The BRICS coalition of nations has officially denounced various Islamic terrorist groups affiliated with Pakistan without naming the country, marking a significant victory for India while hinting that China might be changing its position towards its ally Islamabad.
Between September 3 to 5, Beijing is holding the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) annual summit.
Representing the large developing countries, BRICS is considered a rival to the G20 coalition that includes the United States.
In an unprecedented move, BRICS adopted a 43-page “Xiamen Declaration” that expresses “concern” over terrorist groups the U.S. and other countries have accused Pakistan of harboring:
[Afghan] Taliban, [Islamic State] ISIL/DAISH, Al-Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba [LeT], Jaish-e-Mohammad, [Pakistani Taliban]TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir.
China’s support for including those groups came as a surprise given that Beijing has blocked the United Nations’ efforts to designate the Pakistan-linked JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Moreover, China recently defended Pakistan when U.S President Donald Trump blasted Islamabad for providing sanctuary to terrorists fighting and killing American troops in Afghanistan.
Late last year, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission detailed in its annual report to Congress that Islamic terrorist threats against China stemming from Pakistan and, to a lesser extent, Afghanistan “have become more frequent and high profile,” prompting Beijing to rethink its assistance to Pakistan.
This year, a Chinese national was killed by Islamic terrorists in Pakistan.
China has long defended Pakistan, providing more weapons to the Muslim-majority nation than any other nation. Beijing also assists the country economically. Pakistan is expected to play a significant role in China’s ongoing effort to revive the Silk Road.
Although China does not border mainland Pakistan, it does border the Islamabad-controlled Kashmir, a Himalayan region to which Beijing, New Delhi, and Islamabad have competing claims.
China and Afghanistan also share a border.
“We strongly condemn terrorist attacks resulting in death to innocent Afghan nationals,” said BRICS in the declaration. “There is a need for immediate cessation of violence … to promote peace and stability, to the fight against terrorism and drug-threat, and to the national reconstruction efforts by Afghanistan.”
BRIC nations urged the international community to adopt a comprehensive approach to combating terrorism.
The nations said that the approach should include:
Countering radicalization, recruitment, movement of terrorists including Foreign Terrorist Fighters, blocking sources of financing terrorism including, for instance, through organized crime by means of money-laundering, supply of weapons, drug trafficking and other criminal activities, dismantling terrorist bases, and countering misuse of the Internet including social media by terrorist entities through misuse of the latest Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
The population of China’s largest province, which borders both Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Afghanistan, is predominantly Muslim Uighur, some of whom have joined jihadist groups.