China
Author: David Monyae and Emmanuel Matambo
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn

This year's G20 Summit will likely demonstrate the further diminishing of multilateralism unless the other participants stand together against US bullying

The 2019 G20 Summit, to be held on June 28 and 29 in Osaka Japan, will be held against the inauspicious backdrop of the two largest global economies locked in a trade war. The Sino-US trade war has global consequences and stems from deeper issues than those cited by the two belligerents. Utterances coming from Washington betray paranoia, and a reluctance to admit that China is inexorably challenging a unipolar world order without changing its political identity.

Beyond Sino-US wrangling, the European Union will also attend the summit shortly after right wing, populist and anti-immigration political groups made gains in the European elections, confirming that, even though rhetoric to exit the EU might have subsided somewhat, anti-immigration is in vogue and is winning support across Europe. It will be interesting to note what the EU will say about the role of the G20 toward non-European and developing regions that have been the source of immigrants to Europe. Japan will probably want to address the issue of plastic waste in oceans, which is not likely to enjoy full support from a United States that seems willing to go against environmental ethics, as evinced by its antipathy to the Paris Agreement.

G20 members are thus expected to tackle a gamut of issues ranging from economics, immigration, climate change to the situation in developing regions. It is hoped, but not wholly expected, that the US and China can reach an amicable agreement on trade on the sideline of the summit.

But the diplomatic crisis triggered by the continued house arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada since December 2018 will undoubtedly add to the gloomy atmosphere pervading the summit in Osaka.

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and other ministerial meetings will also be held at eight different locations throughout Japan. It is hoped that in these meetings sober discussions will be held to tackle the myriad challenges confronting the world. This will not be easy as ministers and government officials will likely uphold the stance of their respective governments. For Africa and other emerging powers, the summit could be of great benefit if it brings to fruition the aspirations expressed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has said that, Japan is determined to lead global economic growth by promoting free trade and innovation, achieving both economic growth and reduction of disparities, and contributing to the development agenda and other global issues with the Sustainable Development Goals at its core. Through these efforts, Japan seeks to realize and promote a free and open, inclusive and sustainable, "human-centered future society". This message is both welcome to emerging economies and, most importantly for the leaders attending the summit, it is in tandem with China's recent commitment to place people at the center of development.

Achieving human centered development also involves ensuring an ecologically friendly environment by combating global warming and pollution. China is positioning itself as a leader in this regard, undoubtedly mindful of the cost to the environment of its economic growth. Unfortunately, the US and Brazil are unlikely to endorse decisions that could limit their latitude in terms of using the environment. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, stating the environmental policies are suffocating and could preclude economic growth and industrialization. For a country that was once a beacon of environmental friendliness, Brazil under Bolsonaro is increasingly becoming a threat.

Given their differences it will be interesting to see what is included in the leaders' communiqu��, if one is released after the summit. As Africa's only member of the G20, South Africa carries a huge responsibility going into the summit and it is expected to play a leading role in championing the cause of emerging economies. It is unfortunate that the Sino-American trade war, the Sino-Canadian diplomatic row, and the likely divergence over climate change among G20 member states are likely to overshadow the urgent need to take into serious consideration the plight of emerging economies.

This year's G20 Summit will likely sadly demonstrate the further diminishing of multilateralism. The US will continue to use bullying tactics as a means to get its way in negotiations on matters concerning global peace and security. In light of this, the developing countries ought to rally around countries in favor of multilateralism and globalization. For instance, China and Germany have reached an agreement to defend the current global order defined by multilateralism. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang, the two countries "reached an agreement that in facing a complicated and ever-changing international environment, both China and Germany should jointly uphold multilateralism, maintain the current international order and oppose behavior that will damage the current order with abusive sanctions".

The G20 will be in a better position to handle issues bedeviling ordinary people across the globe such as poverty, disease, the digital divide, poor infrastructure, environment and trade if the US stops its bullying negotiating tactics. It has used this negotiating style with all countries, but especially the European Union, Mexico, Canada, Japan and now China. What is even more worrying is Washington attempts to sabotage the rise of competitive tech companies from the Global South such as Huawei. The US remains the most powerful country in the world, however, it cannot be allowed to continue tearing apart the fabric of peace and stability in the world. There is a need to build alternative group of like-minded countries such those in the BRICS to uphold global peace and security through the strengthening of multilateralism. And there is nothing to stop Germany, Indonesia, Turkey, Mexico and Argentina, for example, from joining BRICS.

