Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar has called for BRICS to prepare to meet the onslaught on the global trade system, which is also aimed particularly at the group and singles out some members. “As rising protectionism, tariff volatility and non-tariff barriers impact trade flows, BRICS must defend the multilateral trading system”, he told the group’s foreign ministers in New York on September 27.
US President Donald Trump has threatened BRICS members that he would impose an extra tariff for being part of it, and has separately, on other grounds, imposed total tariffs of 50 per cent on India and Brazil, and 30 per cent on most imports from South Africa. While speaking of the risks BRICS is facing, Jaishankar did not name the US.
Ethiopia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadera Abera Admassu, who participated in the meeting, also proposed joint action. He said on X, “I called for stronger collective action to tackle global challenges”. “BRICS has a historic role to play in advancing peace, reforming global institutions, and in shaping a fairer, more secure world for the Global South”, he said. Jaishankar said on X, “When multilateralism is under stress, BRICS has stood firm as a strong voice of reason and constructive change”. Jaishankar also participated in the foreign ministers’ meeting of IBSA, the India, Brazil and South Africa group of democracies that are also emerging economies on three continents. He wrote on X, “IBSA made a strong call for the transformative reform of the UNSC (Security Council). Discussions (were) also on IBSA Academic Forum, maritime exercise, Trust Fund and intra-IBSA trade”.