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The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Is the Russia-India-China Troika Making a Comeback?
In May, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was interested in reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) troika. Speaking at a security conference on May 29, Russia's top diplomat said 'I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of troika – Russia, India, China,' noting that the format, since its launch had 'organized meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level… not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade, and financial agencies of three countries.' The idea of triliteral cooperation was first floated in the 1990s and was institutionalized in 2002, which Lavrov credited to Yevgeny Primakov, the late chair of the Russian International Affairs Council. Since then, as the Russian foreign minister pointed out, the RIC had convened nearly two dozen times – but not in the recent past. The last meeting of the RIC leaders took place in 2019 on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. Before that, the leaders of three countries held an informal summit on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The RIC troika has been inactive since November 2021, following a virtual meeting of the RIC foreign ministers. Initially, the format was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was further stalled by the military standoff between China and India in Eastern Ladakh in 2020. However, with China-India relations undergoing a relative thaw, Russia now appears to be keen on reviving the trilateral grouping. In this context, last week, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stated that he was in negotiations with both Beijing and New Delhi on the revival of the RIC troika. 'This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them,' Rudenko said. 'We are interested in making this format work because these three countries are important partners. The absence of this format, in my opinion, looks inappropriate.' This manifests the clear Russian push to revive the troika, which could provide Moscow with a platform to advance and secure its national interests. Besides Russia, China has also shown interest in the RIC's return. Responding to a question regarding Russia's intentions to revive the bloc, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said that 'China is willing to maintain communication with Russia and India to advance trilateral cooperation.' He added, 'The cooperation among China, Russia, and India not only aligns with the respective interests of the three countries, but also contributes to regional and global peace, security, stability, and progress.' In light of Beijing's regional rivalry with New Delhi, Moscow believes that India is being drawn into the West's anti-Chinese strategies. Reviving the troika format would enable Beijing to have more direct contact with New Delhi and potentially allay concerns about India joining the 'China containment' bloc. India, on the other hand, as of now, seems non-committal on the revival of the RIC format. When asked about the group's revival, Randhir Jaiswal, the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, gave a bland answer: 'This consultative format is a mechanism where the three countries come and discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them.' He continued: 'As to when this particular RIC format meeting is going to be held, it is something that will be worked out among the three countries in a mutually convenient manner, and we will let you know as and when that happens at an appropriate time when the meeting is to take place.' Indian media sources report that no RIC troika meeting has been agreed upon, and there are currently no discussions about scheduling a meeting in this format. Still, given the slow but steady progress on normalizing relations between China and India in recent months, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's recent visit to Beijing, the revival of the RIC troika is quite plausible. Russia, struggling with sanctions over its war in Ukraine, would go to any length to revive this bloc. China's support would certainly provide a boost to Russian ambitions and interests. Russia's strategic relations with both China and India can play an important role vis-à-vis the format's revival and Moscow will hope to successfully bring both countries to the table. However, the role of the U.S., particularly under President Donald Trump, may be the most significant factor for the revival of the RIC troika. Since his return to the White House, Trump has resumed his strategy of imposing tariffs, which has sparked a trade war, particularly with China. His protectionist ideals do not align with those of India, as ongoing tariff uncertainties could harm New Delhi's economic and political interests. The last meeting among the RIC leaders in Osaka in 2019 took place under a similar context. Back then, India's Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, stated, 'All three leaders have agreed that in an era of economic and global change, it is important to uphold the trend of globalization. Maintaining the liberalization of trade, a free trading system, an open trading system, and a rules-based trading system is essential to counter the tendency toward protectionism.' While the situation and circumstances may not be exactly the same as they were in 2019, Trump's trade strategy remains unchanged, which could lead to the revival of the RIC troika. Together, China, India, and Russia could form a Eurasian power that balances Western dominance. These three countries are already part of organizations like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which are also seen as efforts to counter Western influence. The RIC troika could certainly contribute to the promotion of a multipolar world with multiple centers of power, potentially undermining Western dominance. But for this to occur, all three countries must discuss their global and regional priorities. Until that happens, the RIC troika will remain in a state of uncertainty.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
AllAfrica covers a continent the US is increasingly ignoring
