Recently adopted Xiamen Declaration of BRICS forum is seen as a triumph for Indian diplomacy.
What is Xiamen declaration about?
It explicitly called out several Pakistan-based terror organisations and expressed concern on the security situation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
It also referred to violence caused by the Taliban, Al-Qaida and its affiliates, including theEastern Turkestan Islamic Movement Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan etc.
The Chinese government, as is evident from the inclusion of the Uighur-focused Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement in the above list, is concerned about growing Islamist activity in its western provinces.
What is the significance of this?
India-China Saw the importance of building a durable security architecture for their increasingly fraught relationship.
People’s Republic of China a signatory to this declaration, had till recently been blocking the designation of the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, Masood Azhar, as an international terrorist by the United Nations.
This was done presumably to protect Beijing’s clients in Pakistan, where Azhar continues to move around freely and address massive rallies.
It is not yet certain whether this declaration represents a change in China’s stand on Azhar.
But India’s efforts to make Beijing yield its obstructive position at the United Nations should continue.
It is a sign that relations between the India-China have not been harmed by the doklam stand-off, but remain cordial and co-operative.
