BRICS News

“We encourage that all regional undertakings, including TPP and RCEP, remain open, transparent and inclusive and draw on each other,” APEC said in its final communique [Xinhua]
China appears to be making headway at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru as more countries fear the demise of Washington’s trade initiative and seek to sign on to Beijing’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Late on Sunday, Chinese officials said that Peru and Chile had signaled interest in joining the RCEP.

The UNSC is troubled by reports of chemical weapons use in Syria and Iraq, and extended OPCS’s mandate for a year [Xinhua]
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a UN body, said on Friday that it believes the sulfur mustard gas that was used in terrorist attacks in Syria and Iraq might have been manufactured by Islamic State on its own.

Duterte met Putin for the first time, but this is his second meeting with Xi as ties between the two countries imporve [Xinhua]
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has once again denounced the US and other Western countries as bullies and hypocrites this time on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Peru, in what is only his latest slew of controversial remarks.
Duterte, meanwhile, hailed Russia as a “great country” after his first meeting with its head of state Vladimir Putin.

The 21 economies which comprise APEC are meeting at a time when Washington’s future trade policies are unclear following the Trump election win [Xinhua]
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has told leaders at the 28th Annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit that they must do their utmost to combat protectionist trade policies and ensure that free trade exists between nations.

China has warned the incoming Trump administration that climate change is not a hoax [Xinhua]
Approximately 200 nations on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to combating climate change enshrined by the Paris Agreement at the annual UN climate conference in Morocco.
This came amid fears that the incoming US administration would backtrack on the deal.
A “Marrakesh Action Proclamation” issued at the conference called on member states to boost funding for projects to cope with the effects of climate change.

China in 2014 participated in joint drills with the US navy off Hawaii with 1,100 soldiers, 40 doctors and several vessels such as the missile frigate Yueyang [Xinhua]
There have been fears among some of Washington’s allies that President-elect Donald Trump could backtrack on the ‘Asia pivot’, which has seen US shift energies from the Middle East to the Pacific.
But senior US military officer Admiral Harry Harris said earlier this week that the new US administration could not shake the country’s resolve to maintain peace and security in the Asia Pacific region.

Can Temer successfully implement tough austerity and reform measures without suffering a public backlash? [Xinhua]
Brazil’s Central Bank on Thursday released data indicating that economic activity rose 0.15 per cent in September compared with August, even as the International Monetary Fund signals there may be light for Brazil at the end of the dark tunnel of chronic economic recession.
An IMF report early Wednesday indicated that South America’s largest economy could be on the verge of a slow and gradual recovery.

Putin said that Russia would withdraw its signature as a founder of the ICC [PPIO]
The Russian foreign Ministry on Wednesday said it was withdrawing its signature from the founding document that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Saying that it was acting on orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry accused the court of failing to “live up to the hopes associated with it” and that it “did not become truly independent”.

Erdogan wants to link China’s One Belt, One Road trade initiative with Turkey’s “Middle Corridor” project [Xinhua]
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and PM Binali Yildirim in Ankara on Monday to address issues concerning strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The AIIB now has 57 members, including Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany and Italy [Xinhua]
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters he welcomed the prospect of the US joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
“It would be a good thing if the United States, the world’s largest economy, were to join the AIIB. We have held this attitude since the very beginning,” he said in response to a question about the new White House administration reversing its opposition to the bank now that a Republican has been elected.