‘We’re trying to remove all trade barriers’: Onkar Kanwar of BRICS Business Council

NEW DELHI: Onkar Kanwar, chairman of the BRICS Business Council (BBC), emphasised that the major objective of the BRICS partnership is to strengthen multilateralism, eliminate trade barriers, and foster seamless business exchange among member countries.

His remarks came on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil for the BRICS Summit, where economic cooperation and inclusive growth were key themes.

Speaking on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil for the BRICS summit, the chairman of the BRICS Business Council said, “We are trying to remove all the trade barriers and trade between our countries without any barriers. That is the challenge we have, and we are working on that. We can exchange businesses within our own countries, let’s say from Russia to India. We can use local currencies similarly to China, and all these countries, they can use their local and that will be a long way without removing all the barriers”.

#WATCH | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | BRICS Business Council, India Chairman Onkar Kanwar says, “The biggest challenge right now is that the world is going through a crisis… We are trying to make sure that we remove all the trade barriers. That is the challenge we have. We are… pic.twitter.com/zw8pljbsXn

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2025

Kanwar underscored India’s growing leadership in promoting multilateral cooperation, dismantling trade barriers, and driving inclusive digital transformation. Kanwar emphasised the pressing need for BRICS nations to deepen economic cooperation by facilitating smoother trade flows using local currencies. “The biggest challenge, you know, you see in India is that the world is going through a crisis and our job basically is to say how we have a multilateralism”, Kanwar stated.

He pointed to India’s rapid digital transformation as a model for emerging economies. “The basic thing is we are talking of digital India. We have come a long way. We have a special platform. Even if you’ve got the smallest person, even if you are going in three-wheeler or if you go to any shop, he will have that digital that these platforms. We should share with other countries,” he said, adding that Digital India has come a long way and can serve as a blueprint for inclusive tech-driven growth.

#WATCH | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | BRICS Business Council, India Chairman Onkar Kanwar says, “India is a very important country and it is playing a vital role… PM Modi will represent India… The partner countries are supportive and are willing to do what we have said:… pic.twitter.com/Kdq1GhFbqA

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2025

Kanwar lauded Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, recalling his efforts to create a favourable ecosystem for startups which has opened up huge opportunities for the youth. He noted that the BRICS Business Council’s meetings have been “very constructive,” focusing on digital collaboration, youth employment, and industrial cooperation.

The 17th BRICS Leaders’ Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro. During the Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will exchange views on key global issues, including reform of global governance, peace and security, strengthening multilateralism, responsible use of artificial intelligence, climate action, global health, and economic and financial matters.

According to the official statement, the Prime Minister is also likely to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit. For the State Visit to Brazil, the Prime Minister will travel to Brasilia where he will hold bilateral discussions with President Lula on the broadening of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries in areas of mutual interest, including trade, defence, energy, space, technology, agriculture, health and people to people linkages.

BRICS is currently composed of ten countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. (ANI)