---
title: "Shanghai Five Grouping: Origins and SCO Roots"
description: "The Shanghai Five Grouping, formed in 1996, evolved into the SCO in 2001, impacting regional security and cooperation among Central Asian nations."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/sco-shanghai-five"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Shanghai Five was a security grouping formed in 1996 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan that became the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2001.
- Which countries made up the Shanghai Five?
- How is the Shanghai Five different from the SCO?
- What were the two founding treaties of the Shanghai Five?
- Why is the Shanghai Five relevant for UPSC GS2?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 26 April 1996

   The first, the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions, was concluded in Shanghai on , lending the grouping its informal name.

2. 24 April 1997

   The second, the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions, was signed in Moscow on .

3. 15 June 2001

   The decisive transformation came on , when the five founding states admitted the Republic of Uzbekistan and signed the Declaration on the Establishment of th…

4. 7 June 2002

   The SCO Charter was signed at Saint Petersburg on and entered into force in 2003, creating a permanent Secretariat in Beijing and a Regional Anti-Terrorist…

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Example

On 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, the five founding states plus Uzbekistan transformed the Shanghai Five into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, signing the Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism.

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