Citing active participation by India and China in BRICS despite differences, Chinese official media on Saturday decried West’s “bad mouthing” of the 5-nation bloc, saying disagreements among the members are “minor” and cooperation is the norm.
“BRICS countries themselves are different in many aspects. China and India have lived with territorial disputes, but the geopolitical contention between them is mostly hyped by some ill-intentioned people,” state-run Global Times said on the BRICS summit in Goa beginning on Saturday.
In an editorial titled ‘West’s bad-mouthing won’t harm BRICS’, the daily said the bloc is not “targeted against anyone, and disagreements among its member countries are minor issues”. “Cooperation is the norm, and disagreements are natural,” it said.
“BRICS countries boast rich natural and human resources, huge markets and policy potential. As political stability expands in emerging countries, the late-developer advantage will help them overcome obstacles. It’s almost certain that the BRICS countries will maintain a faster pace of economic development in the mid to long term compared with the developed ones,” the editorial said.