Information Bulletin of the BRICS Trade Union Forum
Issue 38.2019
2019.09.16 — 2019.09.22
International relations
Foreign policy in the context of BRICS
PM Modi At BRICS Summit: Focus On India-Brazil Bilateral Relations (Премьер-министр Моди на саммите БРИКС: фокус на двусторонних отношениях Индии и Бразилии) / India, September, 2019
Keywords: narendra_modi, quotation, cooperation
2019-09-21
2019-09-21
India
Source: www.republicworld.com
Hack:
The XI BRICS Summit will take place on 13-14 November 2019, at the Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the summit and is likely to sign agreements on investment and plan of action in many key areas that India and Brazil can cooperate during his visit to Brasilia in November for the BRICS Summit, Ambassador of Brazil André Aranha Corrêa do Lago said on September 20 in Bengaluru. The Ambassador was Bengaluru to participate in the opening ceremony of the Honorary Consulate on Friday.
PM Modi at BRICS
"It is essentially the bilateral relationship that we have to strengthen and I believe, thanks to this visit, we are going to sign a very important agreement on investment," he said.
He further said that it would be the first time that India was going to sign a new model of investment agreement because the country has denounced the former model and is renegotiating with the new model, reported PTI.
"We are also going to probably sign a plan of action in which we will be able to determine many things we are going to do in different areas...like science and technology, education and culture," Ambassador of Brazil said.
Pointing out that the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Brazil a day earlier, he said the bilateral meeting would be held before the BRICS meeting.
"We have close political relations. Not only (do) we belong to BRICS, but also several others like IBSA G4 and in many other multilateral groups like G20, etc. But strengthening bilateral relations between India and Brazil is the key and this is what we can achieve from PM Modi's visit, which will be to create a new step in our relationship and making it more natural," he said.
India-Brazil relations
Stating that India and Brazil share a very strong relationship from the political point of view and also traditional trade, the Ambassador said it needs to be expanded a lot.
"We are two of the largest economies in the world. India has surpassed Brazil super quickly in the last five years. Five years ago Brazil had a GDP that was larger than India, but India is growing 7-8 per cent a year. We are extremely happy to be very strong partners...we not only have a strong past and present, but also a strong future and we are going to need Bengaluru for that."
The Honorary Consulate in Bengaluru has an important role in promoting economic and cultural ties between Brazil and India, officials said, adding it would liaison with the business community and cater to the increasing number of Brazilians visiting this part of India.
"Bengaluru is already a mythic city in the world. The new economy knows about Bengaluru. We have many people very interested to come here," Ambassador Corra do Lago said.
Shared concern for terrorism
To a question on cross-border terrorism that India is facing, the Ambassador said Brazil completely knows that terrorism is the 'central concern' of India and it shares 'enormously' this concern. Also, his country has a 'strong interest' to exchange information with India in this regard, he said.
He said "terrorism has the potential to grow if we don't fight it very seriously. This is an area in which we are obviously cooperating... any moment terrorists can attack exactly where people think we are not prepared. So we have to be prepared and we have a very strong interest to exchange information with India on that."
He pointed out that Brazil is fortunately in a region that has not seen wars in many years and the last one was more than 150 years ago, with no terrorism issue.
Source: www.republicworld.com
Hack:
- 'We are two of the largest economies in the world': Ambassador of Brazil André Aranha Corrêa do Lago
- 'Strengthening bilateral relations between India and Brazil is the key and this is what we can achieve from PM Modi's visit': Ambassador of Brazil
- Ambassador: 'Terrorism has the potential to grow if we don't fight it very seriously'
The XI BRICS Summit will take place on 13-14 November 2019, at the Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the summit and is likely to sign agreements on investment and plan of action in many key areas that India and Brazil can cooperate during his visit to Brasilia in November for the BRICS Summit, Ambassador of Brazil André Aranha Corrêa do Lago said on September 20 in Bengaluru. The Ambassador was Bengaluru to participate in the opening ceremony of the Honorary Consulate on Friday.
PM Modi at BRICS
"It is essentially the bilateral relationship that we have to strengthen and I believe, thanks to this visit, we are going to sign a very important agreement on investment," he said.
He further said that it would be the first time that India was going to sign a new model of investment agreement because the country has denounced the former model and is renegotiating with the new model, reported PTI.
"We are also going to probably sign a plan of action in which we will be able to determine many things we are going to do in different areas...like science and technology, education and culture," Ambassador of Brazil said.
Pointing out that the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Brazil a day earlier, he said the bilateral meeting would be held before the BRICS meeting.
"We have close political relations. Not only (do) we belong to BRICS, but also several others like IBSA G4 and in many other multilateral groups like G20, etc. But strengthening bilateral relations between India and Brazil is the key and this is what we can achieve from PM Modi's visit, which will be to create a new step in our relationship and making it more natural," he said.
India-Brazil relations
Stating that India and Brazil share a very strong relationship from the political point of view and also traditional trade, the Ambassador said it needs to be expanded a lot.
"We are two of the largest economies in the world. India has surpassed Brazil super quickly in the last five years. Five years ago Brazil had a GDP that was larger than India, but India is growing 7-8 per cent a year. We are extremely happy to be very strong partners...we not only have a strong past and present, but also a strong future and we are going to need Bengaluru for that."
The Honorary Consulate in Bengaluru has an important role in promoting economic and cultural ties between Brazil and India, officials said, adding it would liaison with the business community and cater to the increasing number of Brazilians visiting this part of India.
"Bengaluru is already a mythic city in the world. The new economy knows about Bengaluru. We have many people very interested to come here," Ambassador Corra do Lago said.
Shared concern for terrorism
To a question on cross-border terrorism that India is facing, the Ambassador said Brazil completely knows that terrorism is the 'central concern' of India and it shares 'enormously' this concern. Also, his country has a 'strong interest' to exchange information with India in this regard, he said.
He said "terrorism has the potential to grow if we don't fight it very seriously. This is an area in which we are obviously cooperating... any moment terrorists can attack exactly where people think we are not prepared. So we have to be prepared and we have a very strong interest to exchange information with India on that."
He pointed out that Brazil is fortunately in a region that has not seen wars in many years and the last one was more than 150 years ago, with no terrorism issue.
Cooperation Across the Continent: How Russian-Chinese Relations Evolved in Recent Years (Сотрудничество на континенте: как развивались российско-китайские отношения в последние годы) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: research, cooperation
2019-09-18
2019-09-18
Russia
Source: sputniknews.com
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Premier of the Chinese State Council Li Keqiang will hold a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss possibilities for strengthening bilateral relations in trade, science, and innovations, as well as issues of cooperation on the international arena.
Russian-Chinese relations have been actively developing in various fields and are characterised by a strong legal framework and extensive organisational structure.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations on 2 October 1949. The Soviet Union became the first foreign state to recognise China.
On 24 December 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese government recognised Russia as a legal successor of the former Soviet Union's international rights and obligations.
The basic principles and directions of bilateral cooperation are reflected in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between Russia and China of 16 July 2001.
Both sides officially identify current Russian-Chinese relations as a comprehensive, equal and trusting partnership and strategic cooperation.
Top-Level Talks
The two states maintain intensive political dialogue. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been meeting at least five times a year.
In 2018, Putin paid a state visit to China from 8-10 June. On the first day of his visit, Putin held talks with Xi. Besides that, Xi awarded the Order of Friendship of the People's Republic of China to the Russian president. The leaders visited the city of Tianjin. As part of his state visit to China, Putin also met with Li.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Gives Birthday Present to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia
On 26 July, Putin and Xi held a private meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit.
From 11-12 September, at Putin's invitation, Xi for the first time took part in the work of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok. The two leaders held a meeting and visited a photo exhibition dedicated to the history of Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation.
On 15 November, Putin met with Li on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Singapore.
The next meeting between Putin and Xi was held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires on 30 November. The leaders of Russia, China and India also held a tripartite meeting.
From 25-27 April 2019, Putin paid a working visit to China to take part in the events of the second Belt and Road Forum. He held talks with Xi and, in addition, received an honorary doctorate diploma from one of the leading universities in China, Beijing's Tsinghua University.
On 13 May Putin received Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in his presidential residence of Bocharov Ruchey in the Russian resort city of Sochi. Prior to that, Wang held negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On 5 June, Xi travelled to Russia for a state visit and negotiations at the highest level took place. At the end of the Russian-Chinese talks, Putin and Xi arrived at the Moscow Zoo to take a look at a pavilion for big pandas, as China's government had previously decided to transfer two pandas there
On the same day, Putin and Xi visited the Bolshoi Theater to attend a gala evening dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. The next day, Xi met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.
State flags of Russia and China are flown on destroyer Shijiazhuang during the Russian-Chinese exercise Naval Interaction 2017
On 6 June the two leaders visited St. Petersburg State University, where Xi was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. A day later, Putin and Xi took part in the session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and met with the participants of the second Russian-Chinese energy forum.
On 14 June 2019, the two presidents met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. After the summit, the leaders of Russia, China and Mongolia held a meeting.
A trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, China and India took place in Japan's Osaka on 28 June 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
On 5 September 2019 Putin met with Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on the margins of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
The countries' heads of government have been meeting regularly since 1996.
From 5-7 November 2018, Medvedev paid an official visit to the PRC to take part in the 23rd regular meeting between the heads of government of Russia and China. During the visit, he was also received by Xi.
On 17 September 2019, the 24th regular meeting of the two countries' heads of government was held in St. Petersburg.
An interparliamentary commission for cooperation between Russia's Federation Council and the State Duma with China's National People's Congress is in operation. Both countries arrange a regular exchange of delegations through special parliamentary committees and commissions, as well as lawmakers' groups.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photo during a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) leaders summit in Osaka, Japan
The two countries also hold regular consultations on strategic security issues, with the last one taking place in Moscow in August 2018.
The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers exchange annual visits and regularly meet on the sidelines of international events, including the events within the United Nations, G20, APEC, BRICS, and SCO. There is a system of scheduled consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers and heads of departments between the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries.
Russia and China voice coinciding or similar approaches toward principal issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, the Middle East and North Africa. It represents the foundation of their close cooperation in international affairs. Russia's position on the Taiwan issue is set out in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and implies that there is only one China, with Taiwan being its integral part.
Economic Cooperation
Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation is a highly important element of bilateral relations. China has been Russia's largest trade partner since 2010.
The two heads of state set a goal of increasing bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2020 and bringing direct Chinese investment in the Russian economy to $12 billion.
At the end of 2018, China ranked first among Russia's top 5 trading partners.
Russian-Chinese trade in 2018 exceeded $100 billion for the first time in history. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries totalled $108 billion, showing an increase of 24.5 percent when compared to the previous year. Russian exports to China amounted to $56 billion, while imports totalled $52 billion.
In the first seven months of 2019, trade between the two countries amounted to $59 billion. Russia exported $30.9 billion worth of goods, while imports from China reached a value of $28.9 billion.
Russian exports to China mainly consist of mineral products; wood, pulp and paper products; food and agricultural raw materials; machines, equipment and transport vehicles; chemical products; metals and metallic products
Russia's imports from its partner include machines, equipment and transport vehicles; textiles and shoes; chemical products; metals and metallic products; as well as food and agricultural raw materials.
Active investments are one of the priorities for the development of Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation. So far, mutual investment volumes lag behind those of bilateral trade. At the same time, China's investment in the Russian economy is much higher than Russia's investments in China.
There are currently about 30 investment projects with the participation of Chinese partners and Chinese capital in Russia. The projects total $22 billion, and a significant part of that money is invested in projects in the Russian Far East — $3.5 billion.
The Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Investment Cooperation is implementing over 70 priority projects worth over $20 billion.
China primarily invests in Russia's energy resources, agriculture and forestry, construction industry and the manufacture of building materials, trade sector, consumer goods industry and the manufacture of textile.
The main spheres of Russian investments in China are goods-producing industries, the construction industry and freight shipments.
Cooperation in Fuel, Energy Sectors
Russian and Chinese companies jointly implement a number of large-scale projects in the following areas: fuel and energy, the nuclear power industry, the manufacture of civilian aircraft, the manufacture of rocket engines, satellite navigation systems, the construction of infrastructure facilities and others.
Russia is the largest exporter of fuel to the Chinese market. Russia delivered 71.4 million tons of oil to China in 2018, which is 20 percent more than in 2017.
Russian and Chinese energy companies jointly participate in the Yamal LNG (liquefied natural gas) project for producing and liquefying natural gas.
Chinese companies are actively involved in the work of the Free port of Vladivostok and the priority development areas in the Far East, participating in 30 projects. According to data for 2017, the total investment in these projects amounted to more than $4 billion. They cover agriculture and forestry, the manufacture of building materials, light industry, energy, mining, trade and other areas.
Military Cooperation
Russia remains a major supplier of military goods and services to China. In November 2018, the head of the Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugaev, said that contracts with China in this area had amounted to $7 billion.
Culture, Tourism
Russia and China continue to actively develop cooperation in the areas of education, research and culture.
The two states also cooperate in tourism. According to Russia's TurStat analytic agency, 1.6 million Russian tourists visited China in 2018. Meanwhile, the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reports that the number of Russian tourists to visit China in 2018 reached 2 million.
Source: sputniknews.com
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Premier of the Chinese State Council Li Keqiang will hold a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss possibilities for strengthening bilateral relations in trade, science, and innovations, as well as issues of cooperation on the international arena.
Russian-Chinese relations have been actively developing in various fields and are characterised by a strong legal framework and extensive organisational structure.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations on 2 October 1949. The Soviet Union became the first foreign state to recognise China.
On 24 December 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chinese government recognised Russia as a legal successor of the former Soviet Union's international rights and obligations.
The basic principles and directions of bilateral cooperation are reflected in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between Russia and China of 16 July 2001.
Both sides officially identify current Russian-Chinese relations as a comprehensive, equal and trusting partnership and strategic cooperation.
Top-Level Talks
The two states maintain intensive political dialogue. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have been meeting at least five times a year.
In 2018, Putin paid a state visit to China from 8-10 June. On the first day of his visit, Putin held talks with Xi. Besides that, Xi awarded the Order of Friendship of the People's Republic of China to the Russian president. The leaders visited the city of Tianjin. As part of his state visit to China, Putin also met with Li.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Gives Birthday Present to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia
On 26 July, Putin and Xi held a private meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit.
From 11-12 September, at Putin's invitation, Xi for the first time took part in the work of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok. The two leaders held a meeting and visited a photo exhibition dedicated to the history of Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation.
On 15 November, Putin met with Li on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Singapore.
The next meeting between Putin and Xi was held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires on 30 November. The leaders of Russia, China and India also held a tripartite meeting.
From 25-27 April 2019, Putin paid a working visit to China to take part in the events of the second Belt and Road Forum. He held talks with Xi and, in addition, received an honorary doctorate diploma from one of the leading universities in China, Beijing's Tsinghua University.
On 13 May Putin received Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in his presidential residence of Bocharov Ruchey in the Russian resort city of Sochi. Prior to that, Wang held negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On 5 June, Xi travelled to Russia for a state visit and negotiations at the highest level took place. At the end of the Russian-Chinese talks, Putin and Xi arrived at the Moscow Zoo to take a look at a pavilion for big pandas, as China's government had previously decided to transfer two pandas there
On the same day, Putin and Xi visited the Bolshoi Theater to attend a gala evening dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. The next day, Xi met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.
State flags of Russia and China are flown on destroyer Shijiazhuang during the Russian-Chinese exercise Naval Interaction 2017
On 6 June the two leaders visited St. Petersburg State University, where Xi was awarded an honorary doctorate degree. A day later, Putin and Xi took part in the session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and met with the participants of the second Russian-Chinese energy forum.
On 14 June 2019, the two presidents met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek. After the summit, the leaders of Russia, China and Mongolia held a meeting.
A trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, China and India took place in Japan's Osaka on 28 June 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
On 5 September 2019 Putin met with Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua on the margins of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
The countries' heads of government have been meeting regularly since 1996.
From 5-7 November 2018, Medvedev paid an official visit to the PRC to take part in the 23rd regular meeting between the heads of government of Russia and China. During the visit, he was also received by Xi.
On 17 September 2019, the 24th regular meeting of the two countries' heads of government was held in St. Petersburg.
An interparliamentary commission for cooperation between Russia's Federation Council and the State Duma with China's National People's Congress is in operation. Both countries arrange a regular exchange of delegations through special parliamentary committees and commissions, as well as lawmakers' groups.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a photo during a meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) leaders summit in Osaka, Japan
The two countries also hold regular consultations on strategic security issues, with the last one taking place in Moscow in August 2018.
The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers exchange annual visits and regularly meet on the sidelines of international events, including the events within the United Nations, G20, APEC, BRICS, and SCO. There is a system of scheduled consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers and heads of departments between the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries.
Russia and China voice coinciding or similar approaches toward principal issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, the Middle East and North Africa. It represents the foundation of their close cooperation in international affairs. Russia's position on the Taiwan issue is set out in the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and implies that there is only one China, with Taiwan being its integral part.
Economic Cooperation
Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation is a highly important element of bilateral relations. China has been Russia's largest trade partner since 2010.
The two heads of state set a goal of increasing bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2020 and bringing direct Chinese investment in the Russian economy to $12 billion.
At the end of 2018, China ranked first among Russia's top 5 trading partners.
Russian-Chinese trade in 2018 exceeded $100 billion for the first time in history. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries totalled $108 billion, showing an increase of 24.5 percent when compared to the previous year. Russian exports to China amounted to $56 billion, while imports totalled $52 billion.
In the first seven months of 2019, trade between the two countries amounted to $59 billion. Russia exported $30.9 billion worth of goods, while imports from China reached a value of $28.9 billion.
Russian exports to China mainly consist of mineral products; wood, pulp and paper products; food and agricultural raw materials; machines, equipment and transport vehicles; chemical products; metals and metallic products
Russia's imports from its partner include machines, equipment and transport vehicles; textiles and shoes; chemical products; metals and metallic products; as well as food and agricultural raw materials.
Active investments are one of the priorities for the development of Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation. So far, mutual investment volumes lag behind those of bilateral trade. At the same time, China's investment in the Russian economy is much higher than Russia's investments in China.
There are currently about 30 investment projects with the participation of Chinese partners and Chinese capital in Russia. The projects total $22 billion, and a significant part of that money is invested in projects in the Russian Far East — $3.5 billion.
The Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Investment Cooperation is implementing over 70 priority projects worth over $20 billion.
China primarily invests in Russia's energy resources, agriculture and forestry, construction industry and the manufacture of building materials, trade sector, consumer goods industry and the manufacture of textile.
The main spheres of Russian investments in China are goods-producing industries, the construction industry and freight shipments.
Cooperation in Fuel, Energy Sectors
Russian and Chinese companies jointly implement a number of large-scale projects in the following areas: fuel and energy, the nuclear power industry, the manufacture of civilian aircraft, the manufacture of rocket engines, satellite navigation systems, the construction of infrastructure facilities and others.
Russia is the largest exporter of fuel to the Chinese market. Russia delivered 71.4 million tons of oil to China in 2018, which is 20 percent more than in 2017.
Russian and Chinese energy companies jointly participate in the Yamal LNG (liquefied natural gas) project for producing and liquefying natural gas.
Chinese companies are actively involved in the work of the Free port of Vladivostok and the priority development areas in the Far East, participating in 30 projects. According to data for 2017, the total investment in these projects amounted to more than $4 billion. They cover agriculture and forestry, the manufacture of building materials, light industry, energy, mining, trade and other areas.
Military Cooperation
Russia remains a major supplier of military goods and services to China. In November 2018, the head of the Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugaev, said that contracts with China in this area had amounted to $7 billion.
Culture, Tourism
Russia and China continue to actively develop cooperation in the areas of education, research and culture.
The two states also cooperate in tourism. According to Russia's TurStat analytic agency, 1.6 million Russian tourists visited China in 2018. Meanwhile, the Russian Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reports that the number of Russian tourists to visit China in 2018 reached 2 million.
Putin says hopes to meet with China's Xi at BRICS, APEC summits in November (Путин заявил, что надеется встретиться с Си на саммитах БРИКС и АТЭС в ноябре) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: vladimir_putin, xi_jinping, summit
2019-09-18
2019-09-18
Russia
Source: tass.com
The president pointed out that early October will mark the 70th anniversaries of the People's Republic of China and diplomatic relations between Russia and China
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the BRICS and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits, set to take place in Latin America in November, as he himself said at a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
"I hope I will have an opportunity to meet with the Chinese president on the sidelines of two big events, the BRICS and APEC summits, that will be held in Latin America in November," Putin said, asking Li Keqiang to convey his "best wishes" to the Chinese leader.
