The consolidation of Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism is opposed by the West because it would spell the “final end” of Western dominance globally, according to Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov.
“We hope that [the Russia-India-China strategic triangle] is possible, and of course it is not easy [to achieve], given the issues in the Indo-Chinese relationship,” Kabulov told domestic media.
"The West plays on well-known Indian concerns, [including] the long-standing border dispute between India and China, which we hope will eventually be resolved,” the diplomat underlined, adding that there were also concerns on the Indian side related to the Chinese economy.
According to Kabulov, New Delhi was concerned about developing an overarching dependence on China, whose economy is several times bigger than that of India’s. At the same time, New Delhi was still dependent on the dollar economy.
In this regard, he blamed the Western governments for “playing on” India’s concerns vis-à-vis China.
“Therefore, here, probably, the question is for the Indian leadership - [can it] find a reasonable balance in this situation, which would benefit not only India,” he said.
In the wake of financial disruptions caused by the West's sanctions against Moscow, New Delhi has been looking to create arrangements for trading in national currencies with other countries.
India’s new Foreign Trade Policy (2023-28) released this year calls for encouraging trade in rupees.
Sino-India Border Dispute
New Delhi and Beijing have been involved in a military standoff in the eastern Ladakh region since April-May 2020, with thousands of troops from both the sides deployed in the two of the last remaining friction points at the western section of Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The Indian leadership has said that the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020, which resulted in deaths of 20 Indian and five Chinese troops, have “profoundly disturbed” their bilateral ties. New Delhi has maintained that the state of the border will reflect the overall state of bilateral ties.
In economic terms, India’s trade deficit with China, which has crossed $100-billion mark in recent years, has also been a cause of concern among Indian policymakers.
For its part, China has been concerned about India’s membership in such US-led groupings as Quad. Beijing has accused Washington of creating an ‘Asian NATO’ in order to contain China’s growing economic and strategic influence.
What Does Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept Say About RIC?
Russia's ‘Foreign Policy Concept’ unveiled by President Vladimir Putin in March this year calls for enhancing the capacity and the “international role” of RIC.
That said, it calls for bolstering Moscow’s strategic ties with its ‘special strategic privileged’ partners, India and China, with whom it agreed to a ‘no-limits partnership’ last year.
Both the countries have emerged as the biggest buyers of Russian crude since last year, with trade levels between Moscow and the two Asian powers hitting a record high.
Moscow’s trade with Beijing is expected to surpass $200 billion this year, while India and Russia have set an annual trade target of $50 billion in 2023-24.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this year that Moscow would try to be “helpful” in bringing China and India closer through the RIC grouping.