A week after the end of Doklam standoff, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Xiamen, China, to address the BRICS summit, where he is likely to take up regional and global issues. The External Affairs Ministry has said India will sign four BRICS-level agreements during the summit which will be followed by Mr. Modi’s three-day visit to Myanmar.
“Discussions during the restricted session of BRICS will focus on global economic issues, national security, and development-related issues which will be followed by a plenary session when leaders will discuss practical cooperation and cultural exchanges,” said Raveesh Kumar, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson.
The spokesperson, however, refused to confirm if a bilateral meeting would take place between Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit and indicated that details are still sketchy at this stage.
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The summit at Xiamen will also include Thailand, Mexico, Egypt, Guinea and Tajikistan as China has invited them to participate in the summit as ‘guests’. India had similarly invited countries from the Bay of Bengal region during last year’s BRICS summit at Goa.
Officials also set the backdrop of Mr. Modi’s first bilateral visit to Myanmar which will begin on September 5 and said that the ongoing violence in the Rakhine province of Myanmar is of “great concern” to India.
“The issue of Rakhine State is a matter of great concern to us. There has been a particularly prominent attack in which large number of people have lost their lives and we have reached out to the Government of Myanmar to see what is state of play and what can be done,” said Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary in charge of India-Myanmar ties in the MEA.
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The issue of Rohingya refugees, who are facing the brunt of Myanmar’s ongoing security campaign, is of significance due to the reports that India is considering possible repatriation of those Rohingya who took refuge here. Regarding the Rohingya refugees, Ms. Ranganathan said, “As far as illegal immigrants are concerned, we have had a position. Every country that is impacted by it [Rohingya influx] has been talking about it but it is up to Myanmar how to go about solving it,” she said, emphasising the need for political stability as a factor in drawing Indian investments into the country.
“We have been trying to encourage the Myanmar government to stimulate some socio-economic development of the area since many problems will reduce, if not disappear, if development happens,” she said, suggesting a way out to solve the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State where India has investments in the infrastructure sector.