Again, how do you tame the bear? Also, what's stopping Russia from stomping out of the SCO and taking a bunch of other away with her? Judging by what she did with the Manas airfiled, russia still seems to wield some influence over her eastern satellites.when the agenda of SCO is concerned ,Russia had different idea.
Russia wants SCO to be another " Warsaw pact" , a useful tool to resist west coutries led by USA.
China just wants SCO to be another "NAFTA" led by China and lest center Asia and Russia the stable supply of raw resource/market of industry products.
China has two ways to take over the sole leader of SCO:
1. "tame russia'. make Russia give up and admit the leadership of CHina.
2." Marginalize Russia" : in a simple word, wave checknote ,lure most members of SCO to stand by China and minimize the influnce of Russia.
in fact, CHinese would rather make friends with Yankees than Russian,
for:
1. Russia is neighbour while USA is far aways....
if there are two tiger in one forest at the same time, the forest is always too crowded.
if there two powerful countries are in one mainland at the same time, the mainland is too crowded too.
2. Russian can never be trusted for ever,because they were too hunger for land-grabbing.
almost every neighbours of Russia were invaded once by Russian .
fairly speaking, USA has a better record ,as for it.
If China's long term goal is to contain the US and establish herself as a major power in the future, she would have to play 2nd fiddle to Russia for a while.