* A regional security forum founded in Shanghai July 2001 by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and China

* India, Pakistan, and Iran joined as observers in 2005

* Evolved from the Shanghai Five when Uzbekistan was admitted in 2001

* Originally dealt with security and confidence-building issues, including border conflicts, terrorism, and militant Islam. SCO cooperation today also covers economics, transportation, culture, disaster relief, and law enforcement. Security and economic cooperation are priorities

* Opened an antiterrorism center in Shanghai in 2003

* In July 2005, the SCO demanded a timeframe for the withdrawal of the U.S. bases deployed in some member countries during the antiterrorism campaign in Afghanistan

* Russia and China held their first joint military exercises, Peace Mission 2005, in August 2005