​Russia, India and China will soon be marking the 20th anniversary of their trilateral dialogue-consultation format (RIC). The idea was proposed (primarily in a scientific sense) by Yevgeny Primakov (who served as Russia’s foreign minister in 1996-1998, and in the 1990s, foresaw the strengthening of Russia, India and China, which eventually made these large continental powers an integral part of the new world order). However, the RIC forum is largely the outcome of an initiative put forward by the outstanding Russian expert in Oriental studies, Professor Mikhail Titarenko, who laid the tradition of annual tripartite meetings of scientists from the three countries.​

The new American initiative for the creation of the Indo-Pacific Partnership (IPP) has grabbed the spotlight in many political discussions of late. Although the idea to set up such a forum was proposed at the end of 2017 and to this day has been no more than a general slogan, now the Trump administration seems set to stake on it. Why?