Pakistan and the BRICS Plus in the New Era:A Perspective of Neo-Functionalism

China proposed the idea of‘BRICS Plus’in 2017.However,this hint exasperated India owing to its diverse political and strategic preferences.Conspicuously,the reason for India’s disapproval relates to a probable role for Pakistan through the BRICS plus.Particularly,in the backdrop is China’s progress on regional integration through the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)and the significance extended to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC).In fact,inimical impulses for Pakistan were also felt when India attempted to label Pakistan as a country‘promoting state-sponsored terrorism’through a BRICS summit held in Goa in 2016;the move was later vetoed both by China and Russia.Meanwhile,India’s bilateral relations with China also lacked synergy,which sometimes impact their interaction within the BRICS framework.If viewed through the Neo-Functionalism framework and its concept of‘spill-over,’BRICS plus can reinforce incentives of cooperation in various sectors within a larger group of countries.Interest groups will begin to flourish at a regional level and domestically these groups will lobby their governments to further integrate.This will be overall critical for BRICS in order to steadily engage the world order as a multilateral forum.The question is,will India let go of bilateralism and accept the role of regional countries,particularly Pakistan?This article intends to explore the very concept of the transregional organisation of BRICS and the impact of the nature of relations between India and China.It also illustrates how states in the region,specifically Pakistan,have an intrinsic potential to complement the transregional agenda of BRICS and BRICS plus,particularly through its strategic geographic location and CPEC.For the persistent rise of BRICS,members will have to let go of bilateralism and allow the countries on the periphery to play their role.

Reflections on New Trends in the Oil Market and China-Saudi Arabia Energy Cooperation

President Xi Jinping defined energy cooperation as the‘core of cooperation’between China and Arab states,as he addressed the opening ceremony of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum(CASCF)Ministerial Meeting in 2014.1 China and Saudi Arabia,respectively the world’s most important oil importer and exporter,recognise the pivotal status of energy cooperation in bilateral ties.In 2018,Saudi Arabia exported 61.2 million ton of oil(crude oil and oil products)to China,representing the second largest source of supply of China and 11.2%of China’s total oil imports,while China represented the largest oil export market,absorbing 14.4%of Saudi oil export of 2018.The bilateral investment has also started.Saudi Arabia has already constructed and is planning to construct five major petrochemical projects while China and Saudi Arabia have jointly constructed a refinery in Saudi Arabia.New trends are occurring in the global oil market.On the one hand,a tendency of long-term over-supply and low prices has emerged;on the other hand,the competition of oil supply is shifting to Asia.However,these market changes would not weaken China-Saudi energy cooperation.On the contrary,they give more reasons for both sides to strengthen cooperation,so as to address common challenges,especially to promote peace and stability of the Middle East,rationalisation of oil prices,diversification of oil trade denominated currencies,mutual investment in energy field and joint development of renewables.These trends have also indicated the direction for bilateral cooperation to address the challenges.It would be advisable for both countries to open up new prospects in energy cooperation based on the new concept of a community of energy security.