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    All eyes on PM Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping at BRICS summit

    Synopsis

    India, at the Summit, will yet again reiterate demand for concrete measures against terror infrastructure in the Af-Pak region.

    ET Bureau
    NEW DELHI: Being held in the shadow of Doklam border standoff that led to tensions for 75 days between two of the five members of the BRICS the forthcoming Summit in Xiamen (Sep 3-5) has a special significance.

    While all eyes will be on the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, India at the Summit will yet again reiterate demand for concrete measures against terror infrastructure in Af-Pak region and seek broader action plan against worldwide extremism.

    The MEA on Friday hinted that relevant global challenges including terror are on the table from the Indian side for the Summit. When asked about China's comment on Thursday that it will not be appropriate to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism records at the BRICS summit at Xiamen, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said he cannot pre-empt what Modi will say during his interventions at the restricted and plenary sessions of the summit. But he was quick to that India's position on terrorism has been very clear and it has been raising the issue at various multilateral forums.

    Modi and Xi are expected to meet on Monday in the coastal city of Xiamen on the side lines of the Summit. The meeting is expected to be marked by discussions on CBMs as the two leaders may decide to have a new mechanism to address trijunctions along their Line of Actual Control. Besides Doklam (Bhutan), the other two trijunctions that exist involve Nepal and Myanmar. The standoff ended on August 28.

    Held in the backdrop of Xi’s mega OBOR initiative Delhi may express reservations at the Summit on connectivity initiatives like OBOR and BRI that is being implemented in a unilateral and non-transparent fashion. All eyes will be on any reference by the Indian PM at the Summit plenaries on attempts to change status quo along disputed boundaries. The BRICS process, however, is expected to contribute to confidence building between neighbours.

    Indian PM is also likely to meet the Russian President besides leaders of Egypt and Thailand who will be present as BRICS outreach format. Egypt, Thailand, Guinea (African Union chair), Tajikistan and Mexico as China’s BRICS outreach for emerging markets. Modi’s could also meet Presidents of Brazil and South Africa on the sidelines of BRICS Summit.

    China as a host will seek to focus on South-South cooperation and sustainable development. The theme of 9th BRICS Summit is ‘Stronger partnership for a brighter future’. The summit’s agenda—under the theme “Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future”—includes discussions on economic collaboration, political and security cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, and probably also issues of particular concern for China and India like renewable energy and coping with climate change.

    The five nations are also expected to discuss setting up a BRICS credit rating agency as an alternative to the big three Western agencies that few nations accuse of favouring Western economies. Also on the cards is a proposal for BRICS energy agency that would enable smooth flow of energy sources among members of the group.

    This Summit gives Xi an opportunity to showcase his leadership amid his push to make China number one global power riding on OBOR initiative. Observers say one of the group’s top achievements is somewhat intangible—shifting the global power balance toward the developing world, and winning a bigger say in global economic discussions at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The group is also lauded for establishing the alternative New Development Bank in 2014. The bank recently announced $1.4 billion in new loans for sustainable development projects in China, India and Russia.


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