BRICS no anti-US bloc: China

Bracing up for April 14 summit of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, China Institute of International studies (CIIS) a think-tank of Chinese Foreign Ministry said the focus of BRICS at present is to broadly focus on larger issues relating international governance.

"At this point BRICS still an adhoc political club, mainly a consultative body focusing on how to manage global economic governance," Qu Xing, Liu Yoiufa, President and Vice President of the CIIS told media at specially arranged briefing by the Foreign Ministry.
The two day summit to be attended by heads of all the five countries would be held at Sanya resort in China's Hainan province on April 14.

The meeting would look to evolve a common stand for the G-20 summit to be held in November besides discussing issues like common currency and strategy to be adopted in the post economic crisis, the CIIS officials said.

Asked about possible political role for the organisation in the light of its members China, Russia, India and Brazil abstaining from the UN Security Council, (UNSC) resolution to impose no fly zone over Libya,  BRICS countries are currently members of UNSC they have not yet established any coordination mechanism.

"By abstaining from the vote, the BRIC have shown that the international community is divided on this issue," Qu said ruling out BRIC emerging as a political grouping.

"BRICS is mainly a consultative group on how to manage global economic governance. In the UNSC vote on Libya there were no consultations among BRIC countries but voted on their own national interests and conditions," he said.

"They made similar choices which showed that they share the same types of concerns on international peace and development issues," he said.

"I believe timing is not right to have common political agenda. The reason why the BRIC countries came together is because of similar economic development stage they are in and similar foreign trade structure," Liu said.

"The leaders when they meet they may discuss some political issues. I do not think having a political agenda is a key concern for the BRICS mechanism at this point of time.
May be different in future but I do not think at this stage it will happen," he said. Refuting the perception in some quartets that BRICS could emerge as an anti US bloc, they said with different political systems and backgrounds the grouping is not aimed at target any specific country.

Moreover China, regarded as the rival for US has already said it will not challenge the present international system.

We will not seek to global power and it will continue to be so as China grows. Since China does not seek hegemony in the world, it has no intention to challenge current international balance of power," they said.

"From economic point of view it is unrealistic for any country and countries to encircle US. China and BRICS countries maintain sound relations with US. In short BRICS is an open and cooperative mechanism. BRICS countries will not target any other country," they said.

The US itself can join the groups if its economy shrinks to the level of the member countries, they said.

"The biggest challenge for BRICS is unfair international mechanism. The rules of the game are decided by developed countries based on their own interest and strategies. BRICS countries can only accept those rules.

Therefore it is unfair for them.BRICS countries face common problem of how to adjust to growth pattern," they said.