BRICS’ s Goa edition is expected to reflect the drift between India and China on the latter’s selective protectionism to Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism. The group may feel severe pressure to restrict its usual engagement of fighting the West. Indications are that Chinese involvement in supporting Pakistan’s stand on Uri attack may reflect in the meeting as well.
Already, indicating strong polarization in foreign policy, India invited the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries to the meeting.
Invitation to the Bimstec is quite symbolic. This means that India is ready to limit its cooperation with friendly neighbors sidelining hate spreading Islamabad. The idea of substitutability between SAARC and BIMSTEC is an interesting turnaround in South Asian politics.
More than anything else, Beijing’s increasing involvement in South Asian affairs is a matter of concern for New Delhi. China in recent time is making statements about the events in South Asian involving incidents between India and neighboring countries. Its willingness to trespass into the different cultural territory is read as an unpleasant sign by New Delhi.
The BRICS heads of state meetings are usually known to deliver anti-West rhetoric especially demanding more role for developing countries in international institutions like the World Bank.
Its agenda remained economic and international social issues and political ones that doesn’t hurt the members. This time also both New Delhi and Beijing keep the spirit of the grouping by not dragging bilateral divergence based on a non-member (Pakistan) into the summit.
At the same time, the Goa Declaration may inevitable contain some phrases against terrorism as India is the host and Beijing may not repel such a move.
Already Pakistan is making an international campaign to bring China into the grouping of South Asian countries in the context of the postponement of the SAARC meeting. Pakistani diplomats have urged Washington about the need for expanding the SAARC by including China and Iran.
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