Can China-India row be the catalyst for a dispute resolution system among top emerging nations?
Months-long stand-off in Doklam shows BRICS bloc needs to find ways to tackle conflict between members, Chinese government adviser says
The BRICS group of leading emerging economies should use the recent border dispute between China and India as a catalyst for the creation of a mechanism for conflict resolution between members, a Chinese government adviser said on Monday.
Speaking in Beijing, Zhang Yansheng, chief economist at the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, a government think tank, said the months-long stand-off in Doklam highlighted the need for BRICS – Brazil, Russia India, China and South Africa – to find an effective way to handle disputes in the future.
“I think the next step is for BRICS to build consensus and an action plan on what methods or principles should be adopted to resolve conflicts,” he said.
China and India on Monday agreed to an “expeditious disengagement” of troops from the disputed region in the Himalayas, just days before the leaders of the five nations are set to meet in Xiamen, southeastern China.
BRICS countries account for 40 per cent of the world’s population and 20 per cent of its gross domestic product.