For the staff of the digital news service AllAfrica, this has been a typically frenetic season. The platform is the premier producer and aggregator of content from and about Africa. It reaches tens of millions monthly with news in English and French, coverage usually absent from most Western media. A rare exception was President Trump's May 21 Oval Office ambush of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a propaganda video. Trump claimed South Africa's white Afrikaners were subjects of widespread land confiscations and 'genocide.' Seasoned negotiator Ramaphosa deftly referred questions to his team's Afrikaners: a cabinet minister, a billionaire businessman and a former world golfing champion. The White House confrontation was a 'developing story that isn't going away, and poorly covered — without context — by all major media,' said Dr. Tamela (Tami) Hultman, AllAfrica's co-founder and chief content officer. In fact, many Afrikaners whom the administration has deemed 'refugees' have admitted to accepting free repatriation to find easier jobs. South African polls showed most Afrikaners are uninterested in leaving South Africa. AllAfrica provided that deeper context. Reed Kramer, another co-founder, told me South Africa's concern about Afrikaner disinformation continues as Trump's team uses it to undermine the country's current G-20 inter-governmental economic group presidency. 'We're valued for comprehensive African coverage, not just what U.S. media see as the issue of the moment,' said Hultman. (Full disclosure: Hultman, Kramer and I were classmates at Duke University in the 1960s.) AllAfrica reported on less-noticed news, such as cancelled U.S. funding for HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis research by South Africa's world-class scientists. Most recently, Hultman said AllAfrica's audience seems more interested in New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee, Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani. Hultman said AllAfrica seeks to spotlight other under-covered issues, such as the Trump administration's desire for minerals from war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, plus Africa's agricultural innovations and entrepreneurial culture. 'It is inexplicable,' she told me, 'that international media have largely ignored the world's worst humanitarian disaster — in Sudan — where U.S. allies support rival combatants who overthrew a democratic government, are stealing the country's gold and creating famine.' Genocide in Sudan's Darfur area, which prompted global outrage in the early 2000s, has returned. AllAfrica was among the first to report South Sudan's refusal to accept eight deportees from Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico, leading to the administration's threatened withdrawal of all South Sudan visas, including that of basketball star Khaman Maluach, just hours before Duke's NCAA Final Four appearance. Further evidence of the administration's devaluing Africa's strategic importance were Pentagon signals of dramatically cutting military assistance and training to African armies fighting insurgencies. The site's groundbreaking coverage of Africa's Covid crisis exposed wealthy nations' failure to share vaccines with African countries, even when South Africa, for example, contracted to package vaccines for export to the U.K. A long-time working relationship with World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and his team facilitated that reporting. In its early days, AllAfrica was nominated as ' Best News Site,' alongside Google and BBC, by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The website Media Bias Fact Check wrote, 'Overall, we rate AllAfrica Least Biased based on balanced and diverse story selection and High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact check record.' 'For decades, AllAfrica has been indispensable for teaching about Africa,' said Kenneth Vickery, emeritus professor of African history at North Carolina State University. 'Nothing else provides the range, depth and quality of its coverage.' Over 60 percent of AllAfrica's multimedia audience is in Africa, primarily using mobile devices. Users include journalists, heads of state and government, business leaders, scientists and clinicians, human rights organizations and democracy activists. 'We began early on and continue to this day to work with African journalists, some very brave and dedicated people among them,' said Kramer, who has known Ramaphosa since before he became South Africa's president. Still, there is work to be done. On July 9, at a White House meeting of West African leaders, Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his English skills, wondering, 'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?' English has been the official language of Liberia for more than 200 years, as it was settled by formerly enslaved African Americans. Hultman and Kramer attribute their career to listening to Africans, beginning with their pioneering on-the-ground research on U.S. corporations supporting apartheid in the 1960s and 1970s. 'We were in the fortunate position of knowing both the activists arising inside South Africa and a network of outside contacts who wanted to support them,' Kramer told an interviewer. 'The concept of a news agency focusing on Africa stemmed from frustration with the lack of news and information.' Last May, Hultman and Kramer, who are married, received Lifetime Achievement Awards during the 2024 African Media Leaders Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, for 'exceptional contributions to media development in Africa.' The third co-founder and AllAfrica's executive chair, Amadou Mahtar Ba from Senegal, said at the ceremony, 'In an era where the media landscape continues to change at a breathtaking pace, Tamela Hultman and Reed Kramer remain beacons of inspiration, reminding us of the enduring power of truth and the boundless potential of digital innovation.' AllAfrica is using artificial intelligence to increase collaborative content creation with staff in Dakar, Cape Town, Nairobi, Monrovia and Washington, D.C. The site will help enable around 100 print and broadcast partners across Africa to use the newest Voice AI and Voice Agent technologies to boost efficiency and revenues. Sustaining an independent news agency is increasingly challenging, Hultman says. But 'covering Africa — with its dynamism, creativity and vast untapped youth market — is critical to United States strategic interests.' AllAfrica's multi-national staff, Hultman and Kramer say, is dedicated to being the voice of 'All Africa All the Time.'
