China backs India on hosting BRICS 2021 summit in sign of thaw amid LAC disengagement

China on Monday stated that they support India for hosting the BRICS Summit 2021 and expressed interest in working with New Delhi to strengthen the cooperation among the five-member group of emerging economies of which both China and India are critical members. India assumed the BRICS chairmanship for 2021. The grouping comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and India is going to hold this year's summit.

While speaking to the press, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that Beijing backs New Delhi in hosting the summit. "We support India hosting this year's meeting and will work with it and other members to strengthen communication dialogue and consolidate the three-pillar cooperation, expand BRICS plus cooperation and work for greater progress under BRICS and also help the world to defeat COVID-19, resume economic growth and improve global governance,” he said.

However, the Chinese FM spokesperson did not mention whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the summit expected to be held later this year. It is likely he may, however, if the summit is not virtual. PM Modi is also in-principal supposed to visit China this year for the third of his informal summits with Xi, another India-China engagement whose fate hangs in the balance given ongoing developments.

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MEA Jaishankar Launches BRICS 2021 Website

On February 19, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had launched a website for BRICS, a bloc that represents over 3.6 billion people, nearly half the world’s population. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar had announced, “Glad to have launched the #BRICS2021 website. Will provide a comprehensive snapshot of our strong BRICS engagement and the exhaustive calendar of events during BRICS at 15 under the Chairmanship of India.”

The leaders of BRICS met for the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the margins of the G8 Outreach Summit in July 2006. Later, the group was formalized as BRIC during the 1st BRIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and met on the sidelines of the General Debate of the UN Assembly in New York City, according to the BRICS India website. 

The website, which is now LIVE, displays updated and dynamic information and useful links related to the pillars of BRICS, calendar of events, documents, and images from the previous meetings. The 13th BRICS Summit will be held under India’s Chairship in 2021, and it will be the third time India will host the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016. The theme for India’s Chairship for 2021 would be ‘BRICS @ 15: Intra-BRICS Cooperation for Continuity, Consolidation, and Consensus’. 

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(With Agency Inputs)