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Russia and China Seek RIC Revival as India Hesitates
RIC is a group made up of Russia, India and China.
It was created before the larger BRICS group.
Russia and China now want to make RIC active again.
They say it could help regional and global stability.
They may also use it to connect payment systems and trade in their own currencies.
India has not clearly agreed to revive the group.
India is cautious because it still has disagreements with China over their border.
India also wants to maintain relationships with both Washington and Moscow.
Because the three countries have different goals, it is uncertain whether RIC will become a tightly united bloc.
Russia, India and China formed RIC in the late 1990s to promote a multipolar world order.
RIC became the foundation for BRIC after Brazil joined in 2004, followed by South Africa’s addition.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on January 20, 2026, that Moscow is working to revive RIC.
Russia and China support renewed cooperation, including payment systems and national-currency energy trade.
India remains cautious because of unresolved border tensions with China and its strategic balancing between Washington and Moscow.
- Who
- Russia, India and China, with Russia and China supporting renewed RIC activity and India remaining cautious.
- What
- The countries are considering reviving the long-dormant Russia-India-China trilateral grouping.
- Where
- The grouping concerns cooperation among Russia, India and China; the articles specifically mention India-China border tensions in Ladakh.
- When
- RIC was formulated in the late 1990s; Sergey Lavrov announced Russia’s revival effort on January 20, 2026.
- Why
- Russia and China see strategic value in closer coordination, while India’s unresolved border issues and broader strategic balancing complicate the revival.
Revival Advocates
Indian Caution
Strategic purpose
Revival Advocates
Russia and China view RIC as useful for strengthening their standing, supporting regional and global stability, and signaling resistance to Western isolation.
Indian Caution
India is reluctant to join a tightly coordinated bloc that could be viewed as anti-Western.
Economic coordination
Revival Advocates
Russia could use RIC to coordinate sanctions-evasion mechanisms, including linked payment systems and national-currency energy trade.
Indian Caution
India has not explicitly endorsed this approach and has remained reserved about reviving the format.
Relations among members
Revival Advocates
Russia and China have clear incentives to formalize RIC and have expressed support for renewed activity.
Indian Caution
India’s unresolved border tensions with China make deeper trilateral coordination difficult; New Delhi has said its China relationship depends on progress at the border.
Key facts
- RIC members
- Russia, India and China
- Origin
- The grouping was formulated in the late 1990s by Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov.
- Relationship to BRICS
- RIC preceded BRICS and became its core foundation after Brazil joined in 2004.
- Revival announcement
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the effort on January 20, 2026.
- Proposed cooperation
- Reports mention integrating SPFS, CIPS and UPI payment systems and using national currencies for energy trade.
- Main obstacle
- India’s unresolved border tensions with China, including the 2020 clashes in Ladakh, have kept it cautious.
- Current status
- The mechanism has remained largely inactive since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 India-China border clashes.
Sources
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