BRICS News

BRICS member China is the world’s top trading nation [Xinhua]Amid a global slowdown in trade volumes, trade ministers of the five BRICS countries will meet on Thursday in the southern Indian state of Goa. The meeting comes ahead of the 8th BRICS Summit that begins on 15 October.
An important framework to enhance intra-BRICS economic cooperation will be brought into force during the trade ministers meet, according to an Indian government official quoted by Press Trust of India.

Zuma, left, and Kenyatta presided over the signing of six essential MoUs [Xinhua]
Kenya and South Africa on Tuesday agreed to remove any hurdles and barriers to boost trade between them.
South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in the Kenyan capital Nairobi earlier Tuesday on a state visit he hopes will strengthen economic, political, cultural and social ties in several sectors such as agriculture, tourism and infrastructure and investment.

Putin Meeting with Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud in Sochi, Russia on 11 October 2015. Russian and Saudi officials have been meeting a number of times to discuss the oil glut and other regional issues [PPIO]
Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Monday announced that his country is ready to back a Saudi Arabian plan to curb oil production output in a bid to raise subdued oil prices.

The two leaders are expected to discuss a number of vital trade projects, and the Syrian crisis [Xinhua]
The escalating violence in Syria and the growing threat of Islamist extremism will both feature high on the agenda of bilateral talks when Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in Istanbul to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan.

China’s services sector growth, though slightly dipped in September, has maintained an above 50-points level for the past two months, indicating that the economy is doing well [Archives]
Chinese stocks edged up to close higher Monday after a week-long holiday and despite the Central Bank’s move to keep the yuan at a six-year low against the dollar.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index closed 1.45 per cent higher at 3,048.14.
The Shenzhen Composite Index gained 1.65 per cent to 10,741.69.

The five leaders of BRICS met in Ufa, Russia on 9 July 2015 [Xinhua]China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Sunday a free trade area would be “a significant form of cooperation” between BRICS nations.
By setting up a free trade area, BRICS countries would be able to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers, give play to their comparative advantages, and advance trade and investment liberalization between them, MOC spokesperson Shen Danyang said at a press briefing.

Two draft resolution on Syria failed to pass in the Security Council as the rift between Russia and the US appeared to widen [Xinhua]
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said on Sunday that Moscow hopes to continue working with the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to end the conflict in Syria.

De Mistura made an impassioned plea to both Russia and the US to spare the civilians of Aleppo further carnage [Xinhua]
Russia says it backs a proposal by UN Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura for him to personally escort hundreds of Islamist rebels from Aleppo in a bid to save the city from further government attacks.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that his government would persuade the Syrian government to accept the plan.

S-400 surface to air batteries (such as the ones in the Red Square during the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War) in Moscow have been deployed to Syria [Xinhua]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed reports from the military that its forces in Syria have deployed S1, S-300, and S-400 air defense weapons at their airbases there.

Can Ayrault bring Moscow and Washington back to the table over Syria? [Xinhua]
French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault arrives in Moscow later Thursday to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the Syrian crisis.
Ayrault will then fly to Washington to do the same with Secretary of State John Kerry.