Putin pointed out that early October will mark the 70th anniversaries of the People's Republic of China and diplomatic relations between Russia and China. "Our country - it was the Soviet Union back then - was the first to recognize a new Chinese state. We have come a long way in the past decades as far as cooperation is concerned. Today, we are strategic partners in the full sense of the word, we maintain comprehensive cooperation, which is Russia's unconditional foreign policy priority," the Russian president added.
Russia is ready to further develop cooperation with China in all areas
He noted that cooperation between the two counties "is undoubtedly a most important factor in global affairs, which is increasingly influencing the economic development of Russia and China, as well as efforts to accomplish tasks aimed at improving people's living standards that the two countries are facing," Putin specified.
The Chinese prime minister, in turn, said that cooperation between Beijing and Moscow "contributes to the development of the two countries, as well as to regional and global development, particularly amid increasing instability and uncertainty in the global economy." According to Li Keqiang, it is important for China and Russia to continue "boosting friendship, cooperation and bilateral ties" and "joint efforts to make sure that there is a fair global trade system based on WTO rules."
The BRICS summit will take place in Brazil on November 13-14, while the APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Chile on November 16-17.
Source: tass.com
The president pointed out that early October will mark the 70th anniversaries of the People's Republic of China and diplomatic relations between Russia and China
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the BRICS and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits, set to take place in Latin America in November, as he himself said at a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.
"I hope I will have an opportunity to meet with the Chinese president on the sidelines of two big events, the BRICS and APEC summits, that will be held in Latin America in November," Putin said, asking Li Keqiang to convey his "best wishes" to the Chinese leader.
Putin pointed out that early October will mark the 70th anniversaries of the People's Republic of China and diplomatic relations between Russia and China. "Our country - it was the Soviet Union back then - was the first to recognize a new Chinese state. We have come a long way in the past decades as far as cooperation is concerned. Today, we are strategic partners in the full sense of the word, we maintain comprehensive cooperation, which is Russia's unconditional foreign policy priority," the Russian president added.
Russia is ready to further develop cooperation with China in all areas
He noted that cooperation between the two counties "is undoubtedly a most important factor in global affairs, which is increasingly influencing the economic development of Russia and China, as well as efforts to accomplish tasks aimed at improving people's living standards that the two countries are facing," Putin specified.
The Chinese prime minister, in turn, said that cooperation between Beijing and Moscow "contributes to the development of the two countries, as well as to regional and global development, particularly amid increasing instability and uncertainty in the global economy." According to Li Keqiang, it is important for China and Russia to continue "boosting friendship, cooperation and bilateral ties" and "joint efforts to make sure that there is a fair global trade system based on WTO rules."
The BRICS summit will take place in Brazil on November 13-14, while the APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Chile on November 16-17.
"World at a Crossroads and a System of International Relations for the Future" by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for "Russia in Global Affairs" magazine, September 20, 2019 (Статья Министра иностранных дел России С.В.Лаврова «Мир на перепутье и система международных отношений будущего» для журнала «Россия в глобальной политике», 20 сентября 2019 года) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: quotation, sergey_lavrov, un
2019-09-20
2019-09-20
Russia
Source: www.mid.ru
These days, the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens up. So does a new international "political season".
The session begins at a highly symbolic historical moment. Next year we will celebrate two great and interconnected anniversaries – the 75th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic and Second World Wars, and the establishment of the UN.
Reflecting on the spiritual and moral significance of these landmark events, one needs to bear in mind the enormous political meaning of the Victory that ended one of the most brutal wars in the history of mankind.
The defeat of fascism in 1945 had fundamentally affected the further course of world history and created conditions for establishing a post-war world order. The UN Charter became its bearing frame and a key source of international law to this day. The UN-centric system still preserves its sustainability and has a great degree of resilience. It actually is kind of a safety net that ensures peaceful development of mankind amid largely natural divergence of interests and rivalries among leading powers. The War-time experience of ideology-free cooperation of states with different socioeconomic and political systems is still highly relevant.
It is regrettable that these obvious truths are being deliberately silenced or ignored by certain influential forces in the West. Moreover, some have intensified attempts at privatizing the Victory, expunging from memory the Soviet Union's role in the defeat of Nazism, condemning to oblivion the Red Army's feat of sacrifice and liberation, forgetting the many millions of Soviet citizens who perished during the War, wiping out from history the consequences of the ruinous policy of appeasement. From this perspective, it is easy to grasp the essence of the concept of expounding the equality of the totalitarian regimes. Its purpose is not just to belittle the Soviet contribution to the Victory, but also to retrospectively strip our country of its historic role as an architect and guarantor of the post-war world order, and label it a "revisionist power" that is posing a threat to the well-being of the so-called free world.
Interpreting the past in such a manner also means that some of our partners see the establishment of a transatlantic link and the permanent implanting of the US military presence in Europe as a major achievement of the post-war system of international relations. This is definitely not the scenario the Allies had in mind while creating the United Nations.
The Soviet Union disintegrated; the Berlin Wall, which had symbolically separated the two "camps," fell; the irreconcilable ideological stand-off that defined the framework of world politics in virtually all spheres and regions became a thing of the past – yet, these tectonic shifts unfortunately failed to bring the triumph of a unifying agenda. Instead, all we could hear were triumphant pronouncements that the "end of history" had come and that from now on there would be only one global decision-making center.
It is obvious today that efforts to establish a unipolar model have failed. The transformation of the world order has become irreversible. New major players wielding a sustainable economic base seek to increase their influence on regional and global developments; they are fully entitled to claim a greater role in the decision-making process. There is a growing demand for more just and inclusive system. The overwhelming majority of members of the international community reject arrogant neocolonial policies that are employed all over again to empower certain countries to impose their will on others.
All that is greatly disturbing to those who for centuries have been accustomed to setting the patterns of global development by employing exclusive advantages. While the majority of states aspire to a more just system of international relations and genuine rather than declarative respect for the UN Charter principles, these demands come up against the policies desighned to preserve an order allowing a narrow group of countries and transnational corporations to reap from the fruits of globalization. The West's response to the ongoing developments reveals true worldview of its proponents. Their rhetoric on liberalism, democracy and human rights goes hand in hand with the policies of inequality, injustice, selfishness and a belief in their own exceptionalism.
"Liberalism", that the West claims to defend, focuses on individuals and their rights and freedoms. This begs the question: how does this correlate with the policy of sanctions, economic strangulation and overt military threats against a number of independent countries such as Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea or Syria? Sanctions directly strike at ordinary people and their well-being and violate their social and economic rights. How does the bombing of sovereign nations, the deliberate policy of destroying their statehood leading to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and condemning millions of Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians and representatives of other peoples to innumerable suffering add up to the imperative of protecting human rights? The reckless Arab Spring gamble destroyed the unique ethnic and religious mosaic in the Middle East and North Africa
In Europe, the proponents of liberal concepts get along quite well with massive violations of the Russian-speaking population rights in a number of EU and EU-neighboring countries. Those countries violate multilateral international conventions by adopting laws that infringe language and education rights of ethnic minorities.
What is "liberal" about visa denials and other sanctions imposed by the West on residents of Russia's Crimea? They are punished for their democratic vote in favour of reunification with their historical homeland. Does this not contradict the basic right of the people to free self-determination, let alone the right of the citizens to freedom of movement enshrined in international conventions?
Liberalism, or rather its real undistorted essence, has always been an important component of political philosophy both in Russia and worldwide. However, the multiplicity of development models does not allow us to say that the Western "basket" of liberal values has no alternative. And, of course, these values cannot be carried "on bayonets" – ignoring the history of states, their cultural and political identities. Grief and destruction caused by "liberal" aerial bombings are a clear indication of what this can lead to.
The West's unwillingness to accept today's realities, when after centuries of economic, political and military domination it is losing the prerogative of being the only one to shape the global agenda, gave rise to the concept of a "rules-based order." These "rules" are being invented and selectively combined depending on the fleeting needs of the people behind it, and the West persistently introduces this language into everyday usage. The concept is by no means abstract and is actively being implemented. Its purpose is to replace the universally agreed international legal instruments and mechanisms with narrow formats, where alternative, non-consensual methods for resolving various international problems are developed in circumvention of a legitimate multilateral framework. In other words, the expectation is to usurp the decision-making process on key issues.
The intentions of those who initiated this "rules-based order" concept affect the exceptional powers of the UN Security Council. A recent example: when the United States and its allies failed to convince the Security Council to approve politicized decisions that accused, without any proof, the Syrian government of using prohibited toxic substances, they started to promote the "rules" they needed through the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). By manipulating the existing procedures in flagrant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, they managed (with the votes of a minority of the countries participating in this Convention) to license the OPCW Technical Secretariat to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons, which was a direct intrusion in the prerogatives of the UN Security Council. One can also observe similar attempts to "privatize" the secretariats of international organizations in order to advance interests outside of the framework of universal intergovernmental mechanisms in such areas as biological non-proliferation, peacekeeping, prevention of doping in sports and others.
The initiatives to regulate journalism seeking to suppress media freedom in an arbitrary way, the interventionist ideology of "responsibility to protect", which justifies violent "humanitarian interventions" without UN Security Council approval under the pretext of an imminent threat to the safety of civilians are part of the same policy.
Separately, attention should be paid to the controversial concept of "countering violent extremism", which lays the blame for the dissemination of radical ideologies and expansion of the social base of terrorism on political regimes that the West has proclaimed undemocratic, illiberal or authoritarian. This concept provides for direct outreach to civil society over the head of legitimate governments. Obviously, the true goal is to withdraw counterterrorism efforts from beneath the UN umbrella and to obtain a tool of interference in the internal affairs of states.
The introduction of such new concepts is a dangerous phenomenon of revisionism, which rejects the principles of international law embodied in the UN Charter and paves the way back to the times of confrontation and antagonism. It is for a reason that the West is openly discussing a new divide between "the rules-based liberal order" and "authoritarian powers."
Revisionism clearly manifests itself in the area of strategic stability. The US torpedoing first the ABM Treaty and now the INF Treaty (a decision that enjoys unanimous NATO members' support) have generated risks of dismantling the entire architecture of nuclear arms control agreements. The prospects of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (The New START) are vague – because the US has not given a clear answer to the Russian proposal to agree to extend the New START beyond its expiry date in February 2021.
Now we are witnessing alarming signs that a media campaign in the United States is being launched to lay the groundwork for abandoning the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (which has not been ratified by the United States). This calls into question the future of this treaty, which is vital for international peace and security. Washington has embarked upon the implementation of its plans to deploy weapons in outer space, rejecting proposals to agree on a universal moratorium on such activities
There is one more example of introducing revisionist "rules": the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program, a multilateral agreement approved by the UN Security Council that is of key importance for the nuclear non-proliferation.
Yet another example is Washington's open refusal to implement unanimous UN Security Council resolutions on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the economic field, the "rules" consist of protectionist barriers, sanctions, abuse of the status of the US dollar as the principle means of payment, ensuring competitive advantages by non-market methods, and extraterritorial use of US laws, even towards the United States' closest allies.
At the same time, our American colleagues are persistently trying to mobilise all of their foreign partners to contain Russia and China. Simultaneously they do not conceal their wish to sow discord between Moscow and Beijing and undermine multilateral alliances and regional integration projects in Eurasia and Asia-Pacific that are operating outside of the US oversight. Pressure is exerted on those countries that do not play by the rules imposed on them and dare make the "wrong choice" of cooperating with US "adversaries".
So, what do we have as a result? In politics, erosion of the international legal basis, growth of instability and unsustainability, chaotic fragmentation of the global landscape and deepening mistrust between those involved in the international life. In the area of security, blurring of the dividing line between military and non-military means of achieving foreign policy goals, militarization of international relations, increased reliance on nuclear weapons in US security doctrines, lowering the threshold for the use of such armaments, the emergence of new hotbeds of armed conflicts, the persistence of the global terrorist threat, and militarization of the cyberspace. In the world economy, increased volatility, tougher competition for markets, energy resources and their supply routes, trade wars and undermining the multilateral trade system. We can add a surge of migration and deepening of ethnic and religious strife. Do we need such a "rules-based" world order?
Against this background, attempts by Western liberal ideologues to portray Russia as a "revisionist force" are simply absurd. We were among the first to draw attention to the transformation of the global political and economic systems that cannot remain static due to the objective march of history. It would be appropriate to mention here that the concept of multipolarity in international relations that accurately reflects emerging economic and geopolitical realities was formulated two decades ago by the outstanding Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov. His intellectual legacy remains relevant now as we mark the 90th anniversary of his birth.
As is evident from the experience of recent years, using unilateral tools to address global problems is doomed to failure. The West-promoted "order" does not meet the needs of humankind's harmonious development. This "order" is non-inclusive, aims to revise the key international legal mechanisms, rejects the principle of collective action in the relations between states, and by definition cannot generate solutions to global problems that would be viable and stable in the long term rather than seek a propaganda effect within an electoral cycle in this or that country.
What is being proposed by Russia? First of all, it is necessary to keep abreast of the times and recognise the obvious: the emergence of a polycentric world architecture is an irreversible process, no matter how hard anyone tries to artificially hold it back (let alone send it in reverse). Most countries don't want to be held hostage to someone else's geopolitical calculations and are determined to conduct nationally oriented domestic and foreign policies. It is our common interest to ensure that multipolarity is not based on a stark balance of power like it was at the earlier stages of human history (for example, in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century), but rather bears a just, democratic and unifying nature, takes into account the approaches and concerns of all those taking part in the international relations without an exception, and ensures a stable and secure future.
There are some people in the West who often speculate that polycentric world order inevitably leads to more chaos and confrontation because the "centers of power" will fail to come to terms among themselves and take responsible decisions. But, firstly, why not try? What if it works? For this, all that is necessary is to start talks on the understanding that the parties should seek a balance of interests. Attempts to invent ones' own "rules" and impose them on all others as the absolute truth should be stopped. From now on, all parties should strictly comply with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, starting with the respect for the sovereign equality of states regardless of their size, system of government or development model. Paradoxically, countries that portray themselves as paragons of democracy actually care about it only as they demand from other countries to "put their house in order" on a West-inspired pattern. But as soon as the need arises for democracy in intergovernmental relations, they immediately evade honest talk or attempt to interpret international legal norms at their own discretion.
No doubt, life does not stand still. While taking good care of the post-WWII system of international relations that relies on the United Nations, it is also necessary to cautiously though gradually adjust it to the realities of the current geopolitical landscape. This is completely relevant for the UN Security Council, where, judging by today's standards, the West is unfairly overrepresented. We are confident that reforming the Security Council shall take into account interests of the Asian, the African and the Latin American nations whilst any such design must rest upon the principle of the broadest consensus among the UN member states. The same approach should apply to refining the world trade system, with special attention paid to harmonizing the integration projects in various regions.
We should use to the fullest the potential of the G20, an ambitious, all-encompassing global governance body that represents the interests of all key players and takes unanimous decisions. Other associations are playing a growing role as well, alliances projecting the spirit of a true and democratic multipolarity, based on voluntary participation, consensus, values of equality and sound pragmatism, and refraining from confrontation and bloc approaches. These include BRICS and the SCO, which our country is an active member of and which Russia will chair in 2020.
It is evident that without collective effort and without unbiased partnership under the central coordinating role of the UN it is impossible to curb confrontational tendencies, build up trust and cope with common threats and challenges. It is high time to come to terms on uniform interpretation of the principles and norms of international law rather than try to follow the old saying "might goes before right". It is more difficult to broker deals than to put forward demands. But patiently negotiated trade-offs will be a much more reliable vehicle for predictable handling of international affairs. Such an approach is badly needed to launch substantive talks on the terms and conditions of a reliable and just system of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia. This objective has been declared multiple times at the top level in the OSCE documents. It is necessary to move from words to deeds. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) have repeatedly expressed their readiness to contribute to such efforts.
It is important to increase our assistance to the peaceful resolution of numerous conflicts, be it in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America or the post-Soviet space. The main point is to live up to the earlier arrangements rather than to invent pretexts for refusing to adhere to the obligations.
As of today, it is especially relevant to counter religious and ethnic intolerance. We urge all the nations to work together to prepare for the World Conference on Interfaith and Inter-Ethnic Dialogue that will be held in Russia in May 2022 under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the UN. The OSCE that has formulated a principled position condemning anti-Semitism should act with equal resolve toward Christianophobia and Islamophobia.
Our unconditional priority is to continue providing assistance to the unhindered formation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership, a broad integration framework stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific that involves the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all other countries of the Eurasian continent, including the EU countries. It would be unwise to contain the unifying processes or, worse still, to put up fences. It would be a mistake to reject the obvious strategic advantages of the common Eurasian region in an increasingly competitive world.
Consistent movement towards this constructive goal will allow us not only to keep up the dynamic development of the national economies and to remove obstacles to the movement of goods, capital, labor and services, but it will also create a solid foundation of security and stability throughout the vast region from Lisbon to Jakarta.
Will the multipolar world continue to take shape through cooperation and harmonization of interests or through confrontation and rivalry? This depends on all of us. Russia will continue to promote a positive and unifying agenda aimed at removing the old dividing lines and preventing the appearance of new ones. Russia has advanced initiatives to prevent an arms race in outer space, establish efficient mechanisms for combating terrorism, including chemical and biological terrorism, and to agree upon practical measures to prevent the use of cyberspace for undermining national security or for other criminal purposes.
Our proposals to launch a serious discussion on all aspects of strategic stability in the modern era are still on the table.
There have been ideas floated recently to modify the agenda and update the terms. The proposed subjects for discussion vary between "strategic rivalry" and "multilateral deterrence." Terminology is negotiable, but it is not terms but the essence that really matters. It is now much more important to start a strategic dialogue on the existing threats and risks and to seek consensus on a commonly acceptable agenda. Yet another outstanding statesman from our country, Andrey Gromyko (his 110th birth anniversary we mark this year) said wisely: "Better to have ten years of negotiations than one day of war."
Source: www.mid.ru
These days, the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens up. So does a new international "political season".
The session begins at a highly symbolic historical moment. Next year we will celebrate two great and interconnected anniversaries – the 75th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic and Second World Wars, and the establishment of the UN.
Reflecting on the spiritual and moral significance of these landmark events, one needs to bear in mind the enormous political meaning of the Victory that ended one of the most brutal wars in the history of mankind.
The defeat of fascism in 1945 had fundamentally affected the further course of world history and created conditions for establishing a post-war world order. The UN Charter became its bearing frame and a key source of international law to this day. The UN-centric system still preserves its sustainability and has a great degree of resilience. It actually is kind of a safety net that ensures peaceful development of mankind amid largely natural divergence of interests and rivalries among leading powers. The War-time experience of ideology-free cooperation of states with different socioeconomic and political systems is still highly relevant.
It is regrettable that these obvious truths are being deliberately silenced or ignored by certain influential forces in the West. Moreover, some have intensified attempts at privatizing the Victory, expunging from memory the Soviet Union's role in the defeat of Nazism, condemning to oblivion the Red Army's feat of sacrifice and liberation, forgetting the many millions of Soviet citizens who perished during the War, wiping out from history the consequences of the ruinous policy of appeasement. From this perspective, it is easy to grasp the essence of the concept of expounding the equality of the totalitarian regimes. Its purpose is not just to belittle the Soviet contribution to the Victory, but also to retrospectively strip our country of its historic role as an architect and guarantor of the post-war world order, and label it a "revisionist power" that is posing a threat to the well-being of the so-called free world.
Interpreting the past in such a manner also means that some of our partners see the establishment of a transatlantic link and the permanent implanting of the US military presence in Europe as a major achievement of the post-war system of international relations. This is definitely not the scenario the Allies had in mind while creating the United Nations.
The Soviet Union disintegrated; the Berlin Wall, which had symbolically separated the two "camps," fell; the irreconcilable ideological stand-off that defined the framework of world politics in virtually all spheres and regions became a thing of the past – yet, these tectonic shifts unfortunately failed to bring the triumph of a unifying agenda. Instead, all we could hear were triumphant pronouncements that the "end of history" had come and that from now on there would be only one global decision-making center.
