The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 9 member states and 4 observers from Eurasia. It was established on 26 April 1996 as the Shanghai Five. In addition to the 9 member states and 3 observers, the SCO currently has 14 dialogue partners and 4 guest attendance entries.
The following list is sourced from the 2018 edition of "The Military Balance" published annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Flag | Country | Active military | Reserve military | Paramilitary | Total | Per 1000 capita (total) | Per 1000 capita (active) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China [6] | 2,035,000 | 510,000 | 1,500,000 | 4,045,000 | 2.9 | 1.5 | |
India [7] | 1,440,000 | 2,096,000 | 1,585,950 | 5,121,950 | 4 | 1.1 | |
Iran [8] | 610,000 | 350,000 | 40,000 | 1,000,000 | 11.4 | 7 | |
Kazakhstan [9] | 39,000 | 0 | 31,500 | 70,500 | 3.8 | 2.1 | |
Kyrgyzstan [10] | 10,900 | 0 | 9,500 | 20,400 | 3.5 | 1.9 | |
Pakistan [11] | 653,000 | 0 | 0 | 653,000 | 3.1 | 3.1 | |
Russian Federation [12] [Note 1] | 1,013,628 | 2,572,500 | 2,310,859 | 5,896,987 | 41.5 | 7.1 | |
Tajikistan [13] | 8,800 | 0 | 7,500 | 16,300 | 1.9 | 1 | |
Uzbekistan [14] | 48,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 68,000 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
Flag | Country | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (2016) | Density (/km2) | GDP per cap. (PPP) [1] | HDI [2] | Currency | Official languages | Leaders | Status gained |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | 1,564,115 | 3,067,550 | 1.75 | 11,919 | 0.727 | Mongolian tögrög (₮) (MNT) | Mongolian | Head of State: Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh Head of Government: Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene | 2004-06-17 | |
Belarus Republic of Belarus | Minsk | 207,595 | 9,498,700 | 45.8 | 18,246 | 0.798 | Belarusian rubel (Rbl) (BYR) | Belarusian Russian | Head of State and Government: Alexander Lukashenko (Prime Minister: Roman Golovchenko) | 2015 |
The following countries have applied for a position in the organization:
Flag | Country | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (2016) | Density (/km2) | GDP per cap. (PPP) [1] | HDI [2] | Currency | Official languages | Leaders | Status applied for | Year applied |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Timor Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | Dili | 14,874 | 1,340,513 | 78 | 3,637 | 0.607 | United States dollar (USD) | Portuguese Tetum | Head of State: José Ramos-Horta | Observer | 2012 [17] | |
Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh | Dhaka | 148,460 | 169,828,911 | 1,305 | 2,470 | 0.661 | Bangladeshi taka (BDT) | Bengali | Head of State: Mohammed Shahabuddin | Observer | 2012 [18] | |
Syria Syrian Arab Republic | Damascus | 185,180 | 22,933,531 | 118.3 | 2,900 | 0.577 | Syrian pound (SYP) | Arabic | Head of State and Government: Bashar al-Assad | Dialogue Partner | 2015 [lower-alpha 3] [19] | |
Israel State of Israel | Jerusalem [lower-alpha 4] | 20,770 | 9,766,400 | 442 | 54,997 | 0.919 | Israeli new shekel (ILS) | Hebrew | Head of State: Isaac Herzog | Dialogue Partner | 2016 [19] | |
Iraq Republic of Iraq | Baghdad | 438,317 | 43,500,000 | 82.7 | 12,141 | 0.686 | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Arabic | Head of State: Abdul Latif Rashid Head of Government: Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani | Dialogue Partner | 2019 [20] | |
Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria | Algiers | 2,381,741 | 44,700,000 | 17.7 | 13,324 | 0.745 | Algerian dinar (DZD) | Arabic | Head of State: Abdelmadjid Tebboune Head of Government: Aymen Benabderrahmane | Observer | 2023 [21] [22] |
In 2012, Ukraine expressed interest in obtaining observer status. However, since the deposition of President Viktor Yanukovych and increased tensions with Russia, no application has been submitted and there are no current plans to incorporate Ukraine into the organization. [23] [24]
In 2011, Vietnam expressed interest in obtaining observer or dialogue partner status. However, it is unknown whether or not, Vietnam has submitted an application. [25]
Flag | Country | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (2016) | Density (/km2) | GDP per cap. (PPP) [1] | HDI [2] | Currency | Official languages | Leaders | Status gained |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan [26] | Kabul | 652,230 | 27,101,365 | 43.5 | 1,944 | 0.465 | Afghan afghani (Af) (AFN) | Pashto Dari | De facto head of state: Hibatullah Akhundzada De facto head of government: Abdul Kabir | 2012-06-07 (Observer) |
The United States applied for observer status in the SCO, but was rejected in 2005. [27]
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. It is located at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. The territories controlled by the ROC consist of 168 islands with a combined area of 36,193 square kilometres. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, has an area of 35,808 square kilometres, with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The capital, Taipei, forms along with New Taipei City and Keelung the largest metropolitan area. With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated countries.
