ABSTRACT
The chapter aims to highlight the strategic and economic situation in CA countries from the perspective of India arguing for an evolution in the mandate of the SCO, from a heavily security-oriented agenda to one focusing equally on issues of economic development and regional cooperation. With the current levels of economic development and intensity of trade, there is a need to re-contextualise the Organisation that could result in the acceleration of regional economic development with new partners. The chapter analyses some of these concerns by looking at the economic perspective of the region using both qualitative and quantitative sources, with a special emphasis on India’s strategic interests and highlights some of the regional challenges that it can help to address. Given the capabilities India has exhibited in the recent past, there is scope to utilise SCO as a forum creating new multilateral synergies to intensify economic cooperation in a bid to secure regional interests.