David Monyae is the director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies and Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg; and Emmanuel Matambo is a visiting fellow at the same institute. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Pakistan
Source: www.urdupoint.com

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2019) Brazil, who will chair this year's BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the nation's capital of Brasilia, expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the event, the country's ambassador to Russia, Tovar da Silva Nunes, told Sputnik on Monday.

The summit will take place from November 13-14 at the Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Brazil's Foreign Ministry.

"President Vladimir Putin's presence at the BRICS summit in Brazil has already been confirmed," the Brazilian ambassador said.

Brazil
Author: Oliver Stuenkel
Source: www.americasquarterly.org

Diplomats across the region have begun to regard Brazil as a source of instability.

When it comes to foreign policy, Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and his closest advisors' many controversial ideas, ranging from a fear of "globalism" and skepticism of multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, to the conviction that climate change is little more than a Marxist plot, were already a cause of apprehension for many regional diplomats. And the sheer venting of the possibility of Brazilian support for a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela set off alarm bells in foreign ministries across the region.

Yet what most worries South American diplomats lately are not Bolsonaro's ideas per se, but the fact that Brazilian foreign policy -- and presidential diplomacy in particular -- has become largely unpredictable. There is a growing consensus from Santiago to Bogotá that decisions in Brasília are the product of internal power struggles rather than strategic calculus -- a worrisome situation for neighbors, considering that Brazil's active participation is crucial to advance any kind of regional initiative.

Close to celebrating six months in office, the Brazilian government has no clear policy vis-à-vis Mercosur, a Uruguayan policy maker privately complained -- except for occasional hints by Guedes and others that they were unhappy with the status quo. Bolsonaro's recent visit to Buenos Aires seemed to sum up the lack of coherence that has become the defining element of Brazil's international engagement since January. The visit happened after a series of snubs against Argentina, unprecedented since Brazil democratized in the 1980s: Bolsonaro's first international visit was to Santiago, not Buenos Aires, as Brazilian diplomatic tradition had it.

Yet when he finally visited Argentina, the mercurial president suddenly expressed his excitement about the idea of a joint currency between the two countries, a project that would, in the most optimistic scenario, take several decades to implement and require an extreme commitment to regional integration. Without blinking an eye, Bolsonaro seemed to support European Union-style integration, a project that runs counter to everything his closest anti-globalist advisors believe about the need to preserve Brazil's sovereignty and autonomy. Only weeks before, Brazil's conspiracy-peddling Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo had publicly said he was rooting for Brexit and right-wing nationalist candidates in the elections for EU parliament.

"It's difficult to take all this very seriously," an Argentine political scientist told me as Bolsonaro was boarding the plane back to Brasília.

Smaller countries, such as Uruguay, are at a loss at what appears increasingly apparent: Bolsonaro and Araújo lack any kind of coherent vision of what they'd like the region to look like – beyond their stated desire that right-wing governments should win elections across the region. But by repeatedly warningArgentines about the return of former President Cristina Kirchner's movement in October's presidential election, Bolsonaro committed a rookie mistake: Not only was his rhetoric unhelpful for President Mauricio Macri – whose reelection ambitions hinge on his ability to attract the moderate voters who find Bolsonaro unappealing – but it may create a problem for Brazil if kirchnerismo does in fact return, negatively affecting the most important bilateral relationship in South America. As long as the interest in regional integration depends on temporary ideological alignments, there is little hope for a constructive long-term debate about the future of the region.

Another last-minute policy reversal a week before had caught even insiders off guard. Bolsonaro formally recognized Venezuelan opposition envoy María Belandria as Venezuela's Ambassador to Brazil after declining to do so days earlier. The decision was a blow to his government's military faction, which had convinced the president to refrain from it. Bolsonaro's military advisors had argued that formally recognizing Belandria was an unnecessary provocation that could thwart the government's attempts to normalize affairs along the Venezuelan border, which had just reopened after being closed for months. The abrupt shift in policy deepened concerns by governments in the region regarding the predictability of Bolsonaro's foreign policy -- and that how, a European diplomat euphemistically commented, Bolsonaro was a "difficult partner."

Brazil's stagnant economy and political instability will further increase the likelihood that 2019 will be a lost year for the country's foreign policy, as it reduces the government's capacity to articulate and implement a cohesive international project. A look at Brazilian foreign policy since democratization suggests that activism abroad is only possible if things are in order domestically -- as was the case (with a few hiccups) between 1995 and 2013. Only when hyperinflation was vanquished did President Fernando Henrique Cardoso have the time and credibility to design an international strategy, and Brazil remained a key player for nearly two decades. Yet since the 2013 street protests, no Brazilian president has enjoyed the tranquility and approval ratings necessary at home to have an impact abroad, with effects keenly felt throughout the neighborhood.