It is obvious today that efforts to establish a unipolar model have failed. The transformation of the world order has become irreversible. New major players wielding a sustainable economic base seek to increase their influence on regional and global developments; they are fully entitled to claim a greater role in the decision-making process. There is a growing demand for more just and inclusive system. The overwhelming majority of members of the international community reject arrogant neocolonial policies that are employed all over again to empower certain countries to impose their will on others.
All that is greatly disturbing to those who for centuries have been accustomed to setting the patterns of global development by employing exclusive advantages. While the majority of states aspire to a more just system of international relations and genuine rather than declarative respect for the UN Charter principles, these demands come up against the policies desighned to preserve an order allowing a narrow group of countries and transnational corporations to reap from the fruits of globalization. The West's response to the ongoing developments reveals true worldview of its proponents. Their rhetoric on liberalism, democracy and human rights goes hand in hand with the policies of inequality, injustice, selfishness and a belief in their own exceptionalism.
"Liberalism", that the West claims to defend, focuses on individuals and their rights and freedoms. This begs the question: how does this correlate with the policy of sanctions, economic strangulation and overt military threats against a number of independent countries such as Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea or Syria? Sanctions directly strike at ordinary people and their well-being and violate their social and economic rights. How does the bombing of sovereign nations, the deliberate policy of destroying their statehood leading to the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and condemning millions of Iraqis, Libyans, Syrians and representatives of other peoples to innumerable suffering add up to the imperative of protecting human rights? The reckless Arab Spring gamble destroyed the unique ethnic and religious mosaic in the Middle East and North Africa
In Europe, the proponents of liberal concepts get along quite well with massive violations of the Russian-speaking population rights in a number of EU and EU-neighboring countries. Those countries violate multilateral international conventions by adopting laws that infringe language and education rights of ethnic minorities.
What is "liberal" about visa denials and other sanctions imposed by the West on residents of Russia's Crimea? They are punished for their democratic vote in favour of reunification with their historical homeland. Does this not contradict the basic right of the people to free self-determination, let alone the right of the citizens to freedom of movement enshrined in international conventions?
Liberalism, or rather its real undistorted essence, has always been an important component of political philosophy both in Russia and worldwide. However, the multiplicity of development models does not allow us to say that the Western "basket" of liberal values has no alternative. And, of course, these values cannot be carried "on bayonets" – ignoring the history of states, their cultural and political identities. Grief and destruction caused by "liberal" aerial bombings are a clear indication of what this can lead to.
The West's unwillingness to accept today's realities, when after centuries of economic, political and military domination it is losing the prerogative of being the only one to shape the global agenda, gave rise to the concept of a "rules-based order." These "rules" are being invented and selectively combined depending on the fleeting needs of the people behind it, and the West persistently introduces this language into everyday usage. The concept is by no means abstract and is actively being implemented. Its purpose is to replace the universally agreed international legal instruments and mechanisms with narrow formats, where alternative, non-consensual methods for resolving various international problems are developed in circumvention of a legitimate multilateral framework. In other words, the expectation is to usurp the decision-making process on key issues.
The intentions of those who initiated this "rules-based order" concept affect the exceptional powers of the UN Security Council. A recent example: when the United States and its allies failed to convince the Security Council to approve politicized decisions that accused, without any proof, the Syrian government of using prohibited toxic substances, they started to promote the "rules" they needed through the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). By manipulating the existing procedures in flagrant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, they managed (with the votes of a minority of the countries participating in this Convention) to license the OPCW Technical Secretariat to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons, which was a direct intrusion in the prerogatives of the UN Security Council. One can also observe similar attempts to "privatize" the secretariats of international organizations in order to advance interests outside of the framework of universal intergovernmental mechanisms in such areas as biological non-proliferation, peacekeeping, prevention of doping in sports and others.
The initiatives to regulate journalism seeking to suppress media freedom in an arbitrary way, the interventionist ideology of "responsibility to protect", which justifies violent "humanitarian interventions" without UN Security Council approval under the pretext of an imminent threat to the safety of civilians are part of the same policy.
Separately, attention should be paid to the controversial concept of "countering violent extremism", which lays the blame for the dissemination of radical ideologies and expansion of the social base of terrorism on political regimes that the West has proclaimed undemocratic, illiberal or authoritarian. This concept provides for direct outreach to civil society over the head of legitimate governments. Obviously, the true goal is to withdraw counterterrorism efforts from beneath the UN umbrella and to obtain a tool of interference in the internal affairs of states.
The introduction of such new concepts is a dangerous phenomenon of revisionism, which rejects the principles of international law embodied in the UN Charter and paves the way back to the times of confrontation and antagonism. It is for a reason that the West is openly discussing a new divide between "the rules-based liberal order" and "authoritarian powers."
Revisionism clearly manifests itself in the area of strategic stability. The US torpedoing first the ABM Treaty and now the INF Treaty (a decision that enjoys unanimous NATO members' support) have generated risks of dismantling the entire architecture of nuclear arms control agreements. The prospects of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (The New START) are vague – because the US has not given a clear answer to the Russian proposal to agree to extend the New START beyond its expiry date in February 2021.
Now we are witnessing alarming signs that a media campaign in the United States is being launched to lay the groundwork for abandoning the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (which has not been ratified by the United States). This calls into question the future of this treaty, which is vital for international peace and security. Washington has embarked upon the implementation of its plans to deploy weapons in outer space, rejecting proposals to agree on a universal moratorium on such activities
There is one more example of introducing revisionist "rules": the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program, a multilateral agreement approved by the UN Security Council that is of key importance for the nuclear non-proliferation.
Yet another example is Washington's open refusal to implement unanimous UN Security Council resolutions on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the economic field, the "rules" consist of protectionist barriers, sanctions, abuse of the status of the US dollar as the principle means of payment, ensuring competitive advantages by non-market methods, and extraterritorial use of US laws, even towards the United States' closest allies.
At the same time, our American colleagues are persistently trying to mobilise all of their foreign partners to contain Russia and China. Simultaneously they do not conceal their wish to sow discord between Moscow and Beijing and undermine multilateral alliances and regional integration projects in Eurasia and Asia-Pacific that are operating outside of the US oversight. Pressure is exerted on those countries that do not play by the rules imposed on them and dare make the "wrong choice" of cooperating with US "adversaries".
So, what do we have as a result? In politics, erosion of the international legal basis, growth of instability and unsustainability, chaotic fragmentation of the global landscape and deepening mistrust between those involved in the international life. In the area of security, blurring of the dividing line between military and non-military means of achieving foreign policy goals, militarization of international relations, increased reliance on nuclear weapons in US security doctrines, lowering the threshold for the use of such armaments, the emergence of new hotbeds of armed conflicts, the persistence of the global terrorist threat, and militarization of the cyberspace. In the world economy, increased volatility, tougher competition for markets, energy resources and their supply routes, trade wars and undermining the multilateral trade system. We can add a surge of migration and deepening of ethnic and religious strife. Do we need such a "rules-based" world order?
Against this background, attempts by Western liberal ideologues to portray Russia as a "revisionist force" are simply absurd. We were among the first to draw attention to the transformation of the global political and economic systems that cannot remain static due to the objective march of history. It would be appropriate to mention here that the concept of multipolarity in international relations that accurately reflects emerging economic and geopolitical realities was formulated two decades ago by the outstanding Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov. His intellectual legacy remains relevant now as we mark the 90th anniversary of his birth.
As is evident from the experience of recent years, using unilateral tools to address global problems is doomed to failure. The West-promoted "order" does not meet the needs of humankind's harmonious development. This "order" is non-inclusive, aims to revise the key international legal mechanisms, rejects the principle of collective action in the relations between states, and by definition cannot generate solutions to global problems that would be viable and stable in the long term rather than seek a propaganda effect within an electoral cycle in this or that country.
What is being proposed by Russia? First of all, it is necessary to keep abreast of the times and recognise the obvious: the emergence of a polycentric world architecture is an irreversible process, no matter how hard anyone tries to artificially hold it back (let alone send it in reverse). Most countries don't want to be held hostage to someone else's geopolitical calculations and are determined to conduct nationally oriented domestic and foreign policies. It is our common interest to ensure that multipolarity is not based on a stark balance of power like it was at the earlier stages of human history (for example, in the 19th and the first half of the 20th century), but rather bears a just, democratic and unifying nature, takes into account the approaches and concerns of all those taking part in the international relations without an exception, and ensures a stable and secure future.
There are some people in the West who often speculate that polycentric world order inevitably leads to more chaos and confrontation because the "centers of power" will fail to come to terms among themselves and take responsible decisions. But, firstly, why not try? What if it works? For this, all that is necessary is to start talks on the understanding that the parties should seek a balance of interests. Attempts to invent ones' own "rules" and impose them on all others as the absolute truth should be stopped. From now on, all parties should strictly comply with the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, starting with the respect for the sovereign equality of states regardless of their size, system of government or development model. Paradoxically, countries that portray themselves as paragons of democracy actually care about it only as they demand from other countries to "put their house in order" on a West-inspired pattern. But as soon as the need arises for democracy in intergovernmental relations, they immediately evade honest talk or attempt to interpret international legal norms at their own discretion.
No doubt, life does not stand still. While taking good care of the post-WWII system of international relations that relies on the United Nations, it is also necessary to cautiously though gradually adjust it to the realities of the current geopolitical landscape. This is completely relevant for the UN Security Council, where, judging by today's standards, the West is unfairly overrepresented. We are confident that reforming the Security Council shall take into account interests of the Asian, the African and the Latin American nations whilst any such design must rest upon the principle of the broadest consensus among the UN member states. The same approach should apply to refining the world trade system, with special attention paid to harmonizing the integration projects in various regions.
We should use to the fullest the potential of the G20, an ambitious, all-encompassing global governance body that represents the interests of all key players and takes unanimous decisions. Other associations are playing a growing role as well, alliances projecting the spirit of a true and democratic multipolarity, based on voluntary participation, consensus, values of equality and sound pragmatism, and refraining from confrontation and bloc approaches. These include BRICS and the SCO, which our country is an active member of and which Russia will chair in 2020.
It is evident that without collective effort and without unbiased partnership under the central coordinating role of the UN it is impossible to curb confrontational tendencies, build up trust and cope with common threats and challenges. It is high time to come to terms on uniform interpretation of the principles and norms of international law rather than try to follow the old saying "might goes before right". It is more difficult to broker deals than to put forward demands. But patiently negotiated trade-offs will be a much more reliable vehicle for predictable handling of international affairs. Such an approach is badly needed to launch substantive talks on the terms and conditions of a reliable and just system of equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasia. This objective has been declared multiple times at the top level in the OSCE documents. It is necessary to move from words to deeds. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) have repeatedly expressed their readiness to contribute to such efforts.
It is important to increase our assistance to the peaceful resolution of numerous conflicts, be it in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America or the post-Soviet space. The main point is to live up to the earlier arrangements rather than to invent pretexts for refusing to adhere to the obligations.
As of today, it is especially relevant to counter religious and ethnic intolerance. We urge all the nations to work together to prepare for the World Conference on Interfaith and Inter-Ethnic Dialogue that will be held in Russia in May 2022 under the auspices of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the UN. The OSCE that has formulated a principled position condemning anti-Semitism should act with equal resolve toward Christianophobia and Islamophobia.
Our unconditional priority is to continue providing assistance to the unhindered formation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership, a broad integration framework stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific that involves the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all other countries of the Eurasian continent, including the EU countries. It would be unwise to contain the unifying processes or, worse still, to put up fences. It would be a mistake to reject the obvious strategic advantages of the common Eurasian region in an increasingly competitive world.
Consistent movement towards this constructive goal will allow us not only to keep up the dynamic development of the national economies and to remove obstacles to the movement of goods, capital, labor and services, but it will also create a solid foundation of security and stability throughout the vast region from Lisbon to Jakarta.
Will the multipolar world continue to take shape through cooperation and harmonization of interests or through confrontation and rivalry? This depends on all of us. Russia will continue to promote a positive and unifying agenda aimed at removing the old dividing lines and preventing the appearance of new ones. Russia has advanced initiatives to prevent an arms race in outer space, establish efficient mechanisms for combating terrorism, including chemical and biological terrorism, and to agree upon practical measures to prevent the use of cyberspace for undermining national security or for other criminal purposes.
Our proposals to launch a serious discussion on all aspects of strategic stability in the modern era are still on the table.
There have been ideas floated recently to modify the agenda and update the terms. The proposed subjects for discussion vary between "strategic rivalry" and "multilateral deterrence." Terminology is negotiable, but it is not terms but the essence that really matters. It is now much more important to start a strategic dialogue on the existing threats and risks and to seek consensus on a commonly acceptable agenda. Yet another outstanding statesman from our country, Andrey Gromyko (his 110th birth anniversary we mark this year) said wisely: "Better to have ten years of negotiations than one day of war."
Vladimir Putin sent his greetings to the participants and guests of the 6th BRICS Competition Conference (Владимир Путин направил приветствие участникам и гостям 6-й Конкурсной конференции БРИКС.) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: vladimir_putin, speech
2019-09-18
2019-09-18
Russia
Source: en.kremlin.ru
The message reads, in part:
"Your regular meetings, which are attended by delegates from government agencies, as well as from business and expert communities, are a good opportunity to exchange experience of developing competition policies and antitrust legislation and to hold in-depth discussions on current global economic subjects.
Efforts to improve the competitive environment in Russia are a vital part of the state policy aimed at intensifying economic growth and improving people's wellbeing. Fair and honest competition is a guarantee of the country's progressive development and forward movement in all spheres. Russia, when it assumes the BRICS presidency in 2020, intends to focus on boosting interaction within the group in the field of antitrust activities and also to improve the competitive environment.
I hope that your conference will promote the rapprochement of the global standards of fair competition, stimulate business initiative as well as strengthen our countries' positions on the global market."
Source: en.kremlin.ru
The message reads, in part:
"Your regular meetings, which are attended by delegates from government agencies, as well as from business and expert communities, are a good opportunity to exchange experience of developing competition policies and antitrust legislation and to hold in-depth discussions on current global economic subjects.
Efforts to improve the competitive environment in Russia are a vital part of the state policy aimed at intensifying economic growth and improving people's wellbeing. Fair and honest competition is a guarantee of the country's progressive development and forward movement in all spheres. Russia, when it assumes the BRICS presidency in 2020, intends to focus on boosting interaction within the group in the field of antitrust activities and also to improve the competitive environment.
I hope that your conference will promote the rapprochement of the global standards of fair competition, stimulate business initiative as well as strengthen our countries' positions on the global market."
Investment and Finance
Investment and finance in BRICS
Promoting global development cooperation (Содействие глобальному сотрудничеству в целях развития) / China, September, 2019
Keywords: cooperation, economic_challenges
2019-09-21
2019-09-21
China
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn
Developing countries have emerged as impressive forces with profound influence in international development cooperation, and China has become one of the major players in this field.
China began providing material assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam in 1950. And in 1964, it announced the Eight Principles of Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance, featuring equality, mutual benefit and no conditions.
After the resumption of its legitimate seat in the United Nations in 1971, China established economic and technical cooperation with more developing countries, which helped build major infrastructure projects such as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. With the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978, China's economic cooperation with other developing countries evolved from simple assistance to various forms of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Series of pragmatic initiatives launched
In recent years, China has successively launched a series of pragmatic initiatives by, for example, rolling out 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans, establishing the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute, setting up the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, and initiating the BRICS Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Program, in order to contribute Chinese wisdom to such issues as poverty alleviation, disease prevention and control, climate change mitigation, capacity building and humanitarian assistance.
In the past seven decades, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan ($56.36 billion) of assistance to more than 160 countries and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people from developing countries, and implemented more than 5,000 foreign aid projects.
With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and BRICS New Development Bank, and especially with the founding of the China International Development Cooperation Agency in April 2018, China's international development cooperation has become more and more institutional and influential. Over 70 years, China's foreign aid has gradually transformed from relatively simple forms of capital and material support to diversified forms of assistance.
Belt and Road Initiative and UN 2030 Agenda
Since it was proposed six years ago, the Belt and Road Initiative has transformed from a blueprint to reality, and has been included in a UN document, receiving the endorsement and wide support of the international community. By May this year, 131 countries and 30 international organizations had signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative fits perfectly well with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's Agenda 2063, and has expanded South-South cooperation. The initiative has also helped many developing countries clear bottlenecks on growth, which could help them better integrate their markets with the global market.
In more than one sense, the initiative's five priority areas-policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial cooperation and people-to-people bond-are linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A widely appreciated development initiative
The First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation two years ago yielded 279 deliverables covering five areas, and all of them have been implemented. In April this year, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing attracted more than 6,000 delegates from 150 countries and regions, and 92 international organizations, and yielded 283 deliverables covering six areas and contracts worth $64 billion.
The initiative has helped boost economic growth and improved people's lives in the participating countries. Thanks to Belt and Road cooperation, some countries now have their first expressways or modern railways while others have seen an end to their longstanding power shortage.
The success stories show that the initiative has provided good opportunities for all parties involved to jointly address global challenges, promote global growth, and achieve common prosperity through greater connectivity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken highly of the initiative, saying it is "intrinsically linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals".
China-Africa cooperation yielding fruitful results
China directs most of its assistance funds to low-income developing countries. Africa is home to the largest number of such countries and has always been the top priority of China's global development assistance. China provides eight types of aid to Africa-complete projects, goods and materials, technical cooperation, human resource development cooperation, medical assistance, emergency humanitarian aid, volunteer programs and debt relief.
For years, Africa has been grappling with security challenges, ranging from wars and conflicts to terrorism, refugees and piracy, which have severely hindered its development. Therefore, while carrying out traditional assistance programs in Africa, China has made peace and security one of the priorities for China-Africa cooperation, as peace and security are prerequisites for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As such, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, and launched quite a number of anti-piracy and counter-terrorism programs.
Eight major initiatives for African countries
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, China has expanded cooperation with African countries and gradually expanded assistance to the region. At the FOCAC summit in Beijing in September 2018 President Xi Jinping proposed "eight major initiatives" for China-Africa cooperation-industrial promotion, facility connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health and hygiene, humanities exchanges, and peace and security.
China will provide $15 billion of free aid, interest-free loans and concessional loans, with a focus on supporting impoverished areas in Africa to address such problems as poverty, sanitation, agriculture, environmental pollution and climate change.
At present, 40 African countries and the AU Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, making African countries the largest continental group participating in the initiative. And the benefits for the African countries are evident. For instance, the building of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has driven Kenya's economic growth by 1.5 percent and created 46,000 jobs for local residents.
Guterres has commended the positive role China has played in promoting Africa's development, saying the UN fully supports and participates in China-Africa cooperation and Africa's development.
South-South cooperation gets a shot in the arm
South-South cooperation is the common cause of developing countries and embodies their pursuit of common development. Today, the global economy is marked by unbalanced development, and developing countries face the arduous task of advancing their economies and improving people's livelihoods.
China has been a staunch supporter, active participant and important contributor to South-South cooperation. It has a development path and concepts that are of valuable reference to other developing countries, and has been providing more practical technologies, viable cooperation projects, and thus more targeted assistance. And the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, announced by President Xi at the UN Development Summit on Sept 26, 2015, represents an innovative funding approach of China's foreign aid program.
So far, the fund has been used in more than 30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America through the UN World Food Programme, the UN Development Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
More than 50 projects have been launched in areas such as healthcare, women and children, disaster relief and food aid, which have benefited nearly 20 million people in recipient countries. Through the fund, China, in cooperation with international organizations, has carried out various assistance and cooperation projects to help post-disaster reconstruction and refugee resettlement in other developing countries.
Western accusations absurd and baseless
However, China's emergence as a major player in international development cooperation has made some Western countries anxious. Such countries have accused China of carrying out geo-expansionism and economic plundering, causing environmental destruction, and laying a debt trap in a bid to discredit the Belt and Road Initiative.
That these accusations are groundless can never be overemphasized. The initiative champions the "Silk Road Spirit" of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. It does not have any hidden geopolitical agenda. Countries are free to decide whether or not to participate in the initiative.
As a matter of fact, due to rising protectionism and unilateralism, the openness and inclusiveness enshrined in the Belt and Road Initiative have been applauded by the international community, especially by the developing countries. That the total trade volume between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion and direct investment crossed $90 billion testifies to the fact that the initiative since 2013 has brought enormous development opportunities to participating countries. Also, the establishment of economic and trade cooperation zones alone have created more than 200,000 jobs for the participating countries.
