As it happens #BRICSSummit: BRICS Nation condemn terrorism, PM Modi handshakes with President Xi Jinping and other developments
BRICS leaders in China on Wednesday strongly condemned and named in a declaration, for the first time, Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and the Haqqani network.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Xiamen in China for BRICS Summit 2017. Ahead of the meetings, PM Modi said he looks forward having “productive discussions and positive outcomes” with leaders to support the agenda for a stronger partnership among the member countries of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). Prime Minister Modi holds the bilateral meeting, starting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who PM Modi met today.
He is also expected to meet leaders of countries like Egypt, invited by China as part of the BRICS outreach program. Apart from Egypt, China has invited Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Summit. PM Modi’s visit to China to attend the BRICS Summit comes days after India and China ended the 73-day long Doklam standoff
Here are key takeaways from the BRICS Summit so far:
1. PM Modi sought a strong action BRICS partnership to spur growth, saying the bloc of emerging economies has developed a robust framework for cooperation and contributed to stability in a world “drifting towards uncertainty”
2. PM Modi said trade and economy were the foundations of cooperation in BRICS and called for the creation of a BRICS rating agency to cater to financing needs of sovereign and corporate entities of developing countries.
3. “I wish to announce here that China will launch the economic and technical cooperation plan for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries with 500 million yuan for the first term to facilitate policy exchange and practical cooperation and in the economic and trade field,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony.
4. PM Modi and President Xi had met informally at the G20 summit in Germany in July, but their last bilateral talks were in June this year, when they met in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
5. That meeting had come amid growing differences between the two nations over a host of issues, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and China’s opposition to India’s efforts to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
6. Later that month, Indian soldiers stopped China from building a road in the remote, uninhabited territory of Doklam, claimed by both China and Bhutan, resulting in a stand-off near the Sikkim border that lasted over two months.
7. On Sunday, Xi Jinping, without directly referring to the Doklam tension, underlined that “peace and development” should be the underpin to resolve issues as the world does not want “conflict and confrontation.” At today’s inaugural session, Mr Xi said, “Despite our differences in national conditions, our five countries are in similar stages of development and share the same development cause.”
8. After the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will travel to Myanmar on a bilateral visit on Tuesday. The trip includes a visit to the historic city of Bagan and Yangon. He will also interact with the Indian community in the country.