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India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
All-Party Delegation: India Pushes South-South Trade, Reiterates Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
During the Group 7 all-party delegation visit to South Africa under the government's diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, Indian MPs across party lines underlined India's commitment to countering terrorism and deepening cooperation under the BRICS framework. The delegation, led by NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, held a press conference highlighting the common resolve against terrorism. Additionally, AAP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney highlighted India's focus on "South-South cooperation" and advocated for BRICS trade in local currencies, along with expanded investment through the New Development Bank to support Africa's agri-value chains and food security. Speaking at the press conference on Thursday (local time), Sahney said, "India has historic relations with South Africa and at that point of time, African National Congress (ANC) was the largest party but during this visit, our delegation had very fruitful discussions and interacted with all senior leaders of the ANC." He added, "We fully support the South-South cooperation and, as a member of the BRICS council, it was in Durban that the BRICS forum was launched in 2012. We are also looking at BRICS countries to conduct trade in local currencies. I think it is within our right to promote trade and investment, and promote, through the New Development Bank, of which India was a great supporter, to get the regional office opened in South Africa. We have laid emphasis that the BRICS Development Bank should also focus more on the agri-value chain for food security of Africa." BJP MP Anurag Thakur emphasised the global support India has received in light of repeated terror attacks. "We have been going places conveying the message of 1.4 billion Indians as we have been the victim of cross-border terrorism. The message is very loud and clear. Whatever we have been seeing from the reports that anywhere the other delegations have gone, the majority of the nations have come in favour because it is not only a threat to India but to the world," he said. BJP leader and delegation member V Muraleedharan also reiterated India's consistent and non-partisan foreign policy. He said, "India, whichever country we engage with, be it South Africa or any other country, we don't engage with a particular party in Government. We engage with the government irrespective of the party and with the people of that country." "India's relationship with South Africa is centuries old. We have been partners as people-to-people as well as in trade and economy and government-to-government. India continues to have its foreign policy which considers the interests of the international community, the global good and the rule of law. These two aspects have been kept of prime importance. We feel that the BRICS or the interests of the global south will be of paramount importance of India. We will continue to engage with South Africa as well as other partners in the same way that we have been doing." The members of the delegation comprise of MPs Supriya Sule, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, former Minister of Commerce & Industry, V Muraleedharan, Former Minister of State for External Affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. They visited Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, paid tribute at the Gandhi Statue, and viewed the Mandela-Gandhi Exhibition inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people, including a Nepalese national, were killed.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
All-party delegation: India pushes South-South trade, reiterates counter-terrorism cooperation
Johannesburg [South Africa], May 30 (ANI): During the Group 7 all-party delegation visit to South Africa under the government's diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, Indian MPs across party lines underlined India's commitment to countering terrorism and deepening cooperation under the BRICS framework. The delegation, led by NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, held a press conference highlighting the common resolve against terrorism. Additionally, AAP MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney highlighted India's focus on 'South-South cooperation' and advocated for BRICS trade in local currencies, along with expanded investment through the New Development Bank to support Africa's agri-value chains and food security. Speaking at the press conference on Thursday (local time), Sahney said, 'India has historic relations with South Africa and at that point of time, African National Congress (ANC) was the largest party but during this visit, our delegation had very fruitful discussions and interacted with all senior leaders of the ANC.' He added, 'We fully support the South-South cooperation and, as a member of the BRICS council, it was in Durban that the BRICS forum was launched in 2012. We are also looking at BRICS countries to conduct trade in local currencies. I think it is within our right to promote trade and investment, and promote, through the New Development Bank, of which India was a great supporter, to get the regional office opened in South Africa. We have laid emphasis that the BRICS Development Bank should also focus more on the agri-value chain for food security of Africa.' BJP MP Anurag Thakur emphasised the global support India has received in light of repeated terror attacks. 'We have been going places conveying the message of 1.4 billion Indians as we have been the victim of cross-border terrorism. The message is very loud and clear. Whatever we have been seeing from the reports that anywhere the other delegations have gone, the majority of the nations have come in favour because it is not only a threat to India but to the world,' he said. BJP leader and delegation member V Muraleedharan also reiterated India's consistent and non-partisan foreign policy. He said, 'India, whichever country we engage with, be it South Africa or any other country, we don't engage with a particular party in Government. We engage with the government irrespective of the party and with the people of that country.' 'India's relationship with South Africa is centuries old. We have been partners as people-to-people as well as in trade and economy and government-to-government. India continues to have its foreign policy which considers the interests of the international community, the global good and the rule of law. These two aspects have been kept of prime importance. We feel that the BRICS or the interests of the global south will be of paramount importance of India. We will continue to engage with South Africa as well as other partners in the same way that we have been doing.' The members of the delegation comprise of MPs Supriya Sule, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Vikramjeet Singh Sahney, Manish Tewari, Anurag Singh Thakur, Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Anand Sharma, former Minister of Commerce & Industry, V Muraleedharan, Former Minister of State for External Affairs, and Syed Akbaruddin, Former Permanent Representative of India to the UN. They visited Constitution Hill in Johannesburg, paid tribute at the Gandhi Statue, and viewed the Mandela-Gandhi Exhibition inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit comes in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor, launched by India in response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 people, including a Nepalese national, were killed. (ANI)
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Offers to Fund Colombia Projects If the US Blocks Loans
China could step in to finance infrastructure in Colombia and across Latin America if the US fulfills its threat to block funding, according to Beijing's ambassador to Bogota. Ambassador Zhu Jingyang said that China and the BRICS New Development Bank have $35 billion available to finance more than 100 infrastructure projects in the region.
