SCO & BRICS latest news and insights
— In-depth analysis and comments

The Chinese economy's data for the first two months of 2024 has pleased economists and investors. Retail sales increased by 5.5% in January-February, surpassing the forecast of 5.2% by economists surveyed by Reuters. Industrial production also rose by 7%, exceeding the forecast of 5%. Investments in...

India has not purchased premium grades of Russian oil, including ESPO and Sokol, for the past two months. Despite the expectations of a collapse in Russian exports, this has not occurred. Instead, India is negotiating for additional preferences from Russia due to the decreasing discount on Russian...

By Rhod Mackenzie

Shipping via the sea lanes forms the backbone of trade corridors between the European Union and China, accounting for 90% of trade. According to Eurostat, imports from China in 2022 amounted to 627 billion euros, and exports amounted to 234 billion euros. The largest importer of...

By Pepe Escobar

BRICS doubled its membership at the start of 2024, and faces huge tasks ahead: integrating its newest members, developing future admission criteria, deepening the institution's groundings, and most importantly, launching the mechanisms for bypassing the US dollar in international f...

By Rajiv Bhatia

On 1 January 2024, the chairship of BRICS shifted from South Africa to Russia, with a full agenda in tow. BRICS, a multilateral forum of five nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – made history by accepting the applications of six other states – Argentina, Saudi...

By Rhod Mackenzie

Following the collapse of Russian pipeline gas supplies to Europe due to sanctions and the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, they were replaced by liquefied natural gas (LNG). A fierce struggle unfolded for this and other strategic resources. The main competitors were th...