The Print
4 days ago
- Business
- The Print
‘Said I treated her like bachchi, bitched about her'—behind Sitharaman's ire at ex-finance secy Subhash Garg
This resulted in a 'broken functional relationship' between the two, and Garg's eventual resignation as finance secretary, he has written in this richly detailed account of the rough and tumble of administrative life, including the many run-ins he had with politicians throughout his career. The reason for her angst? She thought that Garg went about 'bitching' about her and treating her like a bachchi (child). New Delhi: Soon after she assumed the charge of the finance ministry, Nirmala Sitharaman's attitude towards the finance secretary, Subhash Chandra Garg, was frosty, the IAS officer of 1983 batch Rajasthan cadre has written in his new book, 'No, Minister: Navigating Power, Politics and Bureaucracy with a Steely Resolve'. In the book, he also describes former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje as an 'official split personality,' who felt 'cheated' when he was called by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in 2014, soon after Modi became PM. Also Read: Home Secy Govind Mohan joins IAS/IPS/IRS officers who have benefited from Modi govt's extension culture A strange accusation—'bitching' about the finance minister On their official visit to Japan in June 2019, Garg complimented Sitharaman for speaking effectively at the G-20 finance ministers' meeting. Her reaction surprised him. 'I hope I did not disappoint you,' she retorted. 'My suspicion that she was carrying biases against me were confirmed but I chose to ignore it,' Garg writes. The second instance came soon after. In June, 2019, Garg sought to conclude a pre-budget meeting with stakeholders by thanking them for their participation, and telling them their inputs will be put up in front of the minister for her consideration. 'I will abide by what the finance secretary says, especially a finance secretary who is much older than me in the finance ministry, and not discuss the suggestions,' Garg recalls her as saying. She did not close the meeting thereafter, and the stakeholders continued to make their interventions. Even as they were talking, Sitharaman turned to Garg, and said, 'What do you think, I cannot violate you? I would.' When Garg went to her room to clear the air after the meeting, she was 'livid' and 'relentless', he writes. 'She said I treated her like a bachchi (child). At one stage, she said that I had gone to various people and 'bitched' about her, which was false. She also threatened to bring the entire matter to the notice of the prime minister.' 'I don't know what had got into her. It was clear, though, that there was a serious problem and that our functional relationship had broken down,' Garg says. In the run-up to the Budget, things became worse. While the finance minister and secretary are supposed to work in tandem on the budget speech, which is closely vetted by the prime minister, the finance minister refused to share the draft of the speech with Garg before the meeting with the PM, he said. 'This created an unprecedented situation. I was responsible for finalising the speech and seeing it through to print without any glitches. Further, I was also primarily responsible for presenting and defending the speech in the PMO,' he writes. 'Still, I did not have a draft of it which my finance minister had finalised.' The 'last straw' for Garg was, however, the non-banking financial company (NBFC) package, which the PMO wanted to announce. The secretary of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Rajiv Kumar, who recently retired as the chief election commissioner, proposed amendments in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act, including conferring regulatory and resolution jurisdiction to RBI. Garg opposed this. While Sitharaman sided with Garg on this issue, he ended up irking Nripendra Misra, former principal secretary to the PM. The PMO decided to go ahead with the initial proposal made by Kumar. Garg signed the file with a fresh note saying that the proposal of the DFS is to be accepted. Sitharaman—who he says, 'found it difficult to clear any file on which differing views were recorded' —wanted Garg's earlier oppositions to be removed. 'She would not sign the file with the earlier notes still in it. Her office conveyed this clearly to Rajiv. Rajiv told me the note sheets recorded earlier would have to be taken out, destroyed and replaced with new note sheets with the same dates and numbers,' he writes. 'Though I had never allowed such a thing in my life, I acquiesced only to ensure that the budget process could go through.' 'But I decided that I would not be party to something like this ever again. It was the moment I made up my mind to quit the IAS,' he writes. 'Official split personality' This was not the first time Garg had irked a politician. In 2014, Garg was called by P.K. Mishra, then Additional Principal Secretary to the newly appointed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and was asked to join as India's Executive Director at the World Bank. His acceptance irrevocably antagonised his then chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, with whom he had worked for several years. Raje had an 'official split personality'—extraordinarily efficient and transparent on one hand, but 'different' on matters concerning revenue-earning departments like excise, land allotment, etc., he says. Yet, he enjoyed a close working relationship with her for years. When Raje learnt of his appointment, 'all hell broke loose' in Rajasthan, he writes. 