BRI helps nations break 'no development' trap
These data show that, far from being caught in a "debt trap", the participating countries have got out of the trap of "no development".
North-South cooperation should remain the main channel of international development cooperation. But in recent years, developed countries have shown little interest in global development cooperation, due to a lack of political will or capital.
By contrast, despite facing arduous development tasks and capital shortage, China has always kept in mind that the world is becoming increasingly interdependent and that any self-centered moves at the expense of others will be detrimental to a country in the long run.
And China believes that win-win results can be realized if certain Western countries discard their zero-sum mindset and treat China as a partner to jointly unleash the development potential of the world.
The author is a board member of UN Association of China.
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn
Developing countries have emerged as impressive forces with profound influence in international development cooperation, and China has become one of the major players in this field.
China began providing material assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam in 1950. And in 1964, it announced the Eight Principles of Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance, featuring equality, mutual benefit and no conditions.
After the resumption of its legitimate seat in the United Nations in 1971, China established economic and technical cooperation with more developing countries, which helped build major infrastructure projects such as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. With the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978, China's economic cooperation with other developing countries evolved from simple assistance to various forms of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Series of pragmatic initiatives launched
In recent years, China has successively launched a series of pragmatic initiatives by, for example, rolling out 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans, establishing the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute, setting up the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, and initiating the BRICS Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Program, in order to contribute Chinese wisdom to such issues as poverty alleviation, disease prevention and control, climate change mitigation, capacity building and humanitarian assistance.
In the past seven decades, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan ($56.36 billion) of assistance to more than 160 countries and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people from developing countries, and implemented more than 5,000 foreign aid projects.
With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and BRICS New Development Bank, and especially with the founding of the China International Development Cooperation Agency in April 2018, China's international development cooperation has become more and more institutional and influential. Over 70 years, China's foreign aid has gradually transformed from relatively simple forms of capital and material support to diversified forms of assistance.
Belt and Road Initiative and UN 2030 Agenda
Since it was proposed six years ago, the Belt and Road Initiative has transformed from a blueprint to reality, and has been included in a UN document, receiving the endorsement and wide support of the international community. By May this year, 131 countries and 30 international organizations had signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative fits perfectly well with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's Agenda 2063, and has expanded South-South cooperation. The initiative has also helped many developing countries clear bottlenecks on growth, which could help them better integrate their markets with the global market.
In more than one sense, the initiative's five priority areas-policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial cooperation and people-to-people bond-are linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A widely appreciated development initiative
The First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation two years ago yielded 279 deliverables covering five areas, and all of them have been implemented. In April this year, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing attracted more than 6,000 delegates from 150 countries and regions, and 92 international organizations, and yielded 283 deliverables covering six areas and contracts worth $64 billion.
The initiative has helped boost economic growth and improved people's lives in the participating countries. Thanks to Belt and Road cooperation, some countries now have their first expressways or modern railways while others have seen an end to their longstanding power shortage.
The success stories show that the initiative has provided good opportunities for all parties involved to jointly address global challenges, promote global growth, and achieve common prosperity through greater connectivity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken highly of the initiative, saying it is "intrinsically linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals".
China-Africa cooperation yielding fruitful results
China directs most of its assistance funds to low-income developing countries. Africa is home to the largest number of such countries and has always been the top priority of China's global development assistance. China provides eight types of aid to Africa-complete projects, goods and materials, technical cooperation, human resource development cooperation, medical assistance, emergency humanitarian aid, volunteer programs and debt relief.
For years, Africa has been grappling with security challenges, ranging from wars and conflicts to terrorism, refugees and piracy, which have severely hindered its development. Therefore, while carrying out traditional assistance programs in Africa, China has made peace and security one of the priorities for China-Africa cooperation, as peace and security are prerequisites for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As such, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, and launched quite a number of anti-piracy and counter-terrorism programs.
Eight major initiatives for African countries
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, China has expanded cooperation with African countries and gradually expanded assistance to the region. At the FOCAC summit in Beijing in September 2018 President Xi Jinping proposed "eight major initiatives" for China-Africa cooperation-industrial promotion, facility connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health and hygiene, humanities exchanges, and peace and security.
China will provide $15 billion of free aid, interest-free loans and concessional loans, with a focus on supporting impoverished areas in Africa to address such problems as poverty, sanitation, agriculture, environmental pollution and climate change.
At present, 40 African countries and the AU Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, making African countries the largest continental group participating in the initiative. And the benefits for the African countries are evident. For instance, the building of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has driven Kenya's economic growth by 1.5 percent and created 46,000 jobs for local residents.
Guterres has commended the positive role China has played in promoting Africa's development, saying the UN fully supports and participates in China-Africa cooperation and Africa's development.
South-South cooperation gets a shot in the arm
South-South cooperation is the common cause of developing countries and embodies their pursuit of common development. Today, the global economy is marked by unbalanced development, and developing countries face the arduous task of advancing their economies and improving people's livelihoods.
China has been a staunch supporter, active participant and important contributor to South-South cooperation. It has a development path and concepts that are of valuable reference to other developing countries, and has been providing more practical technologies, viable cooperation projects, and thus more targeted assistance. And the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, announced by President Xi at the UN Development Summit on Sept 26, 2015, represents an innovative funding approach of China's foreign aid program.
So far, the fund has been used in more than 30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America through the UN World Food Programme, the UN Development Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
More than 50 projects have been launched in areas such as healthcare, women and children, disaster relief and food aid, which have benefited nearly 20 million people in recipient countries. Through the fund, China, in cooperation with international organizations, has carried out various assistance and cooperation projects to help post-disaster reconstruction and refugee resettlement in other developing countries.
Western accusations absurd and baseless
However, China's emergence as a major player in international development cooperation has made some Western countries anxious. Such countries have accused China of carrying out geo-expansionism and economic plundering, causing environmental destruction, and laying a debt trap in a bid to discredit the Belt and Road Initiative.
That these accusations are groundless can never be overemphasized. The initiative champions the "Silk Road Spirit" of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. It does not have any hidden geopolitical agenda. Countries are free to decide whether or not to participate in the initiative.
As a matter of fact, due to rising protectionism and unilateralism, the openness and inclusiveness enshrined in the Belt and Road Initiative have been applauded by the international community, especially by the developing countries. That the total trade volume between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion and direct investment crossed $90 billion testifies to the fact that the initiative since 2013 has brought enormous development opportunities to participating countries. Also, the establishment of economic and trade cooperation zones alone have created more than 200,000 jobs for the participating countries.
BRI helps nations break 'no development' trap
These data show that, far from being caught in a "debt trap", the participating countries have got out of the trap of "no development".
North-South cooperation should remain the main channel of international development cooperation. But in recent years, developed countries have shown little interest in global development cooperation, due to a lack of political will or capital.
By contrast, despite facing arduous development tasks and capital shortage, China has always kept in mind that the world is becoming increasingly interdependent and that any self-centered moves at the expense of others will be detrimental to a country in the long run.
And China believes that win-win results can be realized if certain Western countries discard their zero-sum mindset and treat China as a partner to jointly unleash the development potential of the world.
The author is a board member of UN Association of China.
BRICS'' bank approves USD 646 mn loan for infra projects in Andhra Pradesh (Банк БРИКС одобрил кредит в размере 646 млн долларов на инфраструктурные проекты в Андхра-Прадеше) / India, September, 2019
Keywords: ndb, investments
2019-09-16
2019-09-16
India
Source: www.outlookindia.com
Beijing, Sep 16 (PTI) BRICS'' New Development Bank (NDB) has sanctioned USD 646 million for infrastructure projects in Andhra Pradesh.
The projects will address the road network issues in Andhra Pradesh by widening roads and reconstructing weak and narrow bridges to provide all-weather road network connectivity.
The NDB will provide two loans of USD 323 million each for the Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project (APRBRP) and the Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (APMCRCIP) respectively, a press release by the Shanghai-headquartered bank said on Monday.
The NDB - floated by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) - is headed by renowned Indian banker K V Kamath.
The loans, which would be channelled through the Indian government, are part of about USD 1.4 billion loans approved for the member countries at the bank''s 21st Board of Directors (BoD) held in Shanghai on September 12.
The APRBRP comprises widening of about 1,600 km of state highways from single and intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 269 bridges on the state highway network.
The APMCRCIP plans to widen about 1,400 km of district roads from single and intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 206 bridges on the district road network.
Earlier in an interview to PTI, NBD Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp had said that the bank has approved a total of 37 projects for all the five BRICS counties.
"India is number two in terms of approvals now -- I''d say about 29 per cent of our entire approved loans (totalling USD 10.2 billion), almost a third of that is in India," he had said.
China stands first with 38 per cent of approvals.
According to the bank, the approved projects for India included Assam Bridge (USD 300 million), Mumbai Metro Rail (USD 260 million), Madhya Pradesh roads project (USD 350 million), Madhya Pradesh Bridges project (USD 175 million), Bihar rural roads project (USD 350 million), Rajasthan Water project (USD 345 million) and Madhya Pradesh water supply project (USD 470 million). PTI KJV SCY SCY
Source: www.outlookindia.com
Beijing, Sep 16 (PTI) BRICS'' New Development Bank (NDB) has sanctioned USD 646 million for infrastructure projects in Andhra Pradesh.
The projects will address the road network issues in Andhra Pradesh by widening roads and reconstructing weak and narrow bridges to provide all-weather road network connectivity.
The NDB will provide two loans of USD 323 million each for the Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project (APRBRP) and the Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (APMCRCIP) respectively, a press release by the Shanghai-headquartered bank said on Monday.
The NDB - floated by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) - is headed by renowned Indian banker K V Kamath.
The loans, which would be channelled through the Indian government, are part of about USD 1.4 billion loans approved for the member countries at the bank''s 21st Board of Directors (BoD) held in Shanghai on September 12.
The APRBRP comprises widening of about 1,600 km of state highways from single and intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 269 bridges on the state highway network.
The APMCRCIP plans to widen about 1,400 km of district roads from single and intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 206 bridges on the district road network.
Earlier in an interview to PTI, NBD Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp had said that the bank has approved a total of 37 projects for all the five BRICS counties.
"India is number two in terms of approvals now -- I''d say about 29 per cent of our entire approved loans (totalling USD 10.2 billion), almost a third of that is in India," he had said.
China stands first with 38 per cent of approvals.
According to the bank, the approved projects for India included Assam Bridge (USD 300 million), Mumbai Metro Rail (USD 260 million), Madhya Pradesh roads project (USD 350 million), Madhya Pradesh Bridges project (USD 175 million), Bihar rural roads project (USD 350 million), Rajasthan Water project (USD 345 million) and Madhya Pradesh water supply project (USD 470 million). PTI KJV SCY SCY
BRICS countries will soon account for more than half of the global economy (На страны БРИКС скоро будет приходиться более половины мировой экономики) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: economic_challenges
2019-09-18
2019-09-18
Russia
Source: www.rt.com
The combined economies of the BRICS member states – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are set to expand by about 20 percent in roughly a decade, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has announced.
"The BRICS countries' economy today accounts for a third of the global economy. According to our conservative estimates, by 2030 our economies will make up more than half of the entire world economy," Siluanov said at the BRICS International Competition Conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
Members of the alliance continue to work on eliminating trade barriers between them and can set an example for other counties, the minister added.
BRIC was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, before South Africa joined the bloc in 2010, adding the "S" to the acronym. As of 2018, combined nominal GDP of these five emerging economies amounted to $18.6 trillion.
In line with efforts to boost trade, members are working on the integration of payment systems, increasing payments in national currencies, as well as the establishment of an independent channel on information exchange. It was earlier reported that BRICS states are set to create a new joint payment system called BRICS Pay that will be similar to existing Apple Pay and Samsung Pay services.
"Cooperation in terms of developing the use of our national currencies in international settlements seems very promising," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June as he met BRICS leaders ahead of the G20 summit.
Source: www.rt.com
The combined economies of the BRICS member states – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – are set to expand by about 20 percent in roughly a decade, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has announced.
"The BRICS countries' economy today accounts for a third of the global economy. According to our conservative estimates, by 2030 our economies will make up more than half of the entire world economy," Siluanov said at the BRICS International Competition Conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
Members of the alliance continue to work on eliminating trade barriers between them and can set an example for other counties, the minister added.
BRIC was established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, before South Africa joined the bloc in 2010, adding the "S" to the acronym. As of 2018, combined nominal GDP of these five emerging economies amounted to $18.6 trillion.
In line with efforts to boost trade, members are working on the integration of payment systems, increasing payments in national currencies, as well as the establishment of an independent channel on information exchange. It was earlier reported that BRICS states are set to create a new joint payment system called BRICS Pay that will be similar to existing Apple Pay and Samsung Pay services.
"Cooperation in terms of developing the use of our national currencies in international settlements seems very promising," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June as he met BRICS leaders ahead of the G20 summit.
BRICS' New Development Bank turns four: what has it achieved? (НБР БРИКС исполняется четыре года: чего он достиг? / China, September, 2019
Keywords: ndb, expert_opinion
2019-09-20
2019-09-20
China
Source: www.weforum.org
The crane at the top of the 30-storey New Development Bank's brand new headquarters, currently under construction, is clearly visible from the bank's existing premises in Shanghai's financial heartland of Lujiazui. In 2021, NDB will take occupation of its new permanent home.
This image of a fresh skyscraper in Shanghai symbolizes the progress of the bank, which four years ago was a mere dream, a start-up in every respect. NDB remains, of course, a work in progress but has now successfully evolved from a start-up and is well on its way to becoming a fully fledged multilateral development bank. Multilateral development banks are essentially global financial institutions backed by governments to provide long-term finance for sustainable infrastructure such as roads, rail, ports, power and telecommunications. This is usually done in the form of loans, equity, guarantees and other financial instruments.
The fourth anniversary of the NDB is a timely moment to pause and reflect on what it has achieved and key challenges it faces, and to consider its next steps. Here's a potted history. The bank was established in July 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The aim of the bank is to mobilize funding for infrastructure and sustainable development. It's ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries each have an equal share and no country has any veto power. The backdrop to its creation is rooted in the real and continuing power shift in the international system, from the developed industrialized world towards emerging market economies. In this sense, the bank is a physical expression of the desire of emerging markets to play a bigger role in global governance. Moreover, investment in new sustainable infrastructure is falling significantly short of the levels required to keep pace with economic growth.
NDB was created to help fill this funding gap in the BRICS economies, and was intended to grow its global scope over time. The bank, with its subscribed capital base of US$50bn, is now poised to become a meaningful additional source of long-term finance for infrastructure in its member countries.
Fast forward to 2019 and three achievements are worth highlighting. These are: a loan book of $10.2bn, one AAA and two AA+ international credit ratings and the successfully launch of capital-raising activities in local currencies. We'll have a closer look at them below.
Rapid growth in loan book, with a strong green footprint
The Bank's 37 infrastructure loans to date, with a total value of $10.2bn, cover sectors from transport to renewable energy, water and urban renewal. Historically, borrowers have often complained about long lead times and complex procedures in their dealings with development finance institutions. For this reason, the NDB from its inception streamlined its processes to enhance the speed of loan approvals. It helps to be small, agile and nimble in the initial years. In concrete terms, this has resulted in all its loans being approved within a period of six months. More importantly, the bank aims to preserve speed of execution as a comparative advantage into the future. Time will tell if it's possible to be a perpetual start-up in the medium term, and to use newness as a source of durable advantage. Meanwhile, sustainability is core to the mandate prescribed by the bank's founders. The NDB plans to increase the stock of green infrastructure in its portfolio, which involves prioritizing investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management and clean transportation.
Impressive credit ratings
The New Development Bank obtained a AAA international credit rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency in August 2019, and a AA+ rating in 2018 from Standard & Poor and Fitch respectively. These ratings are considerably above the average for the BRICS countries. High credit ratings are a core aspect of the business model for multilateral development banks (MDBs). This is because access to domestic and international capital markets is essential to their operations. Bonds issued by AA+ or AAA-rated institutions have the highest credit quality – or, put differently, the smallest risk of default. A high credit rating therefore enables MDB's to raise capital relatively cheaply from the bond markets and lend onwards at interest rates lower than what could be obtained by sovereign borrowers themselves. The lower cost of borrowing is a significant advantage for development finance institutions, as it enables the banks to pass on that benefit in the form of competitive interest rates for their loans.
Multilateral banks typically have two kinds of members: borrowing and non-borrowing. At present, the NDB is unique among its global peers in having only borrowers as shareholders. The bank has broken new ground in that there are no comparable financial institutions in emerging markets with such high credit quality and without any highly rated non-borrowing members as shareholders.
Local currency financing
The NDB has successfully registered local currency bond programs in China (RMB10bn), South Africa (R10bn) and is about to complete the registration of a ruble program (RUB100bn), with India and Brazil to follow next. To date, two RMB bond issuances have been completed in China, when RMB6bn was raised in two tranches of RMB3bn in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The bank is committed to making local currency funding available to all its member countries.
Traditionally, multilateral development banks have provided most of their financing in foreign currency, such as US dollars or euros. However, the volatility in currency markets has made borrowers much more sensitive to potential currency mismatches. Since most of the revenues of infrastructure projects are in any event denominated in local currency, it makes sound business sense to avoid the currency mismatch by raising bonds in the domestic capital markets of our members. Green finance has gained significant momentum in recent years, with the rapid growth in the green bond market. The NDB did its first capital raising in China as a green bond, and aims to be a regular issuer in green and sustainable finance.
These achievements took place in a challenging operating environment. Growing tensions in international markets, combined with other domestic challenges, impacted negatively on the macroeconomic climate in BRICS member countries. In addition, the foundations of international cooperation and multilateralism has been weakened and a worrying trend has emerged of protectionism and more inward-looking policies. Fortunately for the NDB, the BRICS countries are fully committed to protect the fabric of multilateralism and have provided strong shareholder support to the bank.
Looking forward, the NDB has three broad priorities. In the initial years, its lending activities were directed towards governments and state-owned enterprises. The focus is now shifting towards lending to the private sector and expanding the products beyond loans to include equity, guarantees and credit enhancement. Second, in line with the original intent of the founders, the process of membership expansion beyond BRICS countries will begin. Third, technology and innovation will transform the manner in which roads, ports, power and other infrastructure is designed and implemented. Major opportunities exist to tap the potential of these new technologies. As a freshly minted development institution, the bank aims to embrace and explore this potential.
The NDB has come of age. Given the scale of financing needed in BRICS countries, the journey to build a fit-for-purpose multilateral bank in a rapidly changing global landscape has just begun.
Leslie Maasdorp is vice-president and CFO of the NDB. He is member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Infrastructure.
Source: www.weforum.org
The crane at the top of the 30-storey New Development Bank's brand new headquarters, currently under construction, is clearly visible from the bank's existing premises in Shanghai's financial heartland of Lujiazui. In 2021, NDB will take occupation of its new permanent home.
This image of a fresh skyscraper in Shanghai symbolizes the progress of the bank, which four years ago was a mere dream, a start-up in every respect. NDB remains, of course, a work in progress but has now successfully evolved from a start-up and is well on its way to becoming a fully fledged multilateral development bank. Multilateral development banks are essentially global financial institutions backed by governments to provide long-term finance for sustainable infrastructure such as roads, rail, ports, power and telecommunications. This is usually done in the form of loans, equity, guarantees and other financial instruments.
The fourth anniversary of the NDB is a timely moment to pause and reflect on what it has achieved and key challenges it faces, and to consider its next steps. Here's a potted history. The bank was established in July 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The aim of the bank is to mobilize funding for infrastructure and sustainable development. It's ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries each have an equal share and no country has any veto power. The backdrop to its creation is rooted in the real and continuing power shift in the international system, from the developed industrialized world towards emerging market economies. In this sense, the bank is a physical expression of the desire of emerging markets to play a bigger role in global governance. Moreover, investment in new sustainable infrastructure is falling significantly short of the levels required to keep pace with economic growth.
NDB was created to help fill this funding gap in the BRICS economies, and was intended to grow its global scope over time. The bank, with its subscribed capital base of US$50bn, is now poised to become a meaningful additional source of long-term finance for infrastructure in its member countries.
Fast forward to 2019 and three achievements are worth highlighting. These are: a loan book of $10.2bn, one AAA and two AA+ international credit ratings and the successfully launch of capital-raising activities in local currencies. We'll have a closer look at them below.
