AHEAD of the BRICS summit in India on September 12 and 13, the flurry of diplomatic outreach undertaken by Indian officials around the world holds a special significance, especially with the United States still entangled in the mess of its own creation in West Asia. The BRICS meeting is bound to cause a flutter in Washington and Europe given the high-profile nature of the members and their own camaraderie despite having traditional differences. The visits by Indian diplomats and high-level officers are set to hammer out a consensus during next month’s summit as New Delhi seeks to bring all the BRICS-plus members on the same page for a common voice emerging from the Global South. In this light the discussions between National Security Advisor Mr. Ajit Doval with Chinese Foreign Minister Mr. Wang Yi in Beijing and talks between External Affairs Minister Mr. S Jaishankar and Russian FM Mr. Sergey Lavrov in Moscow come with their own importance.

 

The joint message from Beijing is that Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping are eager to continue the bonhomie spurred by multiple decisions of bilateral benefits between the two neighbours. After experiencing a long frosty relationship due to the Galwan Valley clashes of 2020 and incursions by the PLA forces, both Beijing and New Delhi have opted for a cautious reset with gradual opening of trade and economic ties. Since the disengagement of troops from friction points in eastern Ladakh after marathon meetings at various levels, India and China have shown willingness to engage in different sectors.

 

Trade has already started from three traditional routes including Lipulekh after several years. Both countries chose to swat away Nepal’s illegal and illogical claims on the Indian territory to resume bilateral trade. India has already started direct flights to China and after a long lull the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage has also started. Parallely, India has opened partial doors for investment for Chinese entities which had faced a ban after the Galwan clashes. These are signals of rapprochement though danger always looms over China’s real intent, which was seen during its help to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Yet, New Delhi has shown tremendous maturity to segregate issues of border disputes-security and diplomacy. Mr. Doval was extremely safe and articulate in dealing with these tricky matters in Beijing as he listed out the priority of both Governments to “consolidate efforts to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas”. It was an indication of New Delhi’s immediate priority of bringing the BRICS members to speak in a common voice and keep their bilateral issues reserved for established channels.

 

Similar meetings have been on in the other member countries with top Government officials engaged in sensitising them about having a common agenda. It is absolutely necessary for the BRICS grouping to show up as a united entity in wake of the divisions seen in the NATO alliance over American imperialism. Europe now stands as a divided house due to the Iran war and US President Mr. Donald Trump’s continuous threats for their non-cooperation. The Gulf countries, too, are finding their own ways to come out of the American shadow after Mr. Trump’s failure to protect those during Iran’s counter-strikes. With Washington already wary of the growing influence of BRICS and Global South grouping, the top players including Russia, India and China must now present a happy picture of togetherness. Sensing the changing geopolitical situation triggered by Mr. Trump’s volatility and senseless foreign policy, the Russia-India-China grouping has already sent a message of a united front. Their amiability during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit last year in Tianjin had made headlines and stoked talks of revival of the RIC. The same vibe must be shown during next month’s BRICS summit and New Delhi is dexterously working on making it a huge success. Of course, this exercise is beyond the limited cognitive ability of the Opposition under LoP Mr. Rahul Gandhi !!!