Avoiding trade curbs vital for normalisation of ties, India tells China
India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Wang Yi in Beijing during his first trip to the country since 2020, when a deadly border clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff and damaged ties until a thaw began in October, when they agreed