Rapid growth in loan book, with a strong green footprint
The Bank's 37 infrastructure loans to date, with a total value of $10.2bn, cover sectors from transport to renewable energy, water and urban renewal. Historically, borrowers have often complained about long lead times and complex procedures in their dealings with development finance institutions. For this reason, the NDB from its inception streamlined its processes to enhance the speed of loan approvals. It helps to be small, agile and nimble in the initial years. In concrete terms, this has resulted in all its loans being approved within a period of six months. More importantly, the bank aims to preserve speed of execution as a comparative advantage into the future. Time will tell if it's possible to be a perpetual start-up in the medium term, and to use newness as a source of durable advantage. Meanwhile, sustainability is core to the mandate prescribed by the bank's founders. The NDB plans to increase the stock of green infrastructure in its portfolio, which involves prioritizing investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management and clean transportation.
Impressive credit ratings
The New Development Bank obtained a AAA international credit rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency in August 2019, and a AA+ rating in 2018 from Standard & Poor and Fitch respectively. These ratings are considerably above the average for the BRICS countries. High credit ratings are a core aspect of the business model for multilateral development banks (MDBs). This is because access to domestic and international capital markets is essential to their operations. Bonds issued by AA+ or AAA-rated institutions have the highest credit quality – or, put differently, the smallest risk of default. A high credit rating therefore enables MDB's to raise capital relatively cheaply from the bond markets and lend onwards at interest rates lower than what could be obtained by sovereign borrowers themselves. The lower cost of borrowing is a significant advantage for development finance institutions, as it enables the banks to pass on that benefit in the form of competitive interest rates for their loans.
Multilateral banks typically have two kinds of members: borrowing and non-borrowing. At present, the NDB is unique among its global peers in having only borrowers as shareholders. The bank has broken new ground in that there are no comparable financial institutions in emerging markets with such high credit quality and without any highly rated non-borrowing members as shareholders.
Local currency financing
The NDB has successfully registered local currency bond programs in China (RMB10bn), South Africa (R10bn) and is about to complete the registration of a ruble program (RUB100bn), with India and Brazil to follow next. To date, two RMB bond issuances have been completed in China, when RMB6bn was raised in two tranches of RMB3bn in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The bank is committed to making local currency funding available to all its member countries.
Traditionally, multilateral development banks have provided most of their financing in foreign currency, such as US dollars or euros. However, the volatility in currency markets has made borrowers much more sensitive to potential currency mismatches. Since most of the revenues of infrastructure projects are in any event denominated in local currency, it makes sound business sense to avoid the currency mismatch by raising bonds in the domestic capital markets of our members. Green finance has gained significant momentum in recent years, with the rapid growth in the green bond market. The NDB did its first capital raising in China as a green bond, and aims to be a regular issuer in green and sustainable finance.
These achievements took place in a challenging operating environment. Growing tensions in international markets, combined with other domestic challenges, impacted negatively on the macroeconomic climate in BRICS member countries. In addition, the foundations of international cooperation and multilateralism has been weakened and a worrying trend has emerged of protectionism and more inward-looking policies. Fortunately for the NDB, the BRICS countries are fully committed to protect the fabric of multilateralism and have provided strong shareholder support to the bank.
Looking forward, the NDB has three broad priorities. In the initial years, its lending activities were directed towards governments and state-owned enterprises. The focus is now shifting towards lending to the private sector and expanding the products beyond loans to include equity, guarantees and credit enhancement. Second, in line with the original intent of the founders, the process of membership expansion beyond BRICS countries will begin. Third, technology and innovation will transform the manner in which roads, ports, power and other infrastructure is designed and implemented. Major opportunities exist to tap the potential of these new technologies. As a freshly minted development institution, the bank aims to embrace and explore this potential.
The NDB has come of age. Given the scale of financing needed in BRICS countries, the journey to build a fit-for-purpose multilateral bank in a rapidly changing global landscape has just begun.
Leslie Maasdorp is vice-president and CFO of the NDB. He is member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Infrastructure.
BRICS' New Development Bank turns four: what has it achieved? (Новому банку развития БРИКС исполняется четыре года: чего он добился?) / China, September, 2019
Keywords: ndb, expert_opinion
2019-09-20
2019-09-20
China
Source: www.weforum.org
The crane at the top of the 30-storey New Development Bank's brand new headquarters, currently under construction, is clearly visible from the bank's existing premises in Shanghai's financial heartland of Lujiazui. In 2021, NDB will take occupation of its new permanent home.
This image of a fresh skyscraper in Shanghai symbolizes the progress of the bank, which four years ago was a mere dream, a start-up in every respect. NDB remains, of course, a work in progress but has now successfully evolved from a start-up and is well on its way to becoming a fully fledged multilateral development bank. Multilateral development banks are essentially global financial institutions backed by governments to provide long-term finance for sustainable infrastructure such as roads, rail, ports, power and telecommunications. This is usually done in the form of loans, equity, guarantees and other financial instruments.
The fourth anniversary of the NDB is a timely moment to pause and reflect on what it has achieved and key challenges it faces, and to consider its next steps. Here's a potted history. The bank was established in July 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The aim of the bank is to mobilize funding for infrastructure and sustainable development. It's ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries each have an equal share and no country has any veto power. The backdrop to its creation is rooted in the real and continuing power shift in the international system, from the developed industrialized world towards emerging market economies. In this sense, the bank is a physical expression of the desire of emerging markets to play a bigger role in global governance. Moreover, investment in new sustainable infrastructure is falling significantly short of the levels required to keep pace with economic growth.
NDB was created to help fill this funding gap in the BRICS economies, and was intended to grow its global scope over time. The bank, with its subscribed capital base of US$50bn, is now poised to become a meaningful additional source of long-term finance for infrastructure in its member countries.
Fast forward to 2019 and three achievements are worth highlighting. These are: a loan book of $10.2bn, one AAA and two AA+ international credit ratings and the successfully launch of capital-raising activities in local currencies. We'll have a closer look at them below.
Rapid growth in loan book, with a strong green footprint
The Bank's 37 infrastructure loans to date, with a total value of $10.2bn, cover sectors from transport to renewable energy, water and urban renewal. Historically, borrowers have often complained about long lead times and complex procedures in their dealings with development finance institutions. For this reason, the NDB from its inception streamlined its processes to enhance the speed of loan approvals. It helps to be small, agile and nimble in the initial years. In concrete terms, this has resulted in all its loans being approved within a period of six months. More importantly, the bank aims to preserve speed of execution as a comparative advantage into the future. Time will tell if it's possible to be a perpetual start-up in the medium term, and to use newness as a source of durable advantage. Meanwhile, sustainability is core to the mandate prescribed by the bank's founders. The NDB plans to increase the stock of green infrastructure in its portfolio, which involves prioritizing investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management and clean transportation.
Impressive credit ratings
The New Development Bank obtained a AAA international credit rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency in August 2019, and a AA+ rating in 2018 from Standard & Poor and Fitch respectively. These ratings are considerably above the average for the BRICS countries. High credit ratings are a core aspect of the business model for multilateral development banks (MDBs). This is because access to domestic and international capital markets is essential to their operations. Bonds issued by AA+ or AAA-rated institutions have the highest credit quality – or, put differently, the smallest risk of default. A high credit rating therefore enables MDB's to raise capital relatively cheaply from the bond markets and lend onwards at interest rates lower than what could be obtained by sovereign borrowers themselves. The lower cost of borrowing is a significant advantage for development finance institutions, as it enables the banks to pass on that benefit in the form of competitive interest rates for their loans.
Multilateral banks typically have two kinds of members: borrowing and non-borrowing. At present, the NDB is unique among its global peers in having only borrowers as shareholders. The bank has broken new ground in that there are no comparable financial institutions in emerging markets with such high credit quality and without any highly rated non-borrowing members as shareholders.
Local currency financing
The NDB has successfully registered local currency bond programs in China (RMB10bn), South Africa (R10bn) and is about to complete the registration of a ruble program (RUB100bn), with India and Brazil to follow next. To date, two RMB bond issuances have been completed in China, when RMB6bn was raised in two tranches of RMB3bn in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The bank is committed to making local currency funding available to all its member countries.
Traditionally, multilateral development banks have provided most of their financing in foreign currency, such as US dollars or euros. However, the volatility in currency markets has made borrowers much more sensitive to potential currency mismatches. Since most of the revenues of infrastructure projects are in any event denominated in local currency, it makes sound business sense to avoid the currency mismatch by raising bonds in the domestic capital markets of our members. Green finance has gained significant momentum in recent years, with the rapid growth in the green bond market. The NDB did its first capital raising in China as a green bond, and aims to be a regular issuer in green and sustainable finance.
These achievements took place in a challenging operating environment. Growing tensions in international markets, combined with other domestic challenges, impacted negatively on the macroeconomic climate in BRICS member countries. In addition, the foundations of international cooperation and multilateralism has been weakened and a worrying trend has emerged of protectionism and more inward-looking policies. Fortunately for the NDB, the BRICS countries are fully committed to protect the fabric of multilateralism and have provided strong shareholder support to the bank.
Looking forward, the NDB has three broad priorities. In the initial years, its lending activities were directed towards governments and state-owned enterprises. The focus is now shifting towards lending to the private sector and expanding the products beyond loans to include equity, guarantees and credit enhancement. Second, in line with the original intent of the founders, the process of membership expansion beyond BRICS countries will begin. Third, technology and innovation will transform the manner in which roads, ports, power and other infrastructure is designed and implemented. Major opportunities exist to tap the potential of these new technologies. As a freshly minted development institution, the bank aims to embrace and explore this potential.
The NDB has come of age. Given the scale of financing needed in BRICS countries, the journey to build a fit-for-purpose multilateral bank in a rapidly changing global landscape has just begun.
Leslie Maasdorp is vice-president and CFO of the NDB. He is member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Infrastructure.
Source: www.weforum.org
The crane at the top of the 30-storey New Development Bank's brand new headquarters, currently under construction, is clearly visible from the bank's existing premises in Shanghai's financial heartland of Lujiazui. In 2021, NDB will take occupation of its new permanent home.
This image of a fresh skyscraper in Shanghai symbolizes the progress of the bank, which four years ago was a mere dream, a start-up in every respect. NDB remains, of course, a work in progress but has now successfully evolved from a start-up and is well on its way to becoming a fully fledged multilateral development bank. Multilateral development banks are essentially global financial institutions backed by governments to provide long-term finance for sustainable infrastructure such as roads, rail, ports, power and telecommunications. This is usually done in the form of loans, equity, guarantees and other financial instruments.
The fourth anniversary of the NDB is a timely moment to pause and reflect on what it has achieved and key challenges it faces, and to consider its next steps. Here's a potted history. The bank was established in July 2015 by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The aim of the bank is to mobilize funding for infrastructure and sustainable development. It's ownership structure is unique, as the BRICS countries each have an equal share and no country has any veto power. The backdrop to its creation is rooted in the real and continuing power shift in the international system, from the developed industrialized world towards emerging market economies. In this sense, the bank is a physical expression of the desire of emerging markets to play a bigger role in global governance. Moreover, investment in new sustainable infrastructure is falling significantly short of the levels required to keep pace with economic growth.
NDB was created to help fill this funding gap in the BRICS economies, and was intended to grow its global scope over time. The bank, with its subscribed capital base of US$50bn, is now poised to become a meaningful additional source of long-term finance for infrastructure in its member countries.
Fast forward to 2019 and three achievements are worth highlighting. These are: a loan book of $10.2bn, one AAA and two AA+ international credit ratings and the successfully launch of capital-raising activities in local currencies. We'll have a closer look at them below.
Rapid growth in loan book, with a strong green footprint
The Bank's 37 infrastructure loans to date, with a total value of $10.2bn, cover sectors from transport to renewable energy, water and urban renewal. Historically, borrowers have often complained about long lead times and complex procedures in their dealings with development finance institutions. For this reason, the NDB from its inception streamlined its processes to enhance the speed of loan approvals. It helps to be small, agile and nimble in the initial years. In concrete terms, this has resulted in all its loans being approved within a period of six months. More importantly, the bank aims to preserve speed of execution as a comparative advantage into the future. Time will tell if it's possible to be a perpetual start-up in the medium term, and to use newness as a source of durable advantage. Meanwhile, sustainability is core to the mandate prescribed by the bank's founders. The NDB plans to increase the stock of green infrastructure in its portfolio, which involves prioritizing investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable waste management and clean transportation.
Impressive credit ratings
The New Development Bank obtained a AAA international credit rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency in August 2019, and a AA+ rating in 2018 from Standard & Poor and Fitch respectively. These ratings are considerably above the average for the BRICS countries. High credit ratings are a core aspect of the business model for multilateral development banks (MDBs). This is because access to domestic and international capital markets is essential to their operations. Bonds issued by AA+ or AAA-rated institutions have the highest credit quality – or, put differently, the smallest risk of default. A high credit rating therefore enables MDB's to raise capital relatively cheaply from the bond markets and lend onwards at interest rates lower than what could be obtained by sovereign borrowers themselves. The lower cost of borrowing is a significant advantage for development finance institutions, as it enables the banks to pass on that benefit in the form of competitive interest rates for their loans.
Multilateral banks typically have two kinds of members: borrowing and non-borrowing. At present, the NDB is unique among its global peers in having only borrowers as shareholders. The bank has broken new ground in that there are no comparable financial institutions in emerging markets with such high credit quality and without any highly rated non-borrowing members as shareholders.
Local currency financing
The NDB has successfully registered local currency bond programs in China (RMB10bn), South Africa (R10bn) and is about to complete the registration of a ruble program (RUB100bn), with India and Brazil to follow next. To date, two RMB bond issuances have been completed in China, when RMB6bn was raised in two tranches of RMB3bn in 2016 and 2019 respectively. The bank is committed to making local currency funding available to all its member countries.
Traditionally, multilateral development banks have provided most of their financing in foreign currency, such as US dollars or euros. However, the volatility in currency markets has made borrowers much more sensitive to potential currency mismatches. Since most of the revenues of infrastructure projects are in any event denominated in local currency, it makes sound business sense to avoid the currency mismatch by raising bonds in the domestic capital markets of our members. Green finance has gained significant momentum in recent years, with the rapid growth in the green bond market. The NDB did its first capital raising in China as a green bond, and aims to be a regular issuer in green and sustainable finance.
These achievements took place in a challenging operating environment. Growing tensions in international markets, combined with other domestic challenges, impacted negatively on the macroeconomic climate in BRICS member countries. In addition, the foundations of international cooperation and multilateralism has been weakened and a worrying trend has emerged of protectionism and more inward-looking policies. Fortunately for the NDB, the BRICS countries are fully committed to protect the fabric of multilateralism and have provided strong shareholder support to the bank.
Looking forward, the NDB has three broad priorities. In the initial years, its lending activities were directed towards governments and state-owned enterprises. The focus is now shifting towards lending to the private sector and expanding the products beyond loans to include equity, guarantees and credit enhancement. Second, in line with the original intent of the founders, the process of membership expansion beyond BRICS countries will begin. Third, technology and innovation will transform the manner in which roads, ports, power and other infrastructure is designed and implemented. Major opportunities exist to tap the potential of these new technologies. As a freshly minted development institution, the bank aims to embrace and explore this potential.
The NDB has come of age. Given the scale of financing needed in BRICS countries, the journey to build a fit-for-purpose multilateral bank in a rapidly changing global landscape has just begun.
Leslie Maasdorp is vice-president and CFO of the NDB. He is member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Infrastructure.
South Africa's unloved road toll agency fights for $477m loan (Нелюбимое в Южной Африке агентство платных дорог борется за кредит на 477 миллионов долларов) / South Africa, September, 2019
Keywords: investments, ndb
2019-09-20
2019-09-20
South Africa
Author: Xolisa Phillip
Source: www.theafricareport.com
South Africa's road infrastructure agency Sanral is struggling to unlock a substantial loan from the new 'BRICS bank'.
The New Development Bank (NDB), announced this week it has granted the agency a R7bn ($477m) loan.
It turns out there are two caveats:
The decision on whether South Africa will stick or scrap the 'user-pay' principle on toll roads and the NDB loan announcement are expected some time next week, confirmed Ayanda Allie Paine, Mbalula's spokesperson.
Sanral is the custodian of the country's vast road network. The roads agency has experienced a prolonged run of bad luck since 2008, when it embarked on what is known as the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
Residents' resistance
Once the road upgrades were completed, the agency installed gantries fitted with overhead cameras that capture vehicle details electronically to generate invoices for motorists.
The system went live in December 2013 and funds generated from e-tolls were meant to go towards the repayment of the bonds.
But the system encountered resistance that resulted in a prolonged and successful civil disobedience campaign led by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
The e-tolls are currently confined to Gauteng and their critics consider the province a pilot site before the government rolls out similar initiatives nationally.
Sanral strikes back
Almost immediately after the National Treasury announced the NDB loan approval on Monday, OUTA released a statement asking for further details about the funding facility.
Sanral CEO Skhumbuzo Macozoma said yesterday that OUTA was being "outrageous".
The NDB loan facility was a rare bit of good news for Sanral.
The roads agency also received a boost from Moody's Investors Service in August, when the sovereign credit ratings agency changed Sanral's outlook from negative to stable.
The civil disobedience campaign has had many adverse consequences for Sanral, including the roads agency taking a decision to halt bond auctions.
Author: Xolisa Phillip
Source: www.theafricareport.com
South Africa's road infrastructure agency Sanral is struggling to unlock a substantial loan from the new 'BRICS bank'.
The New Development Bank (NDB), announced this week it has granted the agency a R7bn ($477m) loan.
- The NDB is a multilateral development-finance institution formed of lenders from the 'BRICS' grouping of countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)
It turns out there are two caveats:
- Technically, Sanral cannot access the much-needed funds from the NDB yet because the roads agency is awaiting the green light from finance minister Tito Mboweni and transport minister Fikile Mbalula. This because the loan is guaranteed by the South African government.
- There is a pending decision from the South African government about whether electronic tolling, popularly known as e-tolls, will remain or be scrapped.
The decision on whether South Africa will stick or scrap the 'user-pay' principle on toll roads and the NDB loan announcement are expected some time next week, confirmed Ayanda Allie Paine, Mbalula's spokesperson.
- Mboweni is a proponent of the user-pay principle. The finance minister has said as much publicly and during his medium-term budget policy statement in October 2018 and his main budget speech in February 2019.
- But Mboweni's colleague at provincial government level, Gauteng premier David Makhura, is a vocal opponent of e-tolls. Makhura is chair of the African National Congress in Gauteng, where the party experienced significant electoral losses during the 2016 local government elections. Many blamed e-tolls for the party's electoral slide in the province.
Sanral is the custodian of the country's vast road network. The roads agency has experienced a prolonged run of bad luck since 2008, when it embarked on what is known as the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
- During that time, the South African government backed a decision to upgrade Gauteng's intricate road network to ease rising traffic congestion.
- The province is one of the country's major economic hubs and accounts for almost 40% of economic activity.
Residents' resistance
Once the road upgrades were completed, the agency installed gantries fitted with overhead cameras that capture vehicle details electronically to generate invoices for motorists.
The system went live in December 2013 and funds generated from e-tolls were meant to go towards the repayment of the bonds.
But the system encountered resistance that resulted in a prolonged and successful civil disobedience campaign led by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
The e-tolls are currently confined to Gauteng and their critics consider the province a pilot site before the government rolls out similar initiatives nationally.
Sanral strikes back
Almost immediately after the National Treasury announced the NDB loan approval on Monday, OUTA released a statement asking for further details about the funding facility.
Sanral CEO Skhumbuzo Macozoma said yesterday that OUTA was being "outrageous".
- "OUTA's malicious actions are designed to destroy Sanral and deprive South African citizens of world-class national road infrastructure," said Macozoma.
The NDB loan facility was a rare bit of good news for Sanral.
The roads agency also received a boost from Moody's Investors Service in August, when the sovereign credit ratings agency changed Sanral's outlook from negative to stable.
The civil disobedience campaign has had many adverse consequences for Sanral, including the roads agency taking a decision to halt bond auctions.
- Sanral's board has suspended pursuing e-toll debt until there is clarity about the system.
- "The loan from the BRICS bank shows international confidence in our capabilities despite the destructive comments from OUTA."
