SCO: Injecting a “Stimulant” into Regional Trade Facilitation and Export Growth

Zhengyang Sun

Research Article

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

SCO: Injecting a “Stimulant” into Regional Trade Facilitation and Export Growth

Zhengyang Sun^▸^▾

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Submitted: October 10, 2025
Published: 2025-10-13 — Updated on 2025-10-14

Abstract

Abstract: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has evolved from a security-centric bloc into a potent catalyst for trade facilitation and export growth across Eurasia. Leveraging a unique combination of hard infrastructure (Belt & Road corridors), soft institutional reforms (bilateral FTAs, harmonised customs), and digital platforms, the SCO is acting as a stimulant that accelerates regional integration. Using panel data (2003-2024) and a difference-in-differences augmented-gravity framework, we show that full SCO membership raises member-to-member exports by 12–18 % on average, with manufacturing and agri-processing sectors gaining most. The effect is strongest where (i) B&R transport projects are completed, (ii) bilateral FTAs are in force, and (iii) one-stop trade portals (e.g., SCODA) lower documentary compliance time by ≥ 50 %. We conclude that the SCO’s stimulant function is replicable for other regions, provided geoeconomic trust and complementary domestic reforms are maintained.

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[2] Ockwell D G, Haum R, Mallett A, et al. Intellectual property rights and low carbon technology transfer: Conflicting discourses of diffusion and development[J]. Global Environmental Change, 2010, 20(4): 729-738.

[3] Zhen Liu et al. Low-carbon economy and sustainable development: Driving force, synergistic mechanism, and implementation path. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2024.

[4] Han et al. Can Intellectual Property Rights Pilots Reduce Carbon Emissions? China Economic Review, 2024.

[5] Borojo et al. The heterogeneous impacts of environmentaltechnologies and research and development spending on green growth in emerging economies. Green Growth Studies, 2024.

[6] Qi, R. (2025). DecisionFlow for SMEs: A Lightweight Visual Framework for Multi-Task Joint Prediction and Anomaly Detection.

[7] Wang, Y. (2025, April). Efficient Adverse Event Forecasting in Clinical Trials via Transformer-Augmented Survival Analysis. In Proceedings of the 2025 International Symposium on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (pp. 92-97).

[8] Qi, R. (2025). Enterprise Financial Distress Prediction Based on Machine Learning and SHAP Interpretability Analysis.