NEW DELHI: On ‘Talking Point’, Ambassador P.S. Raghavan, Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board(NSAB) and India’s Former Envoy to Russia in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra in his media briefing post the BRICS Summit said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his conversation with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines “highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC in the western sector of the India-China border” adding, “The PM underlined that the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship. In this regard, the two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation.” China’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the two leaders “talked” at the PM’s request, adding, “President Xi stressed that improving relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples, and is also conducive to peace, stability, and development of the world and region. The two sides should bear in mind the overall interests of their bilateral relations and handle properly the border issue so as to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border region.”
The NSAB head, Ambassador Raghavan discusses what the two statements mean, another chance both leaders have to talk at the East Asia and ASEAN meets in Indonesia and the G-20 Summit in Delhi in September(if Xi Jinping travels for them), criticism of BRICS as a China-led group, what the expansion means, why the six countries(Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) were chosen for an expansion, why countries like Indonesia and Nigeria weren’t on this list, the relevance of BRICS in the changing world order, why there is a “virtual stampede” to join the organisation, trade in national currencies, calls for a common currency, de-dollarisation, India, China and the Global South and PM Modi’s suggestion for a space consortium.
