NEW DELHI: The first summit of the heads of government of the Quad—India, U.S., Japan and Australia—is expected as early as this week. It comes at a time the Biden administration has marked China as its biggest challenge. The other three countries in the Quad too have been at the receiving end of Chinese aggression […]Read More
India has quietly told the United States and other western nations eager to impose sanctions against Myanmar for the recent military coup to not take the extreme step, lest the junta is left with no alternative but to go straight into Chinese arms. New Delhi, after a detailed assessment of the Myanmar situation, has decided […]Read More
China Targets 6 Per Cent Growth China has set a growth target of 6 per cent this year. Delivering the annual work report to the National People’s Congress, Premier Li Keqiang said: “In setting this target we have taken into account the recovery of economic activity.” He claimed that China was the only major economy to achieve positive […]Read More
NEW DELHI: They’re popularly referred to as ‘the seven sisters’— seven contiguous states that lie to the east of the Siliguri Corridor. But the region is equally diverse when it comes to terrain, biodiversity, culture, language and history. Many of these aspects remain largely unknown to the rest of India. In the first of a two-part […]Read More
New Delhi: The U.S. has released its interim National Security Strategic Guidance with President Joe Biden‘s vision on how America will engage with the world, and to provide guidance as the administration begins work on a National Security Strategy. On ‘Talking Point’ , Aman Thakker, Adjunct Fellow, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, Centre for […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Tomorrow and the day after, China will kick off separate meetings of the country’s top advisory and legislative bodies—Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC), respectively. Two sessions, as the annual gatherings are called, offer insights into the government’s focus areas and the direction of governance. This year’s […]Read More
NEW DELHI: On ‘The Gist’, Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India’s former envoy to Myanmar takes a deep dive into the crackdown post the military coup, the killing of reportedly over 30 protesters, India’s restrained statements, China’s position, U.S. and western sanctions, ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement. In this discussion with […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The Sri Lankan Cabinet’s approval on Monday to develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) of the Colombo Port jointly with India and Japan under a public-private partnership model has come after considerable back-channel diplomacy and negotiations for over a month involving India, Japan and Sri Lanka. The WCT will be developed on a […]Read More
NEW DELHI: There’s relative calm along India’s western and northern frontiers—along the Line of Actual Control with Pakistan and along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, with China. While the Director Generals of India and Pakistan have spoken and renewed the pledge to adhere to ceasefire, the Corps Commanders of India and China have […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Is the contemporary race for one-upmanship between the United States and China rooted in the past? Forty nine years ago this week then U.S. President Richard Nixon and his NSA Henry Kissinger embarked on a historic visit to China, which ultimately led to resumption of formal bilateral ties and opened China’s door to […]Read More
Xi’s ‘Complete Victory’ Against Poverty Chinese state media outlets are extremely impressed by President Xi Jinping’s declaration that he has lifted his countrymen out of absolute poverty. What this means, according to the government, is that 100 million rural people in 832 impoverished counties have running water and some level of income. This ensures a […]Read More
“We did what we had to do.” NEW DELHI: With those words, India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar underscored the government’s common approach to the three challenges of 2020: the border dispute with China, Covid-19 and the economic impact of the pandemic. As he put it, “There was an active debate which continues to […]Read More
NEW DELHI: On ‘Talking Point’, Ambassador Freddy Svane discusses relations being elevated to a Green Strategic Partnership at the virtual summit between Prime Ministers Mette Frederiksen and Narendra Modi on September 28, 2020, how the action plan is progressing, Denmark’s wind energy artificial islands that are planned to supply four million households power, how Copenhagen can help […]Read More
NEW DELHI: A UK court has ruled that fugitive Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi can be sent to India to stand trial in the 14000-crore PNB scam. He is currently detained in Wandsworth Prison near London. The magistrate rejected Modi’s plea that extraditing him to India would be a violation of his human rights. The final […]Read More
NEW DELHI: The US interest in Syria has been relatively much less when one looks at its attitude towards the rest of the region. With an estimated 500 troops in the country, which is next to nothing compared with the other major actors such as Russia, Turkey and Iran, talk has been on for some […]Read More
NEW DELHI: Iran has welcomed India’s renewed interest and investment in the port of Chabahar but said other countries are also welcome. “The installations are evidently increasing at the port and Indians are fulfilling their commitments to equip, develop and operate Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar,” Mohammad Eslami, Minister for Roads & Urban Development was […]Read More
NEW DELHI: “Trust but verify.” With those words, India’s Army Chief Gen. MM Naravane underscored the approach to disengagement with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Ladakh. “We have systems in place to ensure no re-occupation of the heights and we can only hope the PLA will adhere to the principles agreed upon in toto. […]Read More
LEH: With disengagement at the north and south banks of Pangong Tso completed, the Corps Commanders of India and China began the 10th round of talks earlier today to discuss other friction areas. The disengagement came nine months after the Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Although India was surprised […]Read More
China’s Revolutionaries China was thought to have left its Leftist past behind. But things are changing. In an age of rising unemployment, peer and academic pressure, increased surveillance and censorship, some students are turning to their country’s Leftist past. And this is being expressed primarily through songs. Chinese music streaming site NetEase Cloud Music is […]Read More
NEW DELHI: On ‘Talking Point’, Foreign Secretary Harsh V. Shringla’s Moscow visit, India-Russia relations, China, the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. The panellists Dr Alexey Kupriyanov, Head of the Research Group on South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences and Nandan Unnikrishnan, […]Read More