Frontier Technologies Digital Transformation Pushing India-Russia Cooperation to New Heights (Цифровая трансформация передовых технологий подталкивает индийско-российское сотрудничество к новым высотам) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: digital, cooperation
2019-09-16
2019-09-16
Russia
Source: infobrics.org
Driven by new areas of vibrant cooperation, Russia and India with their proven capabilities in areas like ICT, digitalisation and cyber security spaces have much to offer to each other in order to emerge together as a potent global force in frontier technologies.
Industry 4.0 refers to a trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0, considered to be the fourth industrial revolution, fosters what is called 'smart factories.' A McKinsey analysis conducted last year suggests that if Indian companies adopt Industry 4.0 across functions like manufacturing, logistics, procurement and supply chain, they can improve operating profits by 40 percent at under 10 percent of the intended capital expenditure. The emphasis on the 'Make in India' programme is expected to prepare India for global competition. If the current trend is anything to go by, most companies are avoiding making huge investments in expanding their capacity and, instead, putting their money into digital platforms to improve their efficiency and revenue. Industrial firms are adding sensors to products in order to capture data so that it can be analysed to predict breakdowns to improve efficiency.
Digitalisation, analytics, IoT, AI, Machine Learning and Blockchain technologies are set to change the way businesses are run today.
Emerging Opportunities in Bilateral Sphere
In 2017, the Russian Government approved the first roadmap to develop the National Technology Initiative –Advanced Industrial Technologies (TechNet). The goal of the roadmap is to bring Russia's share of the global market of "Industry 4.0" compliant services to at least 1.5%, according to Russian news agency Tass. "The Association for Industrial Internet, a brainchild of Rostelecom and Roscosmos, can be considered Russia's first step towards the transition to Industry 4.0," it adds. Igor Bogachev, CEO of Zyfra, a Russian major in AI-based solutions, in an interview with Economic Times, said that India is of great interest to companies in the field of Industrial Internet of Things where Russia has developed expertise.
Analysts predict that the economic impact of the introduction of Industry 4.0 solutions for India may exceed USD 400 billion in the coming years. "Innovations should become a point of growth of Russian-Indian relations," Bogachev adds. Zyfra sees huge potential for IIoT introduction in Indian industries including machine-tool construction, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, chemical industry and the oil and gas sector. According to Bogachev, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are similar in structure of the economy. "Solutions developed in Russia for the analysis of large volumes of data and predictive analytics in industries such as metallurgy, chemical industry, automotive industry and others can easily be scaled in the markets of other BRICS countries," he says.
Russia- a leader in cyber security
Russia has proven capabilities in cyber security space. The country's capacity building in this sector is firmly supported by government policies – National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation (2000), National Security Concept of the Russian Federation, Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (2013) and Information Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation (2000).
"Russia has the Centre for Cyber Incident Response in Information Systems of Governmental Authorities. That Centre is coordinating the actions of involved companies and governmental agencies in the field of detecting, preventing and suppression of illegal activity related to network resources of government bodies," notes ITU. In 2016, India and Russia signed a cyber security agreement on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa. The pact has paved the way for cooperation not just in tackling cyber crime, but also in matters of defence and national security. More recently, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev met Indian Prime Minister's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, on December 6-7, 2018 to hold Russian- Indian inter-departmental consultations on cyber security issues. They have agreed to expand practical cooperation including the exchange of technological information.
Research and Development
Both India and Russia have been making concerted efforts to strengthen, expand and deepen cooperation in R&D. An Indo-Russian Working Group on Science and Technology (S&TWG) was set up for steering the science and technology cooperation between the two countries, which became one of the major Working Groups under the Indo- Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC). Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) of cooperation in Science & Technology is the biggest and most exhaustive scientific collaboration India has ever entered into with another country. The programme facilitates bilateral cooperation between the scientific communities of two countries by way of joint projects and better interaction on various platforms.
Collaboration on Digital Economy
Digital economy is a new area of vibrant cooperation between India and Russia. It is especially relevant for India's goal of digital inclusion. Given Russia's expertise, "it is a natural partnership for India and Russia," India's Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. India is pushing its digital economy to touch $1 trillion mark in the next 3-4 years, leading to opportunities in areas like IT, e-commerce, communications and electronics manufacturing.
"Indo-Russian relationship offers a great opportunity to work together. Russia has outstanding people, innovators. India is also a land of innovators and human resource including young IT graduates…If we have this kind of collaboration and cooperation, Indo-Russian relationship will acquire a technology momentum of its own." Digital economy was also one of the key focus areas discussed between India and Russia at the recently concluded 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue. India and Russia are committed to intensify cooperation in the field of technology and continue to address various issues to enhance better coordination.
Source: infobrics.org
Driven by new areas of vibrant cooperation, Russia and India with their proven capabilities in areas like ICT, digitalisation and cyber security spaces have much to offer to each other in order to emerge together as a potent global force in frontier technologies.
Industry 4.0 refers to a trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0, considered to be the fourth industrial revolution, fosters what is called 'smart factories.' A McKinsey analysis conducted last year suggests that if Indian companies adopt Industry 4.0 across functions like manufacturing, logistics, procurement and supply chain, they can improve operating profits by 40 percent at under 10 percent of the intended capital expenditure. The emphasis on the 'Make in India' programme is expected to prepare India for global competition. If the current trend is anything to go by, most companies are avoiding making huge investments in expanding their capacity and, instead, putting their money into digital platforms to improve their efficiency and revenue. Industrial firms are adding sensors to products in order to capture data so that it can be analysed to predict breakdowns to improve efficiency.
Digitalisation, analytics, IoT, AI, Machine Learning and Blockchain technologies are set to change the way businesses are run today.
Emerging Opportunities in Bilateral Sphere
In 2017, the Russian Government approved the first roadmap to develop the National Technology Initiative –Advanced Industrial Technologies (TechNet). The goal of the roadmap is to bring Russia's share of the global market of "Industry 4.0" compliant services to at least 1.5%, according to Russian news agency Tass. "The Association for Industrial Internet, a brainchild of Rostelecom and Roscosmos, can be considered Russia's first step towards the transition to Industry 4.0," it adds. Igor Bogachev, CEO of Zyfra, a Russian major in AI-based solutions, in an interview with Economic Times, said that India is of great interest to companies in the field of Industrial Internet of Things where Russia has developed expertise.
Analysts predict that the economic impact of the introduction of Industry 4.0 solutions for India may exceed USD 400 billion in the coming years. "Innovations should become a point of growth of Russian-Indian relations," Bogachev adds. Zyfra sees huge potential for IIoT introduction in Indian industries including machine-tool construction, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, chemical industry and the oil and gas sector. According to Bogachev, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are similar in structure of the economy. "Solutions developed in Russia for the analysis of large volumes of data and predictive analytics in industries such as metallurgy, chemical industry, automotive industry and others can easily be scaled in the markets of other BRICS countries," he says.
Russia- a leader in cyber security
Russia has proven capabilities in cyber security space. The country's capacity building in this sector is firmly supported by government policies – National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation (2000), National Security Concept of the Russian Federation, Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (2013) and Information Security Doctrine of the Russian Federation (2000).
"Russia has the Centre for Cyber Incident Response in Information Systems of Governmental Authorities. That Centre is coordinating the actions of involved companies and governmental agencies in the field of detecting, preventing and suppression of illegal activity related to network resources of government bodies," notes ITU. In 2016, India and Russia signed a cyber security agreement on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Goa. The pact has paved the way for cooperation not just in tackling cyber crime, but also in matters of defence and national security. More recently, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev met Indian Prime Minister's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, on December 6-7, 2018 to hold Russian- Indian inter-departmental consultations on cyber security issues. They have agreed to expand practical cooperation including the exchange of technological information.
Research and Development
Both India and Russia have been making concerted efforts to strengthen, expand and deepen cooperation in R&D. An Indo-Russian Working Group on Science and Technology (S&TWG) was set up for steering the science and technology cooperation between the two countries, which became one of the major Working Groups under the Indo- Russian Inter-Governmental Commission (IRIGC). Integrated Long Term Programme (ILTP) of cooperation in Science & Technology is the biggest and most exhaustive scientific collaboration India has ever entered into with another country. The programme facilitates bilateral cooperation between the scientific communities of two countries by way of joint projects and better interaction on various platforms.
Collaboration on Digital Economy
Digital economy is a new area of vibrant cooperation between India and Russia. It is especially relevant for India's goal of digital inclusion. Given Russia's expertise, "it is a natural partnership for India and Russia," India's Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. India is pushing its digital economy to touch $1 trillion mark in the next 3-4 years, leading to opportunities in areas like IT, e-commerce, communications and electronics manufacturing.
"Indo-Russian relationship offers a great opportunity to work together. Russia has outstanding people, innovators. India is also a land of innovators and human resource including young IT graduates…If we have this kind of collaboration and cooperation, Indo-Russian relationship will acquire a technology momentum of its own." Digital economy was also one of the key focus areas discussed between India and Russia at the recently concluded 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue. India and Russia are committed to intensify cooperation in the field of technology and continue to address various issues to enhance better coordination.
Promoting global development cooperation (Содействие глобальному сотрудничеству в целях развития) / China, September, 2019
Keywords: expert_opinion, economic_challenges, cooperation
2019-09-21
2019-09-21
China
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn
Developing countries have emerged as impressive forces with profound influence in international development cooperation, and China has become one of the major players in this field.
China began providing material assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam in 1950. And in 1964, it announced the Eight Principles of Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance, featuring equality, mutual benefit and no conditions.
After the resumption of its legitimate seat in the United Nations in 1971, China established economic and technical cooperation with more developing countries, which helped build major infrastructure projects such as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. With the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978, China's economic cooperation with other developing countries evolved from simple assistance to various forms of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Series of pragmatic initiatives launched
In recent years, China has successively launched a series of pragmatic initiatives by, for example, rolling out 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans, establishing the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute, setting up the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, and initiating the BRICS Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Program, in order to contribute Chinese wisdom to such issues as poverty alleviation, disease prevention and control, climate change mitigation, capacity building and humanitarian assistance.
In the past seven decades, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan ($56.36 billion) of assistance to more than 160 countries and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people from developing countries, and implemented more than 5,000 foreign aid projects.
With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and BRICS New Development Bank, and especially with the founding of the China International Development Cooperation Agency in April 2018, China's international development cooperation has become more and more institutional and influential. Over 70 years, China's foreign aid has gradually transformed from relatively simple forms of capital and material support to diversified forms of assistance.
Belt and Road Initiative and UN 2030 Agenda
Since it was proposed six years ago, the Belt and Road Initiative has transformed from a blueprint to reality, and has been included in a UN document, receiving the endorsement and wide support of the international community. By May this year, 131 countries and 30 international organizations had signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative.
The Belt andRoad Initiative fits perfectly well with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's Agenda 2063, and has expanded South-South cooperation. The initiative has also helped many developing countries clear bottlenecks on growth, which could help them better integrate their markets with the global market.
In more than one sense, the initiative's five priority areas-policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial cooperation and people-to-people bond-are linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A widely appreciated development initiative
The First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation two years ago yielded 279 deliverables covering five areas, and all of them have been implemented. In April this year, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing attracted more than 6,000 delegates from 150 countries and regions, and 92 international organizations, and yielded 283 deliverables covering six areas and contracts worth $64 billion.
The initiative has helped boost economic growth and improved people's lives in the participating countries. Thanks to Belt and Road cooperation, some countries now have their first expressways or modern railways while others have seen an end to their longstanding power shortage.
The success stories show that the initiative has provided good opportunities for all parties involved to jointly address global challenges, promote global growth, and achieve common prosperity through greater connectivity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken highly of the initiative, saying it is "intrinsically linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals".
China-Africa cooperation yielding fruitful results
China directs most of its assistance funds to low-income developing countries. Africa is home to the largest number of such countries and has always been the top priority of China's global development assistance. China provides eight types of aid to Africa-complete projects, goods and materials, technical cooperation, human resource development cooperation, medical assistance, emergency humanitarian aid, volunteer programs and debt relief.
For years, Africa has been grappling with security challenges, ranging from wars and conflicts to terrorism, refugees and piracy, which have severely hindered its development. Therefore, while carrying out traditional assistance programs in Africa, China has made peace and security one of the priorities for China-Africa cooperation, as peace and security are prerequisites for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As such, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, and launched quite a number of anti-piracy and counter-terrorism programs.
Eight major initiatives for African countries
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, China has expanded cooperation with African countries and gradually expanded assistance to the region. At the FOCAC summit in Beijing in September 2018 President Xi Jinping proposed "eight major initiatives" for China-Africa cooperation-industrial promotion, facility connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health and hygiene, humanities exchanges, and peace and security.
China will provide $15 billion of free aid, interest-free loans and concessional loans, with a focus on supporting impoverished areas in Africa to address such problems as poverty, sanitation, agriculture, environmental pollution and climate change.
At present, 40 African countries and the AU Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, making African countries the largest continental group participating in the initiative. And the benefits for the African countries are evident. For instance, the building of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has driven Kenya's economic growth by 1.5 percent and created 46,000 jobs for local residents.
Guterres has commended the positive role China has played in promoting Africa's development, saying the UN fully supports and participates in China-Africa cooperation and Africa's development.
South-South cooperation gets a shot in the arm
South-South cooperation is the common cause of developing countries and embodies their pursuit of common development. Today, the global economy is marked by unbalanced development, and developing countries face the arduous task of advancing their economies and improving people's livelihoods.
China has been a staunch supporter, active participant and important contributor to South-South cooperation. It has a development path and concepts that are of valuable reference to other developing countries, and has been providing more practical technologies, viable cooperation projects, and thus more targeted assistance. And the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, announced by President Xi at the UN Development Summit on Sept 26, 2015, represents an innovative funding approach of China's foreign aid program.
So far, the fund has been used in more than 30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America through the UN World Food Programme, the UN Development Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
More than 50 projects have been launched in areas such as healthcare, women and children, disaster relief and food aid, which have benefited nearly 20 million people in recipient countries. Through the fund, China, in cooperation with international organizations, has carried out various assistance and cooperation projects to help post-disaster reconstruction and refugee resettlement in other developing countries.
Western accusations absurd and baseless
However, China's emergence as a major player in international development cooperation has made some Western countries anxious. Such countries have accused China of carrying out geo-expansionism and economic plundering, causing environmental destruction, and laying a debt trap in a bid to discredit the Belt and Road Initiative.
That these accusations are groundless can never be overemphasized. The initiative champions the "Silk Road Spirit" of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. It does not have any hidden geopolitical agenda. Countries are free to decide whether or not to participate in the initiative.
As a matter of fact, due to rising protectionism and unilateralism, the openness and inclusiveness enshrined in the Belt and Road Initiative have been applauded by the international community, especially by the developing countries. That the total trade volume between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion and direct investment crossed $90 billion testifies to the fact that the initiative since 2013 has brought enormous development opportunities to participating countries. Also, the establishment of economic and trade cooperation zones alone have created more than 200,000 jobs for the participating countries.
BRI helps nations break 'no development' trap
These data show that, far from being caught in a "debt trap", the participating countries have got out of the trap of "no development".
North-South cooperation should remain the main channel of international development cooperation. But in recent years, developed countries have shown little interest in global development cooperation, due to a lack of political will or capital.
By contrast, despite facing arduous development tasks and capital shortage, China has always kept in mind that the world is becoming increasingly interdependent and that any self-centered moves at the expense of others will be detrimental to a country in the long run.
And China believes that win-win results can be realized if certain Western countries discard their zero-sum mindset and treat China as a partner to jointly unleash the development potential of the world.
Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn
Developing countries have emerged as impressive forces with profound influence in international development cooperation, and China has become one of the major players in this field.
China began providing material assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Vietnam in 1950. And in 1964, it announced the Eight Principles of Foreign Economic and Technical Assistance, featuring equality, mutual benefit and no conditions.
After the resumption of its legitimate seat in the United Nations in 1971, China established economic and technical cooperation with more developing countries, which helped build major infrastructure projects such as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. With the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978, China's economic cooperation with other developing countries evolved from simple assistance to various forms of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Series of pragmatic initiatives launched
In recent years, China has successively launched a series of pragmatic initiatives by, for example, rolling out 10 major China-Africa cooperation plans, establishing the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute, setting up the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, and initiating the BRICS Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Program, in order to contribute Chinese wisdom to such issues as poverty alleviation, disease prevention and control, climate change mitigation, capacity building and humanitarian assistance.
In the past seven decades, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan ($56.36 billion) of assistance to more than 160 countries and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people from developing countries, and implemented more than 5,000 foreign aid projects.
With the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and BRICS New Development Bank, and especially with the founding of the China International Development Cooperation Agency in April 2018, China's international development cooperation has become more and more institutional and influential. Over 70 years, China's foreign aid has gradually transformed from relatively simple forms of capital and material support to diversified forms of assistance.
Belt and Road Initiative and UN 2030 Agenda
Since it was proposed six years ago, the Belt and Road Initiative has transformed from a blueprint to reality, and has been included in a UN document, receiving the endorsement and wide support of the international community. By May this year, 131 countries and 30 international organizations had signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative.
The Belt andRoad Initiative fits perfectly well with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's Agenda 2063, and has expanded South-South cooperation. The initiative has also helped many developing countries clear bottlenecks on growth, which could help them better integrate their markets with the global market.
In more than one sense, the initiative's five priority areas-policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial cooperation and people-to-people bond-are linked with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A widely appreciated development initiative
The First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation two years ago yielded 279 deliverables covering five areas, and all of them have been implemented. In April this year, the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing attracted more than 6,000 delegates from 150 countries and regions, and 92 international organizations, and yielded 283 deliverables covering six areas and contracts worth $64 billion.
The initiative has helped boost economic growth and improved people's lives in the participating countries. Thanks to Belt and Road cooperation, some countries now have their first expressways or modern railways while others have seen an end to their longstanding power shortage.
The success stories show that the initiative has provided good opportunities for all parties involved to jointly address global challenges, promote global growth, and achieve common prosperity through greater connectivity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has spoken highly of the initiative, saying it is "intrinsically linked to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals".
China-Africa cooperation yielding fruitful results
China directs most of its assistance funds to low-income developing countries. Africa is home to the largest number of such countries and has always been the top priority of China's global development assistance. China provides eight types of aid to Africa-complete projects, goods and materials, technical cooperation, human resource development cooperation, medical assistance, emergency humanitarian aid, volunteer programs and debt relief.
For years, Africa has been grappling with security challenges, ranging from wars and conflicts to terrorism, refugees and piracy, which have severely hindered its development. Therefore, while carrying out traditional assistance programs in Africa, China has made peace and security one of the priorities for China-Africa cooperation, as peace and security are prerequisites for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
As such, China has actively participated in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, and launched quite a number of anti-piracy and counter-terrorism programs.
Eight major initiatives for African countries
Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, China has expanded cooperation with African countries and gradually expanded assistance to the region. At the FOCAC summit in Beijing in September 2018 President Xi Jinping proposed "eight major initiatives" for China-Africa cooperation-industrial promotion, facility connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health and hygiene, humanities exchanges, and peace and security.
China will provide $15 billion of free aid, interest-free loans and concessional loans, with a focus on supporting impoverished areas in Africa to address such problems as poverty, sanitation, agriculture, environmental pollution and climate change.
At present, 40 African countries and the AU Commission have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, making African countries the largest continental group participating in the initiative. And the benefits for the African countries are evident. For instance, the building of Mombasa-Nairobi Railway has driven Kenya's economic growth by 1.5 percent and created 46,000 jobs for local residents.
Guterres has commended the positive role China has played in promoting Africa's development, saying the UN fully supports and participates in China-Africa cooperation and Africa's development.
South-South cooperation gets a shot in the arm
South-South cooperation is the common cause of developing countries and embodies their pursuit of common development. Today, the global economy is marked by unbalanced development, and developing countries face the arduous task of advancing their economies and improving people's livelihoods.
China has been a staunch supporter, active participant and important contributor to South-South cooperation. It has a development path and concepts that are of valuable reference to other developing countries, and has been providing more practical technologies, viable cooperation projects, and thus more targeted assistance. And the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, announced by President Xi at the UN Development Summit on Sept 26, 2015, represents an innovative funding approach of China's foreign aid program.
So far, the fund has been used in more than 30 developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America through the UN World Food Programme, the UN Development Programme, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
More than 50 projects have been launched in areas such as healthcare, women and children, disaster relief and food aid, which have benefited nearly 20 million people in recipient countries. Through the fund, China, in cooperation with international organizations, has carried out various assistance and cooperation projects to help post-disaster reconstruction and refugee resettlement in other developing countries.
