BRICS faces IC test; eyes on Xi-Modi amid strained ties
File Photo credit X @BRICSinfo
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, August 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Johannesburg to take part in the 15th BRICS Summit under the South African Chairmanship on Tuesday morning. After three virtual meetings and emerging questions over the direction of the group of the emerging economies. BRICS Summit is being held in physical mode amid rising speculation about a bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Modi’s departure for Johannesburg coincided with an unconfirmed report that India and China has agreed to not create additional posts along the line of actual control (LAC). This is in the backdrop of the Indian National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, holding discussions with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, to build the grounds for the de-escalation of the forces across the LAC in the western sector, particularly eastern Ladakh. There is also an intense speculation about the participation of Xi in the G20 Summit early next month in New Delhi.
It’s worthwhile to recall that the Chinese foreign ministry had claimed “Bali Consensus”, arrived at on the sidelines of the G20 Summit last year, on resolving the border tension. But there had been no progress on the ground despite 19 rounds of talks between the military commanders of India and China. At the same time, India-China border tension is now fast becoming a political issue, with the Opposition alleging land grab by the Chinese side in the eastern Ladakh sector to corner Modi ahead of the key Assembly elections and also the 2024 general elections. The Modi government is expected to come under considerable pressure to take actions, which most likely could be on the economic front, to bring China on board to de-escalate from the current standoff positions. The Central government in India recently banned imports of laptops, mobile phones, PC, and other electronics products, which are largely being imported from China.
With the Chinese economy imploding amid crash of the consumption demands within the country as seen in the people swelling the bank deposits and the global trade taking a hit from the deepening slowdown, the Indian market remains a key target for the Chinese goods. With India and China being the two driving forces of BRICS, the deepening tension between the two large Asian countries, note geostrategic experts, threaten to derail the emerging economy bloc, which is attracting a large number of nations for membership. It may, however, be noted that Modi has been avoiding being seen with Xi against possible domestic backlash, as was seen during the SCO Summit last year, as well as G20 Summit last year.
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