India pulling away? Putin and Xi to hold BRICS summit without Modi
Photo: Putin, Modi and Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
Brazil has convened a BRICS summit today to discuss US President Donald Trump’s trade policy. Leaders of Russia and China will take part, but India’s prime minister will not attend, according to Bloomberg.
China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will take part in the virtual BRICS summit.
"President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Leaders’ online summit in Beijing on Sept. 8 and deliver an important speech," according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.
Vladimir Putin will also be present, as previously confirmed by his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
India, however, will not be represented by its prime minister. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Friday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend. Instead, the country will be represented by its foreign minister.
BRICS summit on September 8
A UK government representative said the virtual BRICS leaders’ meeting on Monday will last only a few hours and begin at 8 AM Eastern Time.
The speeches will be closed to the press, and each leader will decide individually whether to publish their remarks. In addition, there will be no joint statement following the meeting.
Bloomberg notes that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva convened the summit not only to discuss trade tariffs imposed by Trump but also to bring together leaders of major emerging economies in support of multilateralism.
Growing alignment of China, Russia, and India
According to Bloomberg, BRICS has increasingly drawn Trump’s anger as it expands to include new members from Asia and the Middle East.
The US president has threatened to impose additional tariffs on any country that supports the bloc’s "anti-American policy." He has also repeatedly criticized BRICS countries’ efforts to trade in their own currencies and move away from the dollar.
At the same time, Trump’s tariffs have further pushed BRICS members to deepen ties with Beijing.
Over the past week, Xi Jinping hosted both Putin and Modi at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, and welcomed dozens of world leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, in Beijing for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that New Delhi has shown caution in its relations with Washington after Trump appeared to soften his tone toward India, following weeks of friction over US tariffs of 50% on Indian goods.
Recently, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he believes India will come to the negotiating table within a month or two, apologize to the US, and seek a trade deal.
