Putin presides over BRICS summit seeking to expand Russia's clout

KAZAN, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday presided over a closing session of a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, hailing its role as a counterbalance to the West.

The three-day summit in the city of Kazan covered the deepening of financial cooperation, including the development of alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems, as well as settling regional conflicts and moving to expand the BRICS group of countries.

The alliance that initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has expanded to embrace Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have formally applied to become members, and several other countries have expressed interest in joining.

Speaking during Thursday's session, which included countries that consider joining the grouping, Putin said they all "share similar aspirations and values and a vision of new democratic global order.”

The summit was attended by 36 countries, highlighting the failure of U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine. The Kremlin touted the summit as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” by Russia.

Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network SWIFT and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners.

In a joint declaration issued Wednesday, the summit participants voiced concern about “the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions” and reiterated their commitment to enhancing financial cooperation within BRICS. They noted the benefits of “faster, low-cost, more efficient, transparent, safe and inclusive cross-border payment instruments built upon the principle of minimizing trade barriers and non-discriminatory access.”

China's President Xi Jinping has emphasized the bloc’s role in ensuring global security. Xi noted that China and Brazil have put forward a peace plan for Ukraine and sought to rally broader international support for it. Ukraine has rejected the proposal.

Putin and Xi had announced a “no-limits” partnership weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. They already met twice earlier this year, in Beijing in May and at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kazakhstan in July.

Russia’s cooperation with India has also flourished as New Delhi sees Moscow as a time-tested partner since Cold War times despite Russia’s close ties with India’s main rival, China. While Western allies want India to be more active in persuading Moscow to end the fighting in Ukraine, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has avoided condemning Russia while emphasizing a peaceful settlement.

Putin, who held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, was set to meet Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is making his first visit to Russia in more than two years. Guterres’s trip to Kazan has drawn an angry reaction from Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa shake hands during a family photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

The heads of delegations pose for a family photo prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during posing for a family photo prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

The heads of delegations pose for a family photo prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa laugh during a family photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a family photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and other participants pose for a family photo prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov, Pool Photo via AP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian patrol ships drove a Chinese coast guard vessel away from a survey vessel in a disputed area of the South China Sea for the second time in three days, Indonesian authorities said Thursday.

Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency said a Chinese ship approached the MV Geo Coral on Monday and Wednesday, interrupting a seismic data survey being conducted by the state energy company PT Pertamina in a part of the South China Sea claimed by both countries.

Asked about the Indonesian statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Coast Guard vessel had carried out routine patrols in waters under Chinese jurisdiction. “China is ready to enhance communication and consultation with Indonesia through diplomatic channels and properly handle maritime differences between the two countries,” he added.

China’s “nine-dash line,” which it uses to roughly demarcate its claim to most of the South China Sea, overlaps with a section of Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone that extends from the Natuna Islands.

Indonesia does not have a formal territorial dispute with China over the South China Sea but has become increasingly protective of its rights in the region, while Chinese ships have regularly entered the area Indonesia calls the North Natuna Sea, fueling tensions between the countries.

Indonesian authorities said the Chinese coast guard ship CCG 5402 was first detected near MV Geo Coral on Monday. An Indonesian patrol ship contacted the ship, whose crew insisted that the area was under China's jurisdiction before Indonesian coast guard and navy ships drove the Chinese ship away.

On Wednesday morning, the Chinese ship again approached the site of the seismic survey and was driven away, according to the Maritime Security Agency.

Earlier, the agency had said the second encounter took place Thursday morning.

A video distributed by the agency showed Indonesian coast guard officers speaking to their Chinese counterparts by radio and the China’s coast guard officials.

“This is China Coast Guard 5402. China has indisputable authority over Nansha islands and the adjacent waters,” says the the Chinese officer. “Chinese Coast Guard regular patrol in and above these domestic jurisdictional waters is unquestionable."

The Indonesian coast guard officer replies that the China’s vessel was in Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

“Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency will continue to conduct intensive patrols and monitoring in the waters of North Natuna to ensure that seismic survey activities run smoothly and maintain Indonesia’s sovereignty and sovereign rights,” said the statement.

Clashes at sea between China and its maritime rivals have become increasingly common in recent years, driving tensions especially with the Philippines and Vietnam. Chinese ships also regularly patrol off the island of Borneo and near James Shoal east of the Natuna islands, China’s southernmost territorial claim which Malaysia says belongs to it.

China’s construction and militarization of islands in the South China Sea have increased tensions as the U.S. and others have challenged China’s claims with the dispatch of ships and planes to assert the right to freedom of navigation.

A 2016 international arbitration ruling involving the Philippines invalidated most of China’s sweeping claims in the sea, but China has ignored the ruling and called it a sham.

China has in the past explained its presence in the waters on the basis of “traditional fishing rights.”

In this undated released by Indonesian Maritime Security Agency (BAKAMLA), a Maritime Security Agency uses a binocular to monitor the movement of a a Chinese coast guard vessel in the water of North Natuna Sea in the disputed area of the South China Sea, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (BAKAMLA via AP)