'She was infuriated and felt cheated,' he writes. 'She summoned Rajiv Mehrishi (then the chief secretary of Rajasthan) and declared, 'Subhash is not going anywhere.'' She asked Mehrishi to write to the PMO that Garg will not be relieved, but the chief secretary advised her against it, given that 'the relationship between the two was also not very cordial'. Later, Garg was unceremoniously excluded from a cabinet meeting for which he went, and his relieving orders were suddenly handed to him. He was asked to immediately proceed on central deputation without even a courtesy visit to Raje, which he requested twice. 'I made one more request to see her before I departed Jaipur lock, stock and barrel on 24 September,' he writes. 'Her secretary did not revert. I decided that was the end of the matter. I never reached out to her thereafter. We have neither met nor spoken to each other since September 2014.' The recalcitrant minister Unlike Sitharaman and Raje, Garg did not work directly with the 'recalcitrant minister' Jayanthi Natrajan, who was the environment minister in the 'policy paralysis' era of the UPA II. In 2013, when Garg was appointed in the cabinet secretariat, first as a joint secretary and then an additional secretary, there was an 'evident rot' in the environment ministry, he writes. Not only was it procedurally difficult to get clearances, Natarajan 'sat on files for months', he writes. 'The environment secretary's helplessness was apparent—there were over 400 files reportedly pending, waiting for the minister's approval and signature,' he says. Even the constitution of the cabinet committee on investments did not succeed in getting the 'recalcitrant minister' to act. He relates one particular incident, 'a bizarre spectacle', where Natrajan kept former prime minister Manmohan Singh waiting for 40 minutes at a meeting of the cabinet committee on investments. When she finally showed up, she just said she would take more time to examine the projects without any explanation for the delay, Garg writes. 'The meeting ended with the prime minister advising the minister to try to clear the projects at the earliest,' he says. 'No one needed better evidence to conclude how weak and ineffectual Manmohan Singh had become in his own cabinet.' In the over-400-page book, Garg also writes of the difficult relationship he shared with Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and former principal secretary to the PM, Misra. Naidu, who like present times was a key coalition partner of the NDA government in the early 2000s, sought to direct disproportionate amount of central funds to Andhra Pradesh, Garg writes. When as director in the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Garg sought to check this, Babu started 'baying for his blood', he says. As for Misra, on one occasion, Garg says he told him, 'Don't ever go to the PM over my head.' On another, he explicitly said, 'The prime minister is unhappy with you. The finance minister is unhappy with you. Subhash, you are not in tune with the thinking of the government.' (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: IAS seeing progress on gender parity—1 of 5 secretaries at Centre are women
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
China says exports reflect demand, not bid for world market dominance
BEIJING, July 20 — China is not seeking to dominate global markets, Vice Finance Minister Liao Min said on Friday while defending the country's trade practices during a G-20 gathering near Durban, South Africa. He said most of China's production serves domestic demand, with exports only responding to overseas needs and not part of a wider strategy to flood foreign markets, Bloomberg reported. Liao said China's recent economic performance, including 5.3 per cent growth in the first half of the year, contributes stability at a time when global markets face uncertainty. 'China's certainty and stability are the greatest contributions it makes to the world today,' Liao said, stressing the country's shift toward a consumption-led economy. He noted that 86.4 per cent of China's growth came from domestic demand and that consumption alone drove an average of 56.2 per cent of GDP gains over the past four years. The government is continuing to promote consumption through measures such as 300 billion yuan in special sovereign bonds aimed at boosting sales of electronics, home appliances and cars. China recorded a goods-trade surplus of about US$586 billion (RM2.5 trillion) in the first half of 2025, partly due to exporters accelerating shipments amid fears of new US tariffs. While this export momentum may slow later in the year, economists believe China could still post a record annual surplus exceeding US$1 trillion. Liao argued that China's current-account surplus stood at 2.2 per cent last year, a figure he called globally reasonable and not indicative of excessive trade dominance. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has accused China of extreme trade imbalances and suggested the country is trying to export its way out of a property crisis. Liao rejected overcapacity claims as oversimplified, saying large market share in some sectors does not prove China is distorting global trade. He also voiced strong support for multilateralism and praised the G-20 finance ministers' joint communique, calling it a sign of continued global cooperation despite trade tensions.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