A lot suggests that Bolsonaro in 2019 -- and possibly beyond -- will be too busy dealing with domestic challenges to embrace foreign policy activism. In this sense, Brazilian politics is different from U.S. politics, where unpopular presidents at times increase their foreign policy activism since it is the only area where they can operate freely. Brazilian foreign policy, by contrast, is only meaningful if presidents are popular at home, something that does not seem to be in the cards for Bolsonaro. The consequences are severe. An inward-looking Brazil is set to dramatically limit South America's capacity to articulate and implement a clear strategy to address its many common challenges and jointly tackle an ever more unpredictable global political scenario.

India
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

It is not just India's political and judicial luminaries who are increasing engagement with the SCO and wider Eurasia. An Indian youth delegation recently participated at BRICS and SCO forums in Russia to further people to people ties.

Under the leadership of Dhwani Jain, BRICS International Forum & President- SRPM, a 22 member delegation from India participated in the 3rd BRICS and SCO International Spring Festival.

The festival marked the beginning of Russia's presidency in SCO in 2019-20 and was the largest youth event wherein more than 2000 youth from 23 countries participated from 4thJune to 9th June at Stavropol, Russia.

The festival program featured a whole range of substantial, interesting events. An important component was meetings with prominent politicians, public figures, journalists, as well as participation in youth leadership, educational and creative projects.

4th Forum of Young Leaders from BRICS & SCO countries was one of the key events of the festival wherein young leaders from all the participating countries spoke about public diplomacy as a soft power and cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the BRICS and SCO countries.

Dhwani Jain, head of the Indian delegation spoke about India's rising power in the world and stressed on the role of youth, particularly women in building international relations. She focused on the Indian values of tolerance, humanism, righteousness and universal brotherhood as the foundations for world peace.

Jain also focused on the slogan of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas" to the global level and urged the world to walk hand in hand with India towards the common goal of achieving a peaceful, egalitarian, just and progressive world free from regional and religious conflicts, inequality, pollution, violence and terrorism.

She also talked about the Indian philosophy of "VasudhaivaKutumbakam" and brought the focus of the participating countries towards India's commitment to peaceful .coexistence with the world.

The other delegates from India spoke about sustainable development goals, climate change, maritime cooperation and art, culture & language.

A one day forum of young entrepreneurs of BRICS and SCO countries and a networking session was held, at which business and government representatives discussed mechanisms to support small and medium sized businesses amongst the participating nations. They also proposed to engage young entrepreneurs in joint development programs through the creation of International Association of Young Entrepreneurs of BRICS & SCO countries.

On the sidelines of the summit, the Indian delegation met the delegates of other participating countries and discussed issues of global significance in political, economic, cultural, environmental and social spheres. New ideas were discussed to continue cooperation amongst the youth to facilitate debate and discussion to come up with out of box solution to the world problems. The role of youth in further cementing India-Afghanistan friendship was discussed between the delegates of the two countries.

A two-day-long agenda in Moscow, during which the delegates participated in discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly, preceded the forum in Stavropol. The main theme of the meeting was practical and ideological aspects of work in modern information space.

Russian Federation
Source: www.mid.ru

Dear friends,

Thank you for joining us in celebrating Russia's National Day. I think we are all united here in our brightest and warmest feelings to Russia, its historical achievements, cultural traditions and contribution to the progress of the human civilization.

Although this holiday is relatively young (it was established in 1992), every year it gets a deeper meaning for all Russians. It marks not only fundamental changes in our country that took place thirty years ago and modern history, but also the centuries-old path of our Fatherland and the common destiny of its people.

Our country has faced quite a number of turning points. We remember how sudden and dramatic was the transition to a new life in the early nineties when the statehood was weakened, and foundations of society were eroding and vulnerable. We had to define our own path of political and economic transformations. However, the Russian people's will, strength and patience helped us to get through the hardships of those years, unite the society, preserve our own values, secure Russian sovereignty and pave the way for further progress.

Russia is an influential and responsible member of the international community. We do not seek to impose our will to anyone, strictly stick to the international law. We make no secret of our foreign policy priorities. These include strengthening trust, countering global threats, promoting cooperation in the economy and trade, education, culture, science and technology as well as facilitating people-to-people contacts. Our goals are clear – security of our borders and creation of favorable external conditions for Russia's steady internal development.

We are convinced that problems in the modern world can be solved effectively only through serious and fair cooperation between leading states and their associations. We believe that the most important task is to pool efforts not against far-fetched but real threats, with terrorism being the major one. Our approaches are shared by the majority of nations, including members of the BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as our friends in the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In other words, Russia is not fighting against someone but for the resolution of all issues in an equal and respectful manner.

Our country is interested in stable and predictable relations with the United States. As the largest nuclear powers we bear a special responsibility for ensuring strategic stability and security. We will go our part of the way towards every nation that wants to build relations with us based on reciprocal recognition of interests and search for mutually acceptable compromises.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone present here, our compatriots and friends of Russia, sound health and all the best.

Happy holiday, dear friends! Happy Russia's National Day!

China
Author: Pavel Kudriavtsev
Source: infobrics.org

During Chinese President Xi Jinping's Russia visit, Beijing and Moscow agreed to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. The upgrade is based on the two countries' geographical, cultural and historical features, and is a driver for future China-Russia economic cooperation.

Based on common interests, the two countries have seen intense interactions between governmental departments, enterprises, and business associations, and established mechanisms to boost their bilateral trade and investments.

In 2018, the trade volume between China and Russia reached a record high of 108 billion U.S. dollars and is continuing to grow this year. The export of high-quality, cost-efficient, and environmentally-friendly Russian products to China has seen a steady rise in recent years. Ready-made food products from Russia, for example, candy, chocolate, honey, sunflower oil, and ice cream, are already well-known to Chinese consumers and are in high demand in China.

Recently, a large number of Russian businesses have shown interest in supplying poultry meat and dairy products to the Chinese market. Trade restrictions on these products were lifted at the end of 2018.

Moreover, a number of agreements were signed during President Xi's Russia visit to expand the export of Russian soybeans, wheat and other crops to China. These agreements, together with the further opening-up of the beef and pork market, have instilled more momentum to China-Russia bilateral trade.

Apart from agricultural products, Russia has also seen a boost in the export of petrochemical products, fertilizer, timber, and high-tech goods to China. The two countries' energy cooperation has huge potential. Given the above, China and Russia will see a significant increase in bilateral trade in 2020 after the operation of the eastern route of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline.

Since 2016, China has been actively implementing the supply-side structural reform, aiming at promoting the country's high-tech development. The improvement in the quality of China's electric appliances, engineering products and those with high-added value will, in turn, further boost the Russian customers' demands for Chinese products.

China and Russia have seen sound cooperation in energy, aircraft, natural resources, transportation, and infrastructure as well. Chinese companies are interested in investing in the special economic zones in the Far East and Siberia – Territories of Advanced Development (TOR) – where preferential tariffs and simplified administrative procedures are available.

The two countries can cooperate more on exhibitions. Chinese businesses are frequent visitors to major commercial events and exhibitions in Russia. It is worth noting that Chinese enterprises took part in almost all exhibitions in Moscow Exhibition Center in 2018. Among all exhibitors, more than 10 percent are from China, occupying approximately eight percent of the total exhibition area.

Both China and Russia strongly oppose trade protectionism, unfair competition, and the politicization of the global economy. Both leaders reiterated this at the just-concluded St. Petersburg World Economic Forum. The success of China-Russia cooperation demonstrates the importance of market-determined principles in bilateral trade. Meanwhile, the government should create favorable conditions to eliminate foreign trade barriers.

China-Russia cooperation is based on mutual benefits and conforms to the WTO principles. Their collaboration under the SCO and BRICS are inspiring to other countries. The integration of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative deserves applause as well.

Undeniably, China-Russia economic cooperation faces challenges. For instance, against the backdrop of Washington's anti-Russia sanctions, financial support for transactions between China and Russia faces some obstacles.

But still, China-Russia economic ties are intense, especially after the U.S. launched a trade war against Beijing. Stability and predictability are highly valued in businesses, and this is what makes China-Russia relations thrive.

Pavel Kudriavtsev is chief representative of the Russian Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Eastern Asia.

CGTN

Russian Federation
Source: ac.gov.ru

What are the prospects of developing countries in digital economy era? How will be those people employed who failed to find their vocation in new realities? How to find a sufficient number of specialists working in different aspects of the digital economy? These and other questions were discussed by experts at a round table "Digital Economy and the 4th Industrial Revolution: Approaches of the BRICS Countries" held in the Analytical Center.

"Low-cost labor has been the main growth factor of economies of the developing worlds over the last 30 years but with the robotic automation of production processes it loses its inherent value. It's okay if countries have managed to accumulate intellectual potential and shift the development of their production to other types of technologies, however the majority of about 140 developing countries has not made it yet. Many countries including the BRICS countries will have to search for new growth drivers," noted Elena Rogatnykh, Head of the Department of World and National Economy of the Russian Foreign Trade Academy.

China leads the BRICS in the availability of advanced technologies and strong brands, added Ivan Danilin, Head of the Department of Science and Innovations of Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to him, China holds 40% share in the world online trade. And China's mobile application market is as 11 times as strong as the USA market. The expert noted that not every country is able to effectively use the Chinese technologies, however the BRICS countries can focus on the inclusive growth which is one of the most sore points for all countries. "Such change of the economy structure under the influence of the digital technologies, development and synchronisation of the policy, implementation of reforms facilitates diffusion of positive effects from the development of digital markets but limits possible adverse effects from the expansion of certain digital giants to each other's markets," Mr. Danilin said.

The BRICS countries enabled cooperation for the new industrial revolution in 2017, the participants of the round table noted. Its task is to deepen the cooperation in the sphere of digital technologies, strengthen comparative advantages and stimulate economic growth and transformation of the BRICS countries.

The Chief Adviser to the Head of the Analytical Center Leonid Grigoriev is of the opinion that for the balanced adoption of advanced technologies, the countries need to take the past experience into account. "We have one foot in the postindustrial community but the other foot got stuck in the industrial community," Grigoriev explained. "It is not clear if application of all the achievements of the industrial revolution including the digital economy will be balanced. If we look back at the 19th century, we can see that the industrial growth created huge social problems. And it was extremely difficult to adapt to them." The expert noted that even if by combining the forces, it is necessary to consider the interests of the countries with regard to their actual development level of industries.

The participants of the discussion noted that the BRICS expert community may offer their national best practices in order to withstand the challenges set by digitalization. Also, the experts offered to form a pool of priority directions within the framework of which the countries might cooperate and develop common competencies and joint educational programs for the higher level of education.

China
Source: www.xinhuanet.com

JOHANNESBURG, June 17 (Xinhua) -- As South Africa commemorated Youth Day on Sunday, youngsters here expressed their will to help promote cooperation within the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) in many areas and consolidate multilateral relations.

Future leaders are among today's youth, and they should interact with their peers from BRICS to share ideas and best practices, said Penuel Maduna, a student and young activist who attended the third BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Countries Student Spring International Festival on June 4-9 in Russia.

"Young people from all over the BRICS countries can play a crucial role in various sectors of society," Maduna said.

He gave an example of two South African artists, Casper Nyovest and KayDee, who launched their songs in Russia last week that were well received.

He said music and arts harbor potential for BRICS countries' youth to work together. "The future of the BRICS looks very bright and a lot can be achieved if more awareness about the BRICS relations and young people are allowed to play a meaningful (role)."

Lungile Luphahla, a student at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, said he expected more interaction among youngsters from BRICS countries.

Since the BRICS countries are at different stages of development, students should share their experiences and plan their future together, so that they can learn from each other, Luphahla said.

Youth Day is celebrated in South Africa and many African countries on June 16 to remember the students in Soweto Town in Johannesburg who were shot by the apartheid government police during a peaceful march in June 16, 1976.

Russian Federation
Source: www.ndtv.com

NEW DELHI: The Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation has announced The International Youth Contest of Social Advertising Against Corruption for BRICS countries. The Department of Personnel and Training along with the Central Vigilance Commission is piloting the contest in India and has invited submissions from Indian students in two categories - Best Poster and Best Video.

In India, the theme for the contest is 'Together Against Corruption' and will be held till September 30, 2019.

In 2018, contestants from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan participated in the contest. For 2019, the contest has been opened for participants from Brazil, India, China and the South African Republic as well. For the best video category, video submission should be in mpeg 4 format with resolution not exceeding 1920x1080 and up to 300 MB in size.

For the best poster category, the submission should be in A3 format (297 x 420 mm) with correct aspect ratio and 300 dpi resolution. The contest is open to all nationals of BRICS countries (individual, creative teams, and legal entities). Interested parties can find more information on the official website for the contest, anticorruption.life/en/.