According to Moscow, the trilateral framework that emerged before to the BRICS might be resurrected.
It would be advantageous for Russia, China, and India to increase trilateral collaboration within the ‘RIC’ format (which predates BRICS). But according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the West wants to block this.
“Both Beijing and New Delhi have made it clear that they want to continue their trilateral collaboration. Speaking at the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow, Lavrov said, “I am convinced that we will all benefit if this trio develops common approaches and strives to adopt unified positions on key issues of the Eurasian continent and on the global agenda.”
To be honest, the West desires the opposite. The West desires that this triumvirate never become more cohesive or show a single front. He continued, saying that there are intentions to bring back the RIC model. “The West wants to undermine this trio in every possible way,” he said.
“We continue to feel that communication is far more beneficial during these stressful times, and we suggested getting the RIC triumvirate together almost a year ago. We have since reviewed this concept. However, our Indian allies believe that the border crisis must be thoroughly handled before anything else. We comprehend them,” Lavrov remarked.
Former Russian Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov proposed in December 1998 the idea of a Russia-India-China “strategic triangle” as a way to give stability and legitimacy to the post-Cold War system of international relations. According to him, it may restrain US hegemony and be a big step toward multipolarity in international affairs.
Although Beijing and New Delhi were first hesitant about the concept, Lavrov pointed out that since 2001, the three nations have met frequently—more than 20 times to date. Engagement within RIC has slowed as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak and the standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the Himalayan border.
Moscow facilitated a high-level meeting between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers in September 2020 to ease tensions. It took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers’ meeting, where both sides agreed to continue dialogue towards de-escalation.
While a certain level of disengagement was achieved through more than 20 rounds of talks, the border dispute between the two neighbors has not been resolved.
Regarding Russia’s economic ties with India and China in the current geopolitical climate, Lavrov said both Asian powerhouses would like to see the global economy stabilized. He noted that both countries, given the size of their economies, are not questioning the “fundamentals and mechanisms of globalization established by the US,” and are not “significantly doubting” the role of the US dollar, “which many still want to rely on.”
To offset Washington’s power to target countries with unilateral sanctions, Moscow now settles its bilateral transactions in their national currencies with Beijing and, to a lesser extent, with New Delhi (around 60%).
