PM Modi and Xi Jinping have attended all of the BRICS summit meetings in recent years.
New Delhi:
For the first time since the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Real Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to come face to face virtually at the annual BRICS summit to be held on November 17.
Russia, the president of the five-nation BRICS, announced on Monday that the bloc’s annual summit would be held on November 17 via video conference.
The BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) are known as an influential bloc that represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world‘s population.
The BRICS countries have a combined GDP of $ 16.6 trillion.
“The theme of the BRICS Leaders Meeting is ‘BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth’,” the Russian government said in a statement.
Prime Minister Modi and President Xi have attended all the BRICS summit meetings in recent years.
Premier Modi and Chinese President Xi are attending the virtual summit, said a diplomat involved in the arrangements for the multilateral event.
Last year, the BRICS summit took place in Brazilia, the capital of Brazil. Premier Modi and Chinese President Xi also held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
India and China have been stuck in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh since early May, which has strained bilateral relations considerably.
The two sides held a series of diplomatic and military talks to resolve the conflict. However, no progress has been made to end the impasse.
The Russian communiqué also said that “this year, the five countries have pursued a close strategic partnership on the three main pillars: peace and security, economy and finance, cultural and people-to-people exchanges”.
Anton Kobyakov, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that despite the current global situation due to the spread of the coronavirus infection, activities under the Russian BRICS presidency were consistent.
“Since January, more than 60 events have been organized, including by videoconference. The BRICS Summit will be the jewel of the Russian BRICS Presidency, which will give impetus to strengthen cooperation with our partners to ensure the well-being of the BRICS countries, ”Kobyakov said.