The Republic of China Armed Forces are the armed forces of Taiwan. They consist of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Military Police Force. The military is under the civilian control of the Ministry of National Defense, a cabinet-level agency overseen by the Legislative Yuan.
The Republic of China (ROC), often known informally as Taiwan, currently has formal diplomatic relations with 12 of the 193 United Nations member states and with the Holy See, which governs Vatican City, as of 19 December 2023. In addition to these relations, the ROC also maintains unofficial relations with 59 UN member states, one self-declared state (Somaliland), three territories, and the European Union via its representative offices and consulates under the One China principle. The government of the Republic of China has the 31st largest diplomatic network in the world with 110 offices.
The Taiwan independence movement is a political movement which advocates the formal declaration of an independent and sovereign Taiwanese state, as opposed to Chinese unification or the status quo in Cross-Strait relations.
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the Chinese Communist government of the People's Republic of China in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. The geopolitical sense of the term includes islands such as Hainan, Chongming, and Zhoushan, even though those islands are offshore of the Chinese mainland. By convention, the territories that fall outside of mainland China include:
Chinese unification, also known as Cross-Strait unification or Chinese reunification, is the potential unification of territories currently controlled, or claimed, by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ("Taiwan") under one political entity, possibly the formation of a political union between the two republics. Together with full Taiwan independence, unification is one of the main proposals to address questions on the political status of Taiwan, which is a central focus of Cross-Strait relations.
The political status of Taiwan or the Taiwan issue is a long-running dispute on the status of Taiwan, currently controlled by the Republic of China (ROC). Originally based in Mainland China, the ROC government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) won the Chinese Civil War and established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Mainland China. Since then, the effective jurisdiction of the ROC has been limited to Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and smaller islands.
The term One China may refer, in alphabetical order, to one of the following:
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defence organization established by China and Russia in 2001. It is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 80% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population. As of 2021, its combined GDP was around 20% of global GDP.
As a result of the surrender and occupation of Japan at the end of World War II, the islands of Taiwan and Penghu were placed under the governance of the Republic of China (ROC), ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT), on 25 October 1945. Following the February 28 massacre in 1947, martial law was declared in 1949 by the Governor of Taiwan, Chen Cheng, and the ROC Ministry of National Defense. Following the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the ROC government retreated from the mainland as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The KMT retreated to Taiwan and declared Taipei the temporary capital of the ROC. For many years, the ROC and PRC each continued to claim in the diplomatic arena to be the sole legitimate government of "China". In 1971, the United Nations expelled the ROC and replaced it with the PRC.
Cross-Strait relations are the relations between China and Taiwan.
"Taiwan, China", "Taiwan, Province of China", and "Taipei, China" are controversial political terms that claim Taiwan and its associated territories as a province or territory of "China".
Taiwan Province is a nominal administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC constitution defines Taiwan as part of its territories although the PRC has never controlled Taiwan since the PRC's establishment in 1949. Taiwan is currently administered by the Republic of China (ROC).
The term "Two Chinas" refers to the geopolitical situation where two political entities exist under the name "China".
Taiwanese nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The Nationality Act is based on the principle of jus sanguinis, children born to at least one Taiwanese parent are automatically nationals at birth. Foreign nationals with permanent residency in Taiwan may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least five (5) years. Certain foreign immediate family members of Taiwanese nationals may naturalize after continuously living in the country for at least three (3) years.
Project Guoguang was an attempt by the Republic of China (ROC), based in Taiwan, to reconquer mainland China from the People's Republic of China (PRC) by large scale invasion. It was the most elaborate of the ROCs plans or studies to invade the mainland after 1949. Guoguang was initiated in 1961 in response to events involving the PRC, particularly the Great Leap Forward, the Sino-Soviet split, and the development of nuclear weapons. Guoguang was never executed; it required more troops and material than the ROC could muster, and it lacked support from the United States. The use of a large scale invasion as the initial stage of reunification was effectively abandoned after 1966, although the Guoguang planning organization was not abolished until 1972. The ROC did not abandon the policy of using force for reunification until 1990.
The Republic of China (ROC) or simply China was a sovereign state based in mainland China from 1912 to 1949 prior to its move to Taiwan. It was first established on 1 January 1912, after being proclaimed in the Xinhai Revolution against the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and lasted until 7 December 1949, after its ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) was defeated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the de facto end of the Chinese Civil War, which resulted in a retreat of its central government to Taiwan, a territory which it took control of from the Empire of Japan in October 1945 after its surrender in World War II. The Communist-led People's Republic of China (PRC) was established on the mainland upon its official proclamation on 1 October 1949, while the ROC is now based on the island of Taiwan with its capital Taipei, where it retains actual rule over the Taiwan Area with the political status of Taiwan remaining in dispute to this day.
Chinese irredentism refers to irredentist claims to territories of the former Chinese Empire made by the Republic of China (ROC) and subsequently the People's Republic of China (PRC).
BRICS is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa formed by the 2010 addition of South Africa to the predecessor BRIC. The original acronym "BRIC", or "the BRICs", was coined in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill to describe fast-growing economies that he predicted would collectively dominate the global economy by 2050. The 15th BRICS summit in 2023 saw the expansion of the organization for the first time since the inclusion of South Africa.