World Waits For Modi-Xi Handshake At BRICS In Kazan
Image credit X.com @PMOIndia
Russia May Broker India-China Normalcy In Counter To US-Led Western Push In East
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, October 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will come across each other in Kazan in Russia for the Leaders’ Summit of BRICS this week. To put Galwan clash of 2020 in a shadow, India on Monday announced breakthrough in border talks with China.
After a gap of more than four years, India and China have agreed for the patrolling of the line of actual control (LAC) that separates the two largest populations in the world. India’ foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, broke the news of the breakthrough after over two dozen rounds of talks between the military commanders of the two countries.
“…agreement has been arrived at on patrolling arrangements along the LAC, leading to disengagement and a resolution of the issues that had risen in these areas in 2020,” said Misri on Monday.
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Diplomatic community is well-versed about ways China deals with neighbours. A resolution of a nagging border tension threatened to derail the bilateral relations.
Modi has also been under attacks from the Opposition over the ballooning trade deficit in favour of China. Despite boycott campaigns for Chinese goods, China registered over $100 billion of trade surplus with India in the last financial year.
Former diplomats assert that Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding the most consequential summit in Kazan. “President Putin will have 17 bilateral meetings with Heads of States of Governments in next week. About 40 countries are expected to attend the BRICS Summit at Kazan, Russia on 25 October,” said former diplomat Yogesh Gupta in a post on LinkedIn.
Russian economy withstood the US-led western sanctions. Russia-China axis is now a bulwark against the western aim to overrun the eastern defiance. India is the only missing link to deepen the eastern axis.
BRICS is set for an expansion. New members are lining up for memberships. At the same time, G7, the grouping of the seven most industrialized countries, is facing economic downward spiral.
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Putin and XI will be keen to give a fresh leg up to de-dollarisation. The Economist read the likely challenge by BRICS to the western way to slap sanctions against the developing nations.
“The BRICS plan could deliver cheaper and faster transactions. Those benefits may be enough to entice emerging economies. In a sign the scheme has genuine potential, Western officials are wary that it may be designed to evade sanctions,” stated The Economist in a report ahead of the Kazan summit.
A BRICS currency is being hailed viable as 20 per cent of gold reserves in the world are owned by member nations. Russia and China lead in the ownership of the precious yellow metal. India will be sanguine with an alternative currency against dollar for being a net importer.
The success of Putin-Xi bonhomie to pushback the intrusion of the US-led western forces in their immediate neighbourhood will hinge on the support of India.
On Putin’s watch, Xi may show eagerness for a handshake with Modi at Kazan. Modi is apparently miffed at the US-Canada hectoring on murder plots. Modi will be equally keen for a handshake with XI.
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