BRICS announce joint cybersecurity group

The Brics Post, December 7, 2013

BRICS said they would step up cooperation
 and vigilance for maintaining global and
regional peace [Xinhua]

BRICS on Friday agreed on the establishment of an expert working group on cyber-security that will meet in early 2014, in South Africa, to finalize concrete set of proposals for adoption by the leaders’ summit. The move was announced after a meet of the national security advisors of the five countries.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said on Friday that BRICS would step up cooperation and vigilance for maintaining global and regional peace.

Yang was addressing the BRICS meet on national security in South Africa’s Cape Town.

The group of five also discussed measures to boost cyber-security in the wake of the recent US snooping revelations. Brazil has successfully mustered enough support to get a “right to privacy” resolution co-drafted with Germany passed by the UN earlier in November.

China said BRICS must take cognizance of the new security challenges facing the world.

In a separate meeting with Shivshankar Menon, India’s national security advisor, Yang said China hoped the two sides would enhance coordination in regional and international affairs.

To combat terror challenges, BRICS agreed to share best practices, capacity building and information and intelligence, said a statement released after the meet.

China is stepping up its campaign against terrorism after a recent suicide attack at the Forbidden City overlooking Tiananmen square.

Authorities termed that incident a “terrorist attack” and have said that it was carried out by several people with links to a separatist group known as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement from China’s far-western Xinjiang region, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

Unlike China where incidents of targeted terror-related violence has been sparse, India has been among the most affected by terrorist attacks.

The Global Terrorism Index – published in December 2012 by the US and Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace think tank ranked India among the top four nations which has been a target of terror.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the five nations also agreed to step up coordination towards conflict resolution in troubled regions including the African continent.