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The Wire
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
To Russia and China's Push for Revival of Trilateral Platform, India Gives a Tepid Response
New Delhi: India on July 17 gave a lukewarm public reception to the recent push by Russia and China to revive the trilateral format that has remained dormant for several years due to tensions between the two Asian giants. The Russia-India-China (RIC) format, initiated by then Russian foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov in 1996, has not held a meeting in recent years, largely due to the military standoff between India and China in Eastern Ladakh since 2020. While both Moscow and Beijing have expressed fresh interest in restarting the mechanism, India appears to be treading carefully. At the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the RIC was a consultative platform, but avoided confirming any imminent meeting. 'Look, this consultative format is a mechanism where the three countries come and discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them. 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,' Jaiswal said. Indian official sources were more categorical that no meeting of the RIC format has been agreed to so far. 'There are no discussions underway on its scheduling,' said a source. Meanwhile, both Russia and China publicly threw their weight behind efforts to restart the format. Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko told Russian news portal Izvestia that Moscow had raised the issue with both India and China. 'This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of BRICS,' he said. He added that the absence of the trilateral forum 'looks inappropriate' and expressed hope that it could be revived 'when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format.' In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian endorsed Rudenko's comments. 'China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world,' he said in answer to a question from Russian state news agency TASS at the daily briefing. Lin added that China is ready to maintain communication with Russia and India to advance trilateral cooperation. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, who has consistently advocated for reviving the RIC over the years, reiterated his support for the format, which had been first disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and then stalled by the India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh. 'Now that tensions along the India-China border have significantly eased, in my assessment, and the situation is normalising with ongoing dialogue between New Delhi and Beijing, I believe we can revive this trilateral format,' Lavrov said in June. Bilateral exchanges between India and China came to a standstill following the 2020 standoff and the clash in Galwan, but dialogue has gradually resumed over the past nine months after prime minister Narendra Modi met Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan last year.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Beijing ready to revive RIC troika
New Delhi/Moscow: China on Thursday expressed its support for Russia's initiative to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, saying the trilateral cooperation not only serves the interest of the three countries but also the security and stability of the region and the world. Russian news portal Izvestia has earlier quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying that Moscow expects the resumption of the RIC format and is negotiating on this issue with Beijing and New Delhi. "This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of BRICS," Rudenko said. "Therefore, the absence of this format, in my opinion, looks inappropriate. In this regard, we expect that the countries will agree to resume work within the framework of the RIC -- of course, when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format," he said. Asked for his reaction to Rudenko's comments at a media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday said, "China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world." China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation, he said. The Russian and Chinese interests in the revival of the RIC followed the recent visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to China to take part in the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting, during which he held talks with top Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Joint work in the RIC format was stalled, first because of the coronavirus and later by the India-China military standoff at Eastern Ladakh in 2020, Lavrov said last year. The Ladakh standoff resulted in the freeze of India-China relations for over four years. The bilateral ties revived after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Kazan last year on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. Since then, there has been a steady dialogue process between the two countries to normalise relations. Jaishankar's recent trip came after the visits of NSA Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to China. Lavrov said in May that Russia, which shares close ties with India and China, is 'genuinely interested' in the revival of the RIC format. He said the trilateral mechanism initiated by Russia's former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov resulted in 20 meetings between the three countries at various levels. The three countries were the prime movers of the formation of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and the New Development Bank (NDB) of the grouping, which now includes 10 members. A host of issues, including the growing rivalry between India and China and Beijing's persistent backing of its all-weather ally Pakistan in its anti-India acts, diluted the RIC's relevance and importance. Of late, there is increasing Russian and Chinese interest in the revival of RIC as India has become a member of Quad -- the emerging alliance of the US, India, Japan and Australia, which is seen by Beijing as a grouping aimed at containing its rise. For its part, Russia is concerned over the emerging closer ties between India and the European Union in the backdrop of its continued war against Ukraine, according to the Russian analysts. Lidia Kulik, a senior researcher at the Centre for Indian Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that any format of cooperation in Eurasia is useful because the continent has long been tired of endless conflicts. For India, relations with Russia traditionally play an important role, given that New Delhi and Beijing have problems. Moscow's involvement creates prospects for cooperation in the RIC format, Lidia told Izvestia.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Now, Beijing supports revival of Russia-India-China troika
File photo BEIJING/NEW DELHI: China on Thursday expressed its support for Russia's initiative to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) troika. Russian news portal Izvestia on Thursday quoted Russia's deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko as saying that Moscow expects the resumption of the RIC format and is negotiating on this issue with Beijing and New Delhi. 'This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides being the founders of BRICS,' Rudenko said. 'Therefore, the absence of this format, in my opinion, looks inappropriate. In this regard, we expect that the countries will agree to resume work within the framework of the RIC — of course, when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format,' he said. In India, the ministry of external affairs said RIC is a consultative format where the three countries discuss global issues and regional issues of interest to them. '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,' said the spokesperson. Asked for his reaction to Rudenko's comments, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday said, 'China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation, he said. The Russian and Chinese interests in the revival of RIC followed the recent visit of foreign minister S Jaishankar to China to take part in the SCO foreign ministers meeting, during which he held talks with his Chinese and Russian counterpaerts Wang Yi and Sergei Lavrov. Joint work in the RIC format was stalled, first because of the Covid pandemic and then by the India-China military standoff at eastern Ladakh in 2020.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"No Meeting Agreed": Sources On Push For Russia-India-China Grouping
Amid what is seen as a push from China and Russia to revive the Russia-India-China troika, sources have said that India has not agreed to any meeting in this format. "No meeting of the RIC format has been agreed to at this point in time. There are no discussions underway on its scheduling," a source said. The Ministry of External Affairs remained non-commital regarding the revival of Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism in a weekly briefing. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "This is a mechanism where three countries come together to discuss global and regional issues. When this meeting happens, we will work out a mutually convenient date and let you know." The trilateral dialogue between Russia-India-China (RIC) hoped to create a trilateral Eurasian power that could balance Western dominance. The comments from India's foreign ministry comes months after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the work within the troika should be resumed. "I would like to confirm our genuine interest in earliest resumption of the work within the format of troika - Russia, India, China - which was established many years ago on the initiative of Yevgeny Primakov (former Russian PM), and which has organised meetings over 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at level of foreign policy chiefs, but also heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of three countries," Lavrov said in June. China too expressed its support for Russia's initiative to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, saying the trilateral cooperation not only serves the interest of the three countries but also the security and stability of the region and the world. Russian news portal Izvestia on Thursday quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying that Moscow expects the resumption of the RIC format and is negotiating on this issue with Beijing and New Delhi. "This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of BRICS," Rudenko said. "Therefore, the absence of this format, in my opinion, looks inappropriate. In this regard, we expect that the countries will agree to resume work within the framework of the RIC -- of course, when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format," he said. Earlier, the work was stalled because of the coronavirus and then later by the India-China military standoff at Eastern Ladakh in 2020. Moreover, India is a member of the Quad, the alliance of the US, India, Japan and Australia which Beijing perceives as a group aiming to thwart its rise, hence there is increasing interest by Russia and China to revive RIC.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
China backs Russia's initiative to revive Russia-India-China troika
BEIJING: China on Thursday expressed its support for Russia's initiative to revive the dormant Russia-India-China (RIC) troika, saying the trilateral cooperation not only serves the interest of the three countries but also the security and stability of the region and the world. Russian news portal Izvestia on Thursday quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying that Moscow expects the resumption of the RIC format and is negotiating on this issue with Beijing and New Delhi. "This topic appears in our negotiations with both of them. We are interested in making this format work, because these three countries are important partners, besides the founders of BRICS," Rudenko said. "Therefore, the absence of this format, in my opinion, looks inappropriate. In this regard, we expect that the countries will agree to resume work within the framework of the RIC -- of course, when relations between these states reach a level that allows them to work in a trilateral format," he said. Asked for his reaction to Rudenko's comments at a media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday said, "China-Russia-India cooperation not only serves the respective interests of the three countries but also helps uphold peace, security, stability and progress in the region and the world." China stands ready to maintain communication with Russia and India on advancing the trilateral cooperation, he said.
