Border row set aside as BRICS trade ministers vow to work together
Chinese minister hails Shanghai talks a ‘great success’ as foreign ministry again calls for India to withdraw troops from disputed border area
A gathering of trade ministers from the BRICS bloc of emerging market economies ended on Wednesday with a joint pledge to boost cooperation, as a protracted border row between China and India rumbled on.
At the Shanghai meeting – also attended by ministers from Brazil, Russia and South Africa – China’s Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan hailed the trade talks as a “great success”.
But in Beijing, the foreign ministry again urged India to “unconditionally and immediately” withdraw its troops from Doklam, or Donglang as it is known in China – a remote plateau in the Himalayas that is also claimed by Bhutan.
Beijing and New Delhi have engaged in a war of words over a military stand-off in the area since June, yet the world’s two most populous nations continue to set aside deep-rooted suspicion and resentment as they seek to strengthen economic ties.
The two-day meeting is a key ministerial gathering ahead of the BRICS summit, which will be held in the southern city of Xiamen in September. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the summit.