July 30, at the Fourth Meeting of the Heads of BRICS Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), Boris Kovalchuk, Chairman of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation, held bilateral negotiations with Hou Kai, Auditor General of the Chinese National Audit Office, and Ms. Atreyee Das, India’s Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General.

During the meeting with the head of SAI China, Boris Kovalchuk noted the high level of the Russian-Chinese relations.

“Relations between our countries are strategic and fair. The supreme audit institutions of Russia and China follow the dynamics of the interstate contacts and have been closely cooperating for more than 25 years. In addition, in April of this year, our SAIs signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which made it possible to open a new page in our cooperation,” 

noted Boris Kovalchuk.

Discussing the prospects for the further development of interdepartmental communication, Boris Kovalchuk suggested that his Chinese colleague might pay attention to audits in government procurement, public debt and pricing.

Meanwhile, at the meeting with SAI India, the parties explored the possibility of sharing knowledge regarding healthcare, energy transition, blue economy and the use of artificial intelligence tools in their work. 

Mr. Kovalchuk and the leadership of SAIs China and India also discussed their plans for taking joint efforts within international audit arrangements (i.e., INTOSAI, ASOSAI, BRICS and SCO). He also told his colleagues about key international projects that the Accounts Chamber ran (e.g., U-INTOSAI, Digital Transformation of Public Sector: Cases and Best Practices, ASOSAI Working Group on Regional and Municipal Audit, etc.), thanked them for their assistance in the implementation of these initiatives and secured support in their further development and promotion.