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First Post
06-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Xi, Putin snub BRICS Summit, is group's expansion causing ideological divide?
As Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping skip the BRICS Summit in Brazil, here's how the expansion of the group has led to the emergence of an ideological divide. read more In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China and opening of China-Russia Years of Culture at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 16, 2024. (Photo via AFP) As Brazil gears up to host the BRICS Summit 2025, two of the most prominent members of the group, leaders from Russia and China, are not attending the international summit, which started on Sunday. Experts believe that this may be a sign that the group's recent expansion has also led to an ideological divide between the member nations. The 72-year-old Chinese President Xi Jinping have been attending the summit for the past 12 years. What becomes more interesting about this is the fact that no official reason has been given other than 'scheduling conflict'. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will now be representing the country instead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), may have also decided not to travel to Rio to avoid embarrassing the summit host, who is a signatory to the ICC statute. Last year, Mongolia engaged in an acrimonious legal dispute with the ICC after it did not act on the warrant when Putin visited the country. Is rapid expansion also creating space for ideological differences? In 2023, Putin abandoned his plans to attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa after the country's President Cyril Ramaphosa was unable to offer any guarantees regarding Putin's arrest or otherwise under the warrant. It is pertinent to note that the Russian leader is accused by the ICC of being instrumental in abducting and deporting tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. Over the years, BRICS have often been described as the G7 alternative for the developing world. In recent years, the group has witnessed significant expansion with new nations joining the bloc. However, the process of expansion is diluting its coherence as a body offering an ideological alternative to Western capitalism represented by the G7. Its founding members were Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Last year, the group expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, countries in various stages of economic development and with varying levels of antagonism towards the West. Interestingly, the current make-up of the group leans towards autocratic societies, leaving India, Brazil and South Africa uneasy. Experts argue that with diverse voices now part of the group, Brazil, the host this year, would struggle to push its agenda. For example, Brazil has often called for the reform and the expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). However, China, which is a permanent member of the body, has often blocked India's bid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Apart from this, Brazil would also like to push for more commitments towards reducing carbon emissions. However, the plan would collide with new members like Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UAE, who are oil and gas-based economies. Hence, with expansion, the group is slowly becoming ideologically divided. Nevertheless, Xi's decision to stay away is puzzling, given that the US's retreat from its global leadership role has provided a golden opportunity for China to pick up the mantle. Many wonder if both Russia and China are losing interest towards the body.
First Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
No limits, no trust: China mounts secret cyberwar on Russia, says report
Experts believe that while China is far wealthier than Russia, it feels its armed forces lack battlefield experience. Now, Beijing is likely seeking intelligence on Russia's activities in Ukraine read more In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping attend a concert marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China and opening of China-Russia Years of Culture at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 16, 2024. (Photo via AFP) China-backed groups have intensified hacking attempts on Russian companies and government agencies since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the New York Times has reported, citing 'cyberanalysts'. This cyber warfare has persisted despite both leaders, Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, publicly hailing their 'no limits' ties. Just last year, TeamT5, a Taiwan-based cybersecurity research firm, established that one of China-backed groups was behind a cyberattack on a major Russian engineering firm in the hunt for information on nuclear submarines. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Experts believe that while China is far wealthier than Russia, it feels its armed forces lack battlefield experience. Now, it might be hoping to plug some holes using Russia's experience in the Ukraine war. 'China likely seeks to gather intelligence on Russia's activities, including on its military operation in Ukraine, defence developments and other geopolitical manoeuvres,' the Times quoted TeamT5's Che Chang as saying. 'Leaked' Russian document dubs China as an 'enemy' The Times cites a classified counterintelligence document from Russia's domestic security agency, known as the FSB, to throw light on how the Russia-China partnership is plagued with deep mistrust. The document refers to China as an ' enemy ' and says that Beijing was actively looking for defence expertise and technology and is trying to learn from Russia's military experience in Ukraine. Notably, Russia has never acknowledged these concerns in public. 'Rostec targeted' The Times report says that even Rostec, which is Russia's state-owned powerful defence conglomerate, was targeted by one of China's state-backed group to seek information on satellite communications, radar and electronic warfare. Citing Palo Alto Networks, the paper notes that some groups use malicious files, intended to exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft Word, to penetrate Russian aviation industry targets. In 2023, Positive Technologies, a Russian cybersecurity company, reported that multiple Russian entities, including those in the aerospace, private security, and defence sectors, were targeted by cyberattacks. The attacks utilised Deed RAT, a tool commonly associated with Chinese state-sponsored hackers. According to cybersecurity experts, Deed RAT is a 'proprietary' malware, exclusive to these groups and not available for purchase on the dark web, unlike other malicious tools. Notably, the reports of China-backed cyberattacks on Russian companies had emerged before the Ukraine war too. For example, Beijing hackers carried out a cyberattack on Russian submarine designers in 2021. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
