Russia-India-China (RIC)? What is RIC ? UPSC Daily Current Affairs/8 Aug 2025

After years of inactivity, Russia renewed its push to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) mechanism, with China also supporting the idea. This comes amid all three nations face some kind of push from Trump, be it on tariffs or to reach a peace deal with Ukraine.

Origins and Proposal (Late 1990s)

• The RIC concept was first proposed by Yevgeny Primakov, the former Russian Prime Minister and later Foreign Minister, in 1998.
• Context:

• • The post-Cold War unipolar world was dominated by the United States.
  • Primakov envisioned a multipolar world order where large Eurasian powers could act as a balancing force.

• The idea was to foster strategic cooperation among Russia, India, and China in political, economic, and security matters.

Early Development and Meetings (2000–2006)

• The first trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers took place in New York in 2002, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
• The cooperation was initially informal and focused on:

• Counterterrorism
• Trade
• Multipolarity in global governance

• All three opposed unilateral military interventions like the U.S.-led Iraq War (2003).

Institutionalisation and Expansion (2006–2010)

• The RIC meetings became more regular and were upgraded to include annual foreign minister-level meetings.
• Key themes:

• Reform of global institutions like the UN, WTO, and IMF.
• Greater cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

• By this period, RIC began to be seen as a precursor to BRIC (later BRICS) with the inclusion of Brazil and South Africa.

Strategic Cooperation and Divergences (2010–2019)

• RIC played a role in global climate change negotiations, countering Western pressure.
• Coordination in forums like G20 and BRICS summits became common.
• Differences emerged:

• India’s growing closeness to the U.S. through defence deals and the Quad.
• Border tensions between India and China.

• Despite this, the three continued dialogue, often on the sidelines of BRICS or SCO.

Breakdown after the Galwan Valley Incident (2020)

• June 2020: The Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese forces killed 20 Indian soldiers and further strained ties.
• India-China trust broke down, and RIC became largely inactive as a standalone mechanism.
• Russia attempted to mediate but with limited success.

Recent Signals of Revival (2024–2025)

• Global shifts — including U.S.–China trade wars, Western sanctions on Russia after the Ukraine war, and tariff threats to India — have created a shared interest in non-Western platforms.
• Russia is pushing for RIC revival as part of its pivot to Asia strategy.
• Potential focus areas for revival:

• • De-dollarisation of trade.
  • Alternative payment mechanisms.
  • Joint positions in the UN and SCO.