Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Indian and its neighbours; International Relations
About
The Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral is a significant multilateral grouping, because it brings together the three largest Eurasian countries which are also incidentally geographically contiguous.
The 16th RIC meeting coincides with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Moscow to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade which marks the 75th anniversary of the Second World War.
RIC discussions to focus on the current situation of the pandemic and the challenges of global security, financial stability and RIC cooperation in that context.
Speedy delivery of S-400 long range air defence system and hardware spares are also on the agenda.
Background:
The proposal for a Moscow-Beijing-Delhi ‘strategic triangle’ had originally come from the then Russian Prime Minister in 1998. He argued that such an arrangement would represent a force for greater regional and international stability.
This idea of a ‘strategic triangle’ took a tangible form when former Foreign Ministers of Russia, China, and India met on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2002.
Key facts:
RIC meeting is important as Russia, India and China are countries that carry important voices in international politics and have the potential to significantly influence world events.
Together, the RIC countries occupy over 19 percent of the global landmass and contribute to over 33 percent of global GDP.
All three countries are nuclear powers and two, Russia and China, are permanent members of the UN Security Council, while India aspires to be one.