Western accusations absurd and baseless
However, China's emergence as a major player in international development cooperation has made some Western countries anxious. Such countries have accused China of carrying out geo-expansionism and economic plundering, causing environmental destruction, and laying a debt trap in a bid to discredit the Belt and Road Initiative.
That these accusations are groundless can never be overemphasized. The initiative champions the "Silk Road Spirit" of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit. It does not have any hidden geopolitical agenda. Countries are free to decide whether or not to participate in the initiative.
As a matter of fact, due to rising protectionism and unilateralism, the openness and inclusiveness enshrined in the Belt and Road Initiative have been applauded by the international community, especially by the developing countries. That the total trade volume between China and other Belt and Road countries has exceeded $6 trillion and direct investment crossed $90 billion testifies to the fact that the initiative since 2013 has brought enormous development opportunities to participating countries. Also, the establishment of economic and trade cooperation zones alone have created more than 200,000 jobs for the participating countries.
BRI helps nations break 'no development' trap
These data show that, far from being caught in a "debt trap", the participating countries have got out of the trap of "no development".
North-South cooperation should remain the main channel of international development cooperation. But in recent years, developed countries have shown little interest in global development cooperation, due to a lack of political will or capital.
By contrast, despite facing arduous development tasks and capital shortage, China has always kept in mind that the world is becoming increasingly interdependent and that any self-centered moves at the expense of others will be detrimental to a country in the long run.
And China believes that win-win results can be realized if certain Western countries discard their zero-sum mindset and treat China as a partner to jointly unleash the development potential of the world.
BRICS to Assume Half of Global Economy in 10 Years (БРИКС займет половину мировой экономики через 10 лет) / United Arab Emirates, September, 2019
Keywords: economic_challenges, quotation
2019-09-19
2019-09-19
United Arab Emirates
Source: www.albawaba.com
Important to combine efforts of BRICS member states to eliminate trade barriers, says Russian finance minister
The economic bloc of countries known as BRICS will assume more than half of the world's economy in ten years, according to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
"The economy of the BRICS countries today occupies one third of the world economy. According to our modest calculations, by 2030 our economies will occupy more than half of the global economy," Siluanov told the VI Conference on competition under the auspices BRICS in Moscow.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have an effect on the global business competition and it is particularly important to combine efforts of the group to eliminate trade barriers, said Siluanov.
BRICS is a group of world's biggest developing economies and includes the five nations which are also members of the G20.
Source: www.albawaba.com
Important to combine efforts of BRICS member states to eliminate trade barriers, says Russian finance minister
The economic bloc of countries known as BRICS will assume more than half of the world's economy in ten years, according to Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
"The economy of the BRICS countries today occupies one third of the world economy. According to our modest calculations, by 2030 our economies will occupy more than half of the global economy," Siluanov told the VI Conference on competition under the auspices BRICS in Moscow.
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have an effect on the global business competition and it is particularly important to combine efforts of the group to eliminate trade barriers, said Siluanov.
BRICS is a group of world's biggest developing economies and includes the five nations which are also members of the G20.
BRICS Bank's First Local-Currency Loan Is for South Africa Roads (Первый кредит Банка БРИКС в национальной валюте для дорог Южной Африки) / USA, September, 2019
Keywords: ndb, investments
2019-09-16
2019-09-16
USA
Author: Antony Sguazzin
Source: www.bloomberg.com
The New Development Bank, the multilateral development institution set up by members of the BRICS group of countries, has extended its first loan in local currency by providing 7 billion rand ($477 million) for South African roads.
The 15-year loan to the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd. will be guaranteed by the country's government and still needs the approval of the transport and finance ministers.
"The loan will be done in local currency - a first for the NDB," Vusi Mona, Sanral's general manager for communications, said. "The loan will carry a government guarantee with very competitive rates."
The New Development Bank was set up in 2015 with initial capital of $50 billion by the BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - as a counterweight to the International Monetary Fund. Its aim is to fund development projects within BRICS, which includes the world's biggest emerging-market economies. The lender said in April it plans to issue South African bonds in the third quarter to raise 4.4 billion rand for Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority, the state-owned firm responsible for building dams and tunnels to supply water, and the Industrial Development Corp., which finances development projects.
The loan to Sanral will be used to fund expansions or upgrades to a number of toll roads, Mona said. Those projects have been stalled by the lack of expected income from the sol called e-tolls around Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city, and Pretoria, the capital, because of a consumer boycott. Sanral has government guarantees worth 30.3 billion rand.
Monale Ratsoma, the head of the African regional center of the NDB, declined to give further details on the terms and conditions of the loan. He said most of the projects will be in South Africa's southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
Author: Antony Sguazzin
Source: www.bloomberg.com
The New Development Bank, the multilateral development institution set up by members of the BRICS group of countries, has extended its first loan in local currency by providing 7 billion rand ($477 million) for South African roads.
The 15-year loan to the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd. will be guaranteed by the country's government and still needs the approval of the transport and finance ministers.
"The loan will be done in local currency - a first for the NDB," Vusi Mona, Sanral's general manager for communications, said. "The loan will carry a government guarantee with very competitive rates."
The New Development Bank was set up in 2015 with initial capital of $50 billion by the BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - as a counterweight to the International Monetary Fund. Its aim is to fund development projects within BRICS, which includes the world's biggest emerging-market economies. The lender said in April it plans to issue South African bonds in the third quarter to raise 4.4 billion rand for Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority, the state-owned firm responsible for building dams and tunnels to supply water, and the Industrial Development Corp., which finances development projects.
The loan to Sanral will be used to fund expansions or upgrades to a number of toll roads, Mona said. Those projects have been stalled by the lack of expected income from the sol called e-tolls around Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city, and Pretoria, the capital, because of a consumer boycott. Sanral has government guarantees worth 30.3 billion rand.
Monale Ratsoma, the head of the African regional center of the NDB, declined to give further details on the terms and conditions of the loan. He said most of the projects will be in South Africa's southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
NDB Board of Directors Convenes Its 21st Meeting in Shanghai, Approves Projects with Loans Aggregating to USD 1.4 Bln (Совет директоров НБР созывает свое 21-е заседание в Шанхае и утверждает проекты с кредитами на общую сумму 1,4 млрд долларов США) / China, September, 2019
Keywords: ndb, top_level_meeting, investments
2019-09-16
2019-09-16
China
Source: www.ndb.int
On September 12, 2019, the 21st Meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the New Development Bank (NDB) was held in Shanghai, China. At the Meeting, the Board approved four infrastructure and sustainable development projects with loans aggregating to approx. USD 1.4 billion, bringing the Bank's portfolio to 42 projects with loans aggregating to USD 11.6 billion.South African National Toll Roads Strengthening and Improvement Programme
The Board of Directors approved a loan of ZAR 7 billion guaranteed by the Government of the Republic of South Africa to South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited for National Toll Roads Strengthening and Improvement Programme.
The Project is designed to improve key national roads in South Africa with the objective of reducing transportation costs in the country. The scope of the Project includes rehabilitation of the pavement for the existing toll sections of national roads, construction of additional lanes to widen such roads, and rehabilitation of related infrastructure, such as bridges and intersections.
Renewable Energy Sector Development in Russia Project
The Board of Directors approved a loan of USD 300 million to Eurasian Development Bank for Renewable Energy Sector Development in Russia.The objective of the Project is to facilitate investment in renewable energy generation plants that will contribute to Russia's power generation mix in line with the country's Energy Strategy 2030, and to avoidance of carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed NDB loan will be used by EDB for on-lending to sub-projects using wind, solar, and small hydropower (less than 25 MW) energy generation technologies.
Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project and Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project
The NDB will provide two loans of USD 323 million each (aggregating to USD 646 million) to the Republic of India for on-lending to Government of Andhra Pradesh for the Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project (APRBRP) and the Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (APMCRCIP) respectively.
The two projects will address the road network issues in the state of Andhra Pradesh by widening roads and widening and reconstructing weak and narrow bridges to provide all-weather road network connectivity. APRBRP comprises widening of about 1,600 km of state highways from single/intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 269 bridges on the state highway network. APMCRCIP comprises widening of about 1,400 km of district roads from single/intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 206 bridges on the district road network.
During the BoD Meeting, the Board also received an update on the Bank's robust pipeline of infrastructure and sustainable development projects in all member countries of the NDB and project implementation and disbursement. The Board approved a Policy on Loans to International Organisations and also approved revisions to the Revised Policy on Loans with Sovereign Guarantee and the Revised Staff Compensation and Benefits Policy. The Board considered the tentative workplan for the upcoming year.
The Management also provided updates on the NDB Funding Programme, the credit rating process, local currency non-sovereign loan financing and other matters pertaining to NDB's work.
On September 11, 2019, Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee of the NDB BoD, considered Audited Financial Statements for the New Development Bank for the period ended June 30, 2019, and Audited Financial Statements for the Project Preparation Fund of the New Development Bank for the period ended June 30, 2019. The Management also provided the Committee on updates concerning internal audit and compliance related matters. The Committee also discussed matters pertaining to the risk management of the Bank.
The Budget, Human Resources and Compensation Committee also met on September 11, 2019. The Committee was updated on the Bank's budget utilisation for the period ended June 30, 2019. Furthermore, the BHRC Committee discussed several matters pertaining to human resources and compensation, including a report on recruitment and diversity in the Bank. An update on Ethics was also provided to the Committee.
Background Information
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. To fulfill its purpose, the NDB will support public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments. According to the NDB's General Strategy, sustainable infrastructure development is at the core of the Bank's operational strategy for 2017-2021. The NDB received AA+ long-term issuer credit ratings from S&P and Fitch and AAA foreign currency long-term issuer rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR).
Source: www.ndb.int
On September 12, 2019, the 21st Meeting of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the New Development Bank (NDB) was held in Shanghai, China. At the Meeting, the Board approved four infrastructure and sustainable development projects with loans aggregating to approx. USD 1.4 billion, bringing the Bank's portfolio to 42 projects with loans aggregating to USD 11.6 billion.South African National Toll Roads Strengthening and Improvement Programme
The Board of Directors approved a loan of ZAR 7 billion guaranteed by the Government of the Republic of South Africa to South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited for National Toll Roads Strengthening and Improvement Programme.
The Project is designed to improve key national roads in South Africa with the objective of reducing transportation costs in the country. The scope of the Project includes rehabilitation of the pavement for the existing toll sections of national roads, construction of additional lanes to widen such roads, and rehabilitation of related infrastructure, such as bridges and intersections.
Renewable Energy Sector Development in Russia Project
The Board of Directors approved a loan of USD 300 million to Eurasian Development Bank for Renewable Energy Sector Development in Russia.The objective of the Project is to facilitate investment in renewable energy generation plants that will contribute to Russia's power generation mix in line with the country's Energy Strategy 2030, and to avoidance of carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed NDB loan will be used by EDB for on-lending to sub-projects using wind, solar, and small hydropower (less than 25 MW) energy generation technologies.
Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project and Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project
The NDB will provide two loans of USD 323 million each (aggregating to USD 646 million) to the Republic of India for on-lending to Government of Andhra Pradesh for the Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project (APRBRP) and the Andhra Pradesh Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (APMCRCIP) respectively.
The two projects will address the road network issues in the state of Andhra Pradesh by widening roads and widening and reconstructing weak and narrow bridges to provide all-weather road network connectivity. APRBRP comprises widening of about 1,600 km of state highways from single/intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 269 bridges on the state highway network. APMCRCIP comprises widening of about 1,400 km of district roads from single/intermediate lanes to double lanes and reconstructing 206 bridges on the district road network.
During the BoD Meeting, the Board also received an update on the Bank's robust pipeline of infrastructure and sustainable development projects in all member countries of the NDB and project implementation and disbursement. The Board approved a Policy on Loans to International Organisations and also approved revisions to the Revised Policy on Loans with Sovereign Guarantee and the Revised Staff Compensation and Benefits Policy. The Board considered the tentative workplan for the upcoming year.
The Management also provided updates on the NDB Funding Programme, the credit rating process, local currency non-sovereign loan financing and other matters pertaining to NDB's work.
On September 11, 2019, Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee of the NDB BoD, considered Audited Financial Statements for the New Development Bank for the period ended June 30, 2019, and Audited Financial Statements for the Project Preparation Fund of the New Development Bank for the period ended June 30, 2019. The Management also provided the Committee on updates concerning internal audit and compliance related matters. The Committee also discussed matters pertaining to the risk management of the Bank.
The Budget, Human Resources and Compensation Committee also met on September 11, 2019. The Committee was updated on the Bank's budget utilisation for the period ended June 30, 2019. Furthermore, the BHRC Committee discussed several matters pertaining to human resources and compensation, including a report on recruitment and diversity in the Bank. An update on Ethics was also provided to the Committee.
Background Information
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies and developing countries, complementing the existing efforts of multilateral and regional financial institutions for global growth and development. To fulfill its purpose, the NDB will support public or private projects through loans, guarantees, equity participation and other financial instruments. According to the NDB's General Strategy, sustainable infrastructure development is at the core of the Bank's operational strategy for 2017-2021. The NDB received AA+ long-term issuer credit ratings from S&P and Fitch and AAA foreign currency long-term issuer rating from Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR).
Political Events
Political events in the public life of BRICS
Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova Moscow, September 20, 2019 (Брифинг официального представителя МИД России М. Захаровой Москва, 20 сентября 2019 г.) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: mofa, sergey_lavrov
2019-09-20
2019-09-20
Russia
Source: www.mid.ru
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's participation in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly
The high-level General Debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, a key international platform for a comprehensive discussion on a wide range of current issues, will be held in New York between September 24 and 30, 2019.
The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will have a busy agenda in New York. He will meet with heads of state and government and foreign ministers, hold talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. Sergey Lavrov will also attend multilateral meetings of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, BRICS and the CSTO, as well as other events. On September 27, the Foreign Minister of Russia will deliver his remarks at the UN General Assembly.
This year, the high-level General Debate will coincide in time with Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council (we talked about its programme and key initiatives at our previous briefings). This is why Sergey Lavrov will also attend two ministerial meetings of the UNSC to be held on September 25 and 26. The first meeting will be devoted to UN cooperation with the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO in the fight against terrorism and the other to the strengthening of peace and security in Africa.
I would like to point out that, given the rapid changes in international relations and in the schedules of our foreign partners and colleagues, there may be amendments, additions, adjournments or cancellations for technical and logistic reasons. Since we have received a great many requests to confirm the available schedule, I will enumerate the meetings that are being coordinated.
Sergey Lavrov plans to meet with Foreign Minister of Chile Teodoro Ribera, Foreign Minister of Algeria Sabri Boukadoum, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto, Foreign Minister of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi, Foreign Minister of Colombia Carlos Holmes Trujillo García, Foreign Minister of Morocco Nasser Bourita, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, Foreign Minister of Jordan Ayman Safadi, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister of Denmark Jeppe Kofod, Foreign Minister of Ecuador Jose Valencia, Prime Minister of Sudan Abdallah Hamdouk, Foreign Minister of Slovakia Martin Lajcak, Foreign Minister of Syria Walid Muallem, Foreign Minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard, Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Cambodia Prak Sokhonn, as well as Vice-President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez. As far as we know, discussions are underway on a possible meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
We will update you on the approved meetings ahead and certainly following these meetings.
I would like to point out once again that there are plans for Sergey Lavrov's attendance of multilateral events, such as meetings of the UN Security Council to be held at our initiative within the framework of Russia's Presidency of the Council. We are preparing for a potential meeting in the Astana format, a traditional meeting within the CSTO framework, as well as a number of other events. It is planned that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will have a traditional meeting with UN journalists (we will make an additional announcement regarding this).
In this context, I would like to draw your attention to Sergey Lavrov's article titled World at a Crossroads and a System of International Relations for the Future. It has been posted on the website of the magazine Russia in Global Politics, as well as on the Foreign Ministry's resources (the official website and social media accounts) in English, French and German. The article was published in time for the opening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly and is devoted to the development of international relations, global issues and the possibility of building a new world based on the positive experience of various countries, as well as the preservation of the achievements that allowed the global civilisation of the 20th century to live after WWII without succumbing to other tragedies on a similar scale.
Source: www.mid.ru
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's participation in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly
The high-level General Debate of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, a key international platform for a comprehensive discussion on a wide range of current issues, will be held in New York between September 24 and 30, 2019.
The Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who will have a busy agenda in New York. He will meet with heads of state and government and foreign ministers, hold talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande. Sergey Lavrov will also attend multilateral meetings of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, BRICS and the CSTO, as well as other events. On September 27, the Foreign Minister of Russia will deliver his remarks at the UN General Assembly.
This year, the high-level General Debate will coincide in time with Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council (we talked about its programme and key initiatives at our previous briefings). This is why Sergey Lavrov will also attend two ministerial meetings of the UNSC to be held on September 25 and 26. The first meeting will be devoted to UN cooperation with the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO in the fight against terrorism and the other to the strengthening of peace and security in Africa.
I would like to point out that, given the rapid changes in international relations and in the schedules of our foreign partners and colleagues, there may be amendments, additions, adjournments or cancellations for technical and logistic reasons. Since we have received a great many requests to confirm the available schedule, I will enumerate the meetings that are being coordinated.
Sergey Lavrov plans to meet with Foreign Minister of Chile Teodoro Ribera, Foreign Minister of Algeria Sabri Boukadoum, Foreign Minister of Hungary Peter Szijjarto, Foreign Minister of Cuba Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi, Foreign Minister of Colombia Carlos Holmes Trujillo García, Foreign Minister of Morocco Nasser Bourita, President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, Foreign Minister of Jordan Ayman Safadi, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Foreign Minister of Denmark Jeppe Kofod, Foreign Minister of Ecuador Jose Valencia, Prime Minister of Sudan Abdallah Hamdouk, Foreign Minister of Slovakia Martin Lajcak, Foreign Minister of Syria Walid Muallem, Foreign Minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard, Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Cambodia Prak Sokhonn, as well as Vice-President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez. As far as we know, discussions are underway on a possible meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
We will update you on the approved meetings ahead and certainly following these meetings.
I would like to point out once again that there are plans for Sergey Lavrov's attendance of multilateral events, such as meetings of the UN Security Council to be held at our initiative within the framework of Russia's Presidency of the Council. We are preparing for a potential meeting in the Astana format, a traditional meeting within the CSTO framework, as well as a number of other events. It is planned that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will have a traditional meeting with UN journalists (we will make an additional announcement regarding this).
In this context, I would like to draw your attention to Sergey Lavrov's article titled World at a Crossroads and a System of International Relations for the Future. It has been posted on the website of the magazine Russia in Global Politics, as well as on the Foreign Ministry's resources (the official website and social media accounts) in English, French and German. The article was published in time for the opening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly and is devoted to the development of international relations, global issues and the possibility of building a new world based on the positive experience of various countries, as well as the preservation of the achievements that allowed the global civilisation of the 20th century to live after WWII without succumbing to other tragedies on a similar scale.
World of work
Social policy, trade unions, actions
The world needs BRICS countries to build capacity in invasion science (Мир нуждается в странах БРИКС для наращивания потенциала в науке вторжения) / USA, September, 2019
Keywords: research, expert_opinion
2019-09-19
2019-09-19
USA
Author: John Measey, Vernon Visser, Yury Dgebuadze, Inderjit, Bo Li, Michele S. Dechoum, Silvia R. Ziller, David M. Richardson
Source: journals.plos.org
Abstract
Developed countries are producing policies to reduce the flow of invasive species and control or eradicate existing invasions, but most developing countries are under-resourced to tackle either aspect without help. Emerging economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), are responsible for donating many of the world's invasive species that have the potential to reach nearly all terrestrial biomes. Implementing a proactive 'facilitated network' model is urgently required to build capacity and stimulate effective appropriate invasion science. We contend that creating a BRICS network of invasion scientists will have the immediate impact required to meet future policy demands.
