda of the summit was to discuss further improvements of the activity of the SCO, the cooperation in priority areas: security, countering terrorism and extremism, fight against drug trafficking, economy, humanitarian ties, Eurasian integration. 

The discussion of trade and economic cooperation included issues of the implementation of joint infrastructure projects in the field of trade and investment, transport, energy, finance, agriculture, telecommunications. The leaders of member countries of the summit discussed the large-scale tasks of association of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt, as a result of which is the formation of a common economic space.

The most important results of the summit are:

• the SCO became stronger as a significant and powerful player on the international scene;
• India and Pakistan became the statuses of full members of the SCO;
• the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia and Nepal were granted dialogue partner status in the SCO;
• it was supported the China’s initiative to establish the Silk Road Economic Belt;
• it was considered the issue of the establishment of the SCO Development Bank and Development Fund (Special Account) of the SCO;
• adoption of the Action Plan 2016-2020 on the implementation of the SCO's development strategy until 2025.

Among the most important issues is the need for further promotion of cooperation in the sphere of transport and the formation of international transport corridors between Asia and Europe. 

As a result of the summit the leaders signed the Program of creation of an economic corridor China - Mongolia - Russia and the Agreement between the customs authorities of the three countries on the mutual recognition of the results of customs control in respect of certain goods. 

The program is aimed at an activation of border ties by launching of more than 30 tripartite projects. Among them: the establishment of a joint center for investment planning, modernization of the Ulan Bator railway, high-speed long distance railroad Moscow-Kazan, which is already at the design stage and will be a part of the revived belt «Great Silk Road», the space programs, joint development of wide-body aircraft, construction of the pipeline «Power of Siberia» etc. Thus, this program will contribute to the development of constituent entities of the RF located along the route of transport corridors, as well as will kick start to the development of the trade and economic cooperation with China and Mongolia.