JOIN USBefore leaving for Sanya on Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the contribution that he and other BRICS leaders would discuss the state of the world economy and contributions the bloc could make “in sustaining the process of global economic and financial recovery”.
“The traditional sources of economic growth are still under stress, even as fresh uncertainties have emerged as a result of recent developments in different parts of the world,” Singh said in a statement. He was obviously referring to the unrest in the West Asia and North African countries and its consequences on global economy.
The prime minister told Chinese news agency Xinhua that the BRICS countries should continue to enhance coordination on major issues such as the “nature of the world economy they wish to see, a democratic and equitable world order, global governance reform and issues like food and energy security and climate change.”
BRIC—a block of Brazil, Russia, India and China—will turn into BRICS with South Africa formally joining it in its third summit at Sanya.
All the five members of the BRICS are now in the United Nations Security Council—Russia and China as permanent members, while India, Brazil and South Africa on non-permanent seats.
A synergy among the BRIC countries’ positions on the unrest in West Asia and North African was seen last month when Brazil, Russia, India and China abstained from voting on the UNSC resolution authorising international interventions against Muammer Gadhafi’s regime in Libya in response to violent repression by the authoritarian ruler’s government on the pro-democracy activists. South Africa voted in favour of the resolution, but later nuanced its position.
“Today all BRICS countries are members of the G-20 and the UNSC. Our experience of working with each other in these forums has been positive and holds promise,” said the prime minister.