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
China Eyes Growing Economic, Diplomatic Ties Throughout Latin America
Communist China is moving to strengthen its ties with Latin America, inking several new diplomatic and economic agreements with nations there in recent weeks. Speaking at a forum for Chinese and Latin American leaders in Beijing earlier this month, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping said his regime stood ready to 'join hands' with Latin America through political, economic, and security exchanges. In a thinly veiled swipe at current U.S. trade policy, Xi said that there were 'no winners in tariff wars or trade wars' and sought to position trade with China as a key means of diversifying supply chains away from the United States. To that end, Xi promised to 'stand united' with Latin American nations, pledging to boost imports, encourage Chinese companies to increase their investments there, and expand cooperation on clean energy, 5G communications, and artificial intelligence. Beijing has since moved to initiate a suite of interlocking initiatives that aim to systematically build out China's presence in Latin America and increase its political sway over the South American continent and the Caribbean. CCP Offers Billions in New Credit Key to Xi's efforts was the announcement of a new, $9.2 billion line of credit to support infrastructure investment in Latin American and Caribbean nations. While the funding package is smaller than similar initiatives in recent years due to China's own slowing economy, the move nevertheless represents a major push toward expanding the CCP's influence throughout the region via financial ties. Related Stories 2/12/2024 9/10/2023 Notably, the credit line will be denominated exclusively in Chinese yuan, thereby encouraging Latin American nations to diversify their debts away from the U.S. dollar. Just days after the announcement of the credit line, Colombia's government also announced it had applied to join the China-based New Development Bank, as the nation seeks ways to balance losses from cuts to U.S. foreign aid. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that he was excited by the possibility that the bank might finance a new 75-mile canal connecting Colombia's Atlantic and Pacific Ocean coastlines, which he said could position the country at the 'heart' of trade between South America and Asia, and provide an alternative shipping line to the Panama Canal. The New Development Bank was established a decade ago as a project of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the so-called BRICS nations, and intended to counter U.S. dollar-led institutions like the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Frank Xie, business professor at the University of South Carolina, 'The CCP obviously still wants to support the trans-oceanic railway and connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through land transportation in South America at this time, and wants to bypass the Panama Canal,' he said. 'I think this is part of the CCP's global strategy.' Belt and Road Expansion Petro also signed a formal agreement with Xi, bringing Colombia into China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road), a global infrastructure project that U.S. officials have said traps smaller countries in debt to the CCP. Colombia's entry means that there are now 23 Latin American and Caribbean nations participating in the BRI. The others include Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Colombian Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia said that the decision to join the BRI was the Latin American nation's 'boldest step in decades.' China is Colombia's second-largest trading partner after the United States, and recently overtook the United States as Colombia's largest source of imports. During his meeting with Petro earlier in the month, Xi said that China was prepared to increase its imports from Colombia and to provide more backing for Chinese investment and infrastructure construction in the Latin American nation. Visa-Free Travel and Scholarships The CCP is also moving to increase cultural contacts with Latin American nations and has announced that citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay will be allowed to travel to China without a visa. Visa-free travel for those nations for trips lasting less than 30 days will begin on June 1 and last for one year, China's foreign ministry announced on May 15. The move is the latest in a series of similar initiatives with other Asian and European countries, through which the CCP has sought to reignite its slowing economy and increase its cultural capital abroad. Over the next three years, Beijing also plans to invite 300 members from Latin American political parties to China. According to Chinese state-owned media, Xi said that the initiative would inform 'national governance best practices' for those nations, and that the effort would be accompanied by 3,500 government scholarships and various other types of exchanges. Economic Expansion The sweeping new initiatives all come amid a backdrop of rapidly increasing trade between China and Latin American nations. Even as Chinese exports to the United States have plummeted due to tariffs, the CCP has more than made up the difference with its vastly growing trade networks across other parts of the globe, including in Latin America. While the dollar value of Chinese exports to the United States Similarly, exports to India increased by 16 percent, those to Africa increased by 15 percent, and those to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations increased by 11.5 percent. To that end, China's trade with Latin America
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
BRICS gets more powerful despite Trump's bloc ‘Dead' declaration Algeria
Algeria has officially joined the BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB), marking a major expansion of the bank's influence into North Africa and further accelerating the BRICS bloc's push to provide an alternative to Western-dominated financial institutions. The accession was finalized on May 22, 2025, with NDB President Dilma Rousseff congratulating Algeria and highlighting its vital role in both the Northern African and global economies. Watch for more