China defends growth model, plans consumption as greater driver
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Consumption has driven an average of 56.2 per cent of China's growth gains over the past four years. DURBAN, South Africa – China's trade with the world is within reasonable bounds, and the nation is not out to dominate global markets, a senior official has said, pointing to figures showing domestic consumption is driving economic growth. 'Most of China's production is intended to meet domestic demand,' Finance Vice-Minister Liao Min said in an interview on July 18 near Durban, South Africa, where he was attending a gathering of Group of 20 (G-20) policymakers . 'When there's demand from abroad, China exports accordingly. This does not mean, however, that China is trying to dominate every market,' he said. Mr Liao also hailed the latest Chinese GDP growth figures as helping to contribute to the world economy at a decisive moment. Economists have marked down their projections for global growth in 2025 due to the onslaught of tariff increases by US President Donald Trump. Figures this week showed China's expansion at 5.3 per cent for the first half of 2025 , 'in line with expectations,' Mr Liao said. 'China's certainty and stability are the greatest contributions it makes to the world today because what the global economy needs most right now is stability and certainty,' Mr Liao said. 'We are steadily advancing toward an economic model driven by consumption, while at the same time maintaining a relatively balanced foreign trade.' The latest China GDP figures showed exports supported growth in the most recent quarter. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Bukit Panjang LRT disruption: Train service resumes after power fault affects 13-station line Asia Autogate glitch causes chaos at KLIA and Johor checkpoints, foreign passport holders affected Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore Singapore 'I thought it was an April Fool's joke': Teen addicted to Kpods on news that friend died Singapore Who decides when you can't? A guide on planning for end-of-life care Singapore S'pore sees no baby boom in Year of the Dragon despite slight rise in births in 2024 Singapore New auto pet wash service in Buona Vista draws flak, but company stands by its safety Singapore 314 suicides reported in Singapore in 2024, remains leading cause of youth deaths The country logged a goods-trade surplus of about US$586 billion (S$752 billion) in the first half of 2025, due in part to exporters front-loading shipments on tariff fears. While export momentum is expected to cool in the coming months, some economists still see a record full-year surplus above US$1 trillion. Mr Liao said that, over the past four years, consumption has driven an average of 56.2 per cent of China's GDP gains. That was 8.6 percentage points higher than during the 2016-2020 period, he said. Domestic demand, as a whole, accounted for 86.4 per cent of China's growth, he said. He also said China's current account surplus – the broadest measure of trade, as it includes services and some financial transactions – was about 2.2 per cent in 2024, a level 'recognised globally as reasonable' and indicating the share of its shipments worldwide is 'not excessively high'. China's critics have used other metrics. A top US Treasury official cited figures in 2024 showing China's manufacturing-goods trade surplus approaching 2 per cent of world GDP, roughly twice the share of Japan's in the early 1990s. Current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has repeatedly called China ' the most imbalanced economy in the history of the world'. Speaking at a congressional hearing in June, Mr Bessent charged Beijing with 'trying to export their way out' of the nation's domestic real estate slump. Mr Liao's comments come ahead of an expected fresh round of trade talks with the United States in the coming weeks. He did not offer any specific comment on Mr Bessent's criticism. Mr Liao has been a key member of China's team of negotiators that reached a trade-war truce with their American counterparts in Geneva, and again in London, earlier in 2025. Consumption aid Mr Liao also said looking at a particular sector can give a flawed perspective of China's trade. 'Just because China holds a large market share in certain products doesn't mean it should be accused of overcapacity,' he said. 'Such claims are oversimplifications and fail to capture the full reality.' The huge uncertainty surrounding Mr Trump's levies on Chinese goods has added urgency in Beijing to shift its growth toward domestic consumption. The government has doubled the amount of ultra-long special sovereign bond issuance, aimed at subsidising consumer purchases of electronic products, home appliances and cars. That took the total to 300 billion yuan (S$54 billion). More than half of the allowance was used in the first half, incentivising sales of about 10 times that amount. For the longer term, the authorities will seek to expand service industries and promote the green and digital sectors, with a goal of propelling economic transformation, beefing up consumer spending power as jobs and incomes rise, Mr Liao said. Meanwhile, the government will continue strengthening social safety nets, including pensions to ensure stable growth in consumer spending over the long run, he said. BLOOMBERG