Introduction
All countries suffer from increasing problems with invasive species, but there is a divide between rich and poor nations in terms of progress in tackling this issue [1]. Developing countries are unlikely to meet Aichi Target 9 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) without help [2]. Emerging economies—such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)—sit in between; they are experiencing increasing international and national trade but have limited capacity to translate research needed to inform relevant policy in their context. They are rapidly developing economies, but a large proportion of their populations have subsistence livelihoods although they have a growing footprint in both the developed and developing world. To this end, these countries have formed a forum (BRICS), primarily to discuss economics but also to interact on other issues of common interest. BRICS countries make up 26% of the terrestrial surface of the earth, have 42% of the planet's human population and 14% of global GDP, and are home to a large proportion of the world's biodiversity (e.g., the Brazilian Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest; Russia's Caucasus and Far East; Indian Western Ghats; South Central China; and South Africa's Cape Floristic Region, Succulent Karoo, and Maputo-Pondoland-Albany). This biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, including habitat conversion, exploitation, climate change, pollution, and species introductions [3]. Rapid economic growth in BRICS countries requires increasing trade, but not at the expense of their natural capital. This presents substantial challenges for legislation and enforcement in the absence of appropriate models in the developed or developing world.
One such challenge is invasive species, which were estimated to cost at least 0.1 billion US dollars (USD) per annum to the United States economy 2 decades ago [4], although a more recent annual cost of 1.7 billion USD to the UK economy [5] suggests that the current cost has escalated appreciably. The relationship between increasing economic activity and invasive species is well established [6], but even developed countries have been slow to implement and enact legislation curtailing the increasing effects of invasions. BRICS nations have growing trade both within and outside their borders, which is conducted at both large commercial and small artisanal scales. They are all signatories to the CBD and are thus currently preparing their responses to Aichi Target 9; these include the need to recognize invasive species, as well as determine their pathways of spread by 2020. Once the Aichi targets have been met, the CBD will set new targets relating to invasive species. Meeting new targets will require growing national capacity of invasion scientists with knowledge that relates to specific biomes within each BRICS nation. We posit that coordinating research and building capacity in invasion science deviates from a concentrated institute; instead, we propose the formation of a facilitated network of extant invasion biologists and social scientists with specialties across the biomes of BRICS countries. Furthermore, we present a model for this network and suggest how it could be implemented by BRICS countries to meet the next set of CBD targets in 2030.
The invasion paradox in BRICS nations
Unlike smaller, less diverse nations, BRICS countries suffer from invasive species that originate both within and outside of their borders. These 'domestic exotic' or 'extra-limital' invasions are especially relevant in large biodiverse countries such as the BRICS nations because there is often confusion regarding their status within the country [7] and consequently regulatory constraints. BRICS countries share invasive plant and animal species (Table 1A) and are the donors of some of the world's most highly impacting species (Table 1B). Increasing trade from BRICS countries means that, unless unchecked, these areas are likely to become major donors of invasive species to the broader globe. Among the best predictors of invasive species are propagule pressure, commensurate with increasing trade, and climate suitability [8]. The diverse biomes and climatic conditions within the borders of BRICS countries suggest that they have suitable climatic diversity to cover all but the coldest biomes on Earth (Fig 1; S1–S5 Figs). Our analysis suggests that most of North America and Europe match climates in 3 or more biomes within BRICS countries but that Africa, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia are matched by 4 or more biomes within BRICS countries. Interestingly, BRICS countries themselves have large areas with biomes that match each other. These commonalities among BRICS countries call for an interconnected facilitated network dealing with invasive species. In addition, there is increasing evidence that impacts of invasive species affect the poorest people in emerging economies worst [9], but in a world with a changing climate, effects of invasions have the potential to challenge sustainable economic development. For example, South Africa is estimated to have lost between 1.4 and 2.5 billion m3 of surface water runoff to invasive plant species, impacting drought-stricken cities like Cape Town [10].
Facilitated networks in invasion science
The importance of global networks for invasion science has already been highlighted [11]. This underlines the urgency for focused translational research in invasion science, as well as the increase in power that results from a collaborative approach that extends the capacity of isolated research groups. Core projects undertaken by the group are complimented by satellite projects, which may result in joint capacity building and skills exchange between institutions and countries; successful examples of such ventures abound [11]. Equal to the requirement of rapid responses to research of emerging alien species is the need to substantially increase the capacity to tackle existing and future invasions in BRICS countries. Achieving this will require more than the transitory international collaborative projects advocated previously but rather in-country institutions that can maintain recruitment and extend beyond the careers of individual researchers, extending scientific knowledge to applied management carried out by government institutions and the nongovernmental organization (NGO) sector. While the standard approach to building institutions is to concentrate resources at a single location, we propose that ecological science demand a facilitated network approach to respond efficiently to invasion threats and to build and maintain capacity for the future.
The facilitated network revolves around a hub-and-spoke model drawing on existing excellence in invasion biology research within each country to grow capacity and collaboration over time. The hub (at the institution of the director) contains administrative staff to facilitate the network and disburse finances to Core Team Members (CTMs), already employed through their home institutions, and their associated researchers. While the hub may serve as a physical home representing the network, the network serves to study invasions in multiple contexts within the often-unique cultural and biological situations that exist elsewhere in the countries. Of key importance is the inclusion of social scientists alongside biologists; both economics and psychology are traditionally neglected fields when tackling problems—such as biological invasions—that are by definition linked to human activities and invoke complex human dimensions and the need for cultural changes. Annual research meetings bring all CTMs and students together in a conventional conference. Funding to have international plenaries present contextual, cutting-edge research should include representatives from other BRICS networks. Similarly, student awards should prioritize exchange between national BRICS meetings. Additionally, CTMs come together in a closed meeting at another time of year to discuss growth of the network and strategic directionality of research, including the planning of at least one themed workshop each year that should bring together selected CTMs and international participants to tackle emerging issues in invasion science. We suggest that within 5 years, a facilitated network of researchers in each of the BRICS countries will start making meaningful policy input as well as building capacity within their country and positively influencing their region. These facilitated networks are essentially Centres of Excellence (CoEs) that are distributed throughout the biomes of a country, with an administrative hub.
South Africa implemented the CoE model in 2004, to build excellence and capacity in nationally strategic research areas. The Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) was one of the first 5 funded CoEs and started with 14 CTMs in 4 of South Africa's institutions [12]. The number of CTMs has grown to 27 in 9 institutions, covering the country's 5 principal biomes as well as freshwater, marine, and terrestrial specialists. Their affiliations span universities, national parks, and government institutes and include staff from partner institutions embedded within the hub. The CIB was initially set up with 0.3 million USD and today receives 0.74 million USD but raises a further 52% (±19%) in co-funding. Of the total, 58.2% of funds are spent on student bursaries and running costs, producing 21 graduates annually in PhD (22%), MSc (35%), Honours (17%), and post doc students (22%). CIB alumni continue in academia (33.1%) or move into governmental and implementing agencies (17.2%), NGOs (5.5%), and other private sectors mostly relating to their fields of study. The CIB has contributed substantially to South African capacity in invasion science but has also had a significant effect on neighbouring countries through capacity development and studies. CTMs and their students and international associates now produce over 200 Web of Science (WoS)-listed publications annually, with more than a quarter in Q1 journals. Research outputs are well cited and respected. For example, almost 10% of references cited in Aichi Target 9 were published by the CIB [12]. Importantly, CTMs are responsible for facilitating production of government policy documents, and South Africa is the first country in the world to produce a national status report on biological invasions and their management [10], including the first framework of indicators for reporting on biological invasions at a country level [13].
While we actively advance this model for BRICS nations, there is no reason why many other countries, both developed and developing, should not adopt a similar model. However, the opportunities provided by the existing forum and agreements that are already in place for BRICS countries make it an attractive starting point. Many developing nations make significant advancements in research and implementation to counter the effects of invasive species [14]. Increased numbers of networks of researchers dedicated to invasion science will ultimately be beneficial to all [11].
Toward a solution
The facilitated network approach proposed here offers many advantages to rapidly connect existing academics working on invasions to start building capacity and augment the research foundation on which national policy is formed. Firstly, each is already established and paid within their own institution and can offer biogeographic, cultural, and institutional insights from local invasions within their working context. By connecting these individuals through bi-annual meetings, granting opportunities, and shared bursaries, we expect meaningful collaborations on common problems to arrive intra- and inter-specifically. Capacity built by the networks can be rapidly absorbed into government and NGO sectors, and there will be an assured continuation of invasion biologists in academic positions. Once established, these networks can form cross-network links—building on the response of the global network on biological invasions—to positively influence the global response to invasions among developed and developing countries alike.
Author: John Measey, Vernon Visser, Yury Dgebuadze, Inderjit, Bo Li, Michele S. Dechoum, Silvia R. Ziller, David M. Richardson
Source: journals.plos.org
Abstract
Developed countries are producing policies to reduce the flow of invasive species and control or eradicate existing invasions, but most developing countries are under-resourced to tackle either aspect without help. Emerging economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), are responsible for donating many of the world's invasive species that have the potential to reach nearly all terrestrial biomes. Implementing a proactive 'facilitated network' model is urgently required to build capacity and stimulate effective appropriate invasion science. We contend that creating a BRICS network of invasion scientists will have the immediate impact required to meet future policy demands.
Introduction
All countries suffer from increasing problems with invasive species, but there is a divide between rich and poor nations in terms of progress in tackling this issue [1]. Developing countries are unlikely to meet Aichi Target 9 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) without help [2]. Emerging economies—such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)—sit in between; they are experiencing increasing international and national trade but have limited capacity to translate research needed to inform relevant policy in their context. They are rapidly developing economies, but a large proportion of their populations have subsistence livelihoods although they have a growing footprint in both the developed and developing world. To this end, these countries have formed a forum (BRICS), primarily to discuss economics but also to interact on other issues of common interest. BRICS countries make up 26% of the terrestrial surface of the earth, have 42% of the planet's human population and 14% of global GDP, and are home to a large proportion of the world's biodiversity (e.g., the Brazilian Amazon, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest; Russia's Caucasus and Far East; Indian Western Ghats; South Central China; and South Africa's Cape Floristic Region, Succulent Karoo, and Maputo-Pondoland-Albany). This biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, including habitat conversion, exploitation, climate change, pollution, and species introductions [3]. Rapid economic growth in BRICS countries requires increasing trade, but not at the expense of their natural capital. This presents substantial challenges for legislation and enforcement in the absence of appropriate models in the developed or developing world.
One such challenge is invasive species, which were estimated to cost at least 0.1 billion US dollars (USD) per annum to the United States economy 2 decades ago [4], although a more recent annual cost of 1.7 billion USD to the UK economy [5] suggests that the current cost has escalated appreciably. The relationship between increasing economic activity and invasive species is well established [6], but even developed countries have been slow to implement and enact legislation curtailing the increasing effects of invasions. BRICS nations have growing trade both within and outside their borders, which is conducted at both large commercial and small artisanal scales. They are all signatories to the CBD and are thus currently preparing their responses to Aichi Target 9; these include the need to recognize invasive species, as well as determine their pathways of spread by 2020. Once the Aichi targets have been met, the CBD will set new targets relating to invasive species. Meeting new targets will require growing national capacity of invasion scientists with knowledge that relates to specific biomes within each BRICS nation. We posit that coordinating research and building capacity in invasion science deviates from a concentrated institute; instead, we propose the formation of a facilitated network of extant invasion biologists and social scientists with specialties across the biomes of BRICS countries. Furthermore, we present a model for this network and suggest how it could be implemented by BRICS countries to meet the next set of CBD targets in 2030.
The invasion paradox in BRICS nations
Unlike smaller, less diverse nations, BRICS countries suffer from invasive species that originate both within and outside of their borders. These 'domestic exotic' or 'extra-limital' invasions are especially relevant in large biodiverse countries such as the BRICS nations because there is often confusion regarding their status within the country [7] and consequently regulatory constraints. BRICS countries share invasive plant and animal species (Table 1A) and are the donors of some of the world's most highly impacting species (Table 1B). Increasing trade from BRICS countries means that, unless unchecked, these areas are likely to become major donors of invasive species to the broader globe. Among the best predictors of invasive species are propagule pressure, commensurate with increasing trade, and climate suitability [8]. The diverse biomes and climatic conditions within the borders of BRICS countries suggest that they have suitable climatic diversity to cover all but the coldest biomes on Earth (Fig 1; S1–S5 Figs). Our analysis suggests that most of North America and Europe match climates in 3 or more biomes within BRICS countries but that Africa, South America, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia are matched by 4 or more biomes within BRICS countries. Interestingly, BRICS countries themselves have large areas with biomes that match each other. These commonalities among BRICS countries call for an interconnected facilitated network dealing with invasive species. In addition, there is increasing evidence that impacts of invasive species affect the poorest people in emerging economies worst [9], but in a world with a changing climate, effects of invasions have the potential to challenge sustainable economic development. For example, South Africa is estimated to have lost between 1.4 and 2.5 billion m3 of surface water runoff to invasive plant species, impacting drought-stricken cities like Cape Town [10].
Facilitated networks in invasion science
The importance of global networks for invasion science has already been highlighted [11]. This underlines the urgency for focused translational research in invasion science, as well as the increase in power that results from a collaborative approach that extends the capacity of isolated research groups. Core projects undertaken by the group are complimented by satellite projects, which may result in joint capacity building and skills exchange between institutions and countries; successful examples of such ventures abound [11]. Equal to the requirement of rapid responses to research of emerging alien species is the need to substantially increase the capacity to tackle existing and future invasions in BRICS countries. Achieving this will require more than the transitory international collaborative projects advocated previously but rather in-country institutions that can maintain recruitment and extend beyond the careers of individual researchers, extending scientific knowledge to applied management carried out by government institutions and the nongovernmental organization (NGO) sector. While the standard approach to building institutions is to concentrate resources at a single location, we propose that ecological science demand a facilitated network approach to respond efficiently to invasion threats and to build and maintain capacity for the future.
The facilitated network revolves around a hub-and-spoke model drawing on existing excellence in invasion biology research within each country to grow capacity and collaboration over time. The hub (at the institution of the director) contains administrative staff to facilitate the network and disburse finances to Core Team Members (CTMs), already employed through their home institutions, and their associated researchers. While the hub may serve as a physical home representing the network, the network serves to study invasions in multiple contexts within the often-unique cultural and biological situations that exist elsewhere in the countries. Of key importance is the inclusion of social scientists alongside biologists; both economics and psychology are traditionally neglected fields when tackling problems—such as biological invasions—that are by definition linked to human activities and invoke complex human dimensions and the need for cultural changes. Annual research meetings bring all CTMs and students together in a conventional conference. Funding to have international plenaries present contextual, cutting-edge research should include representatives from other BRICS networks. Similarly, student awards should prioritize exchange between national BRICS meetings. Additionally, CTMs come together in a closed meeting at another time of year to discuss growth of the network and strategic directionality of research, including the planning of at least one themed workshop each year that should bring together selected CTMs and international participants to tackle emerging issues in invasion science. We suggest that within 5 years, a facilitated network of researchers in each of the BRICS countries will start making meaningful policy input as well as building capacity within their country and positively influencing their region. These facilitated networks are essentially Centres of Excellence (CoEs) that are distributed throughout the biomes of a country, with an administrative hub.
South Africa implemented the CoE model in 2004, to build excellence and capacity in nationally strategic research areas. The Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) was one of the first 5 funded CoEs and started with 14 CTMs in 4 of South Africa's institutions [12]. The number of CTMs has grown to 27 in 9 institutions, covering the country's 5 principal biomes as well as freshwater, marine, and terrestrial specialists. Their affiliations span universities, national parks, and government institutes and include staff from partner institutions embedded within the hub. The CIB was initially set up with 0.3 million USD and today receives 0.74 million USD but raises a further 52% (±19%) in co-funding. Of the total, 58.2% of funds are spent on student bursaries and running costs, producing 21 graduates annually in PhD (22%), MSc (35%), Honours (17%), and post doc students (22%). CIB alumni continue in academia (33.1%) or move into governmental and implementing agencies (17.2%), NGOs (5.5%), and other private sectors mostly relating to their fields of study. The CIB has contributed substantially to South African capacity in invasion science but has also had a significant effect on neighbouring countries through capacity development and studies. CTMs and their students and international associates now produce over 200 Web of Science (WoS)-listed publications annually, with more than a quarter in Q1 journals. Research outputs are well cited and respected. For example, almost 10% of references cited in Aichi Target 9 were published by the CIB [12]. Importantly, CTMs are responsible for facilitating production of government policy documents, and South Africa is the first country in the world to produce a national status report on biological invasions and their management [10], including the first framework of indicators for reporting on biological invasions at a country level [13].
While we actively advance this model for BRICS nations, there is no reason why many other countries, both developed and developing, should not adopt a similar model. However, the opportunities provided by the existing forum and agreements that are already in place for BRICS countries make it an attractive starting point. Many developing nations make significant advancements in research and implementation to counter the effects of invasive species [14]. Increased numbers of networks of researchers dedicated to invasion science will ultimately be beneficial to all [11].
Toward a solution
The facilitated network approach proposed here offers many advantages to rapidly connect existing academics working on invasions to start building capacity and augment the research foundation on which national policy is formed. Firstly, each is already established and paid within their own institution and can offer biogeographic, cultural, and institutional insights from local invasions within their working context. By connecting these individuals through bi-annual meetings, granting opportunities, and shared bursaries, we expect meaningful collaborations on common problems to arrive intra- and inter-specifically. Capacity built by the networks can be rapidly absorbed into government and NGO sectors, and there will be an assured continuation of invasion biologists in academic positions. Once established, these networks can form cross-network links—building on the response of the global network on biological invasions—to positively influence the global response to invasions among developed and developing countries alike.
The Presidential Library will become the venue for the events of the 1st International Municipal BRICS Forum (Президентская библиотека станет местом проведения мероприятий 1-го Международного муниципального форума БРИКС) / Russia, September, 2019
Keywords: social_issues
2019-09-21
2019-09-21
Russia
Source: www.prlib.ru
The Presidential Library will become the venue for the events of the 1st International Municipal BRICS Forum (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The forum will be held in St. Petersburg on September 20-22, 2019 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The international project will become a new platform for cooperation in social, economic and business projects between the BRICS municipalities.
In 2019 the forum will bring together legislative and executive authorities, including representatives of the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, representatives of major businesses, international associations and public non-profit organizations; heads of local governments, international experts and analysts. Consuls of the BRICS countries and representatives of business circles will head foreign delegations.
The main theme of the 1st International Municipal BRICS Forum is the concept of practical proposals at the BRICS regional level "From Words to Deeds". It covers a wide range of issues: economy and business, scientific and technological progress, municipal digitization, preservation of traditions and cultural export, ecology and long-term strategic projects. Particular attention will be paid to the development of sports as an element for unifying cultures.
On September 21, 2019, events in the Presidential Library will focus on the opening of international state-of-the-art branches of interactive libraries and special municipal economic zones related to the development of the BRICS economy.
The forum serves as a platform for establishment of business contacts and further promotion of ideas falling under the objectives of the project. Its programme will include panel discussions, negotiations, signing of protocols of intent, contracts, interregional and international agreements. A road map to effective cooperation between BRICS municipalities will be also formulated.
Further information on the programme and participation is available on the official website of the event at www.imbrics.com.
Please contact Valeria Cherepanova: +7 921-631-66-82 cherepanova@imbrics.com to get information on media accreditation.
Source: www.prlib.ru
The Presidential Library will become the venue for the events of the 1st International Municipal BRICS Forum (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The forum will be held in St. Petersburg on September 20-22, 2019 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The international project will become a new platform for cooperation in social, economic and business projects between the BRICS municipalities.
In 2019 the forum will bring together legislative and executive authorities, including representatives of the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Russian Federation, representatives of major businesses, international associations and public non-profit organizations; heads of local governments, international experts and analysts. Consuls of the BRICS countries and representatives of business circles will head foreign delegations.
The main theme of the 1st International Municipal BRICS Forum is the concept of practical proposals at the BRICS regional level "From Words to Deeds". It covers a wide range of issues: economy and business, scientific and technological progress, municipal digitization, preservation of traditions and cultural export, ecology and long-term strategic projects. Particular attention will be paid to the development of sports as an element for unifying cultures.
On September 21, 2019, events in the Presidential Library will focus on the opening of international state-of-the-art branches of interactive libraries and special municipal economic zones related to the development of the BRICS economy.
The forum serves as a platform for establishment of business contacts and further promotion of ideas falling under the objectives of the project. Its programme will include panel discussions, negotiations, signing of protocols of intent, contracts, interregional and international agreements. A road map to effective cooperation between BRICS municipalities will be also formulated.
Further information on the programme and participation is available on the official website of the event at www.imbrics.com.
Please contact Valeria Cherepanova: +7 921-631-66-82 cherepanova@imbrics.com to get information on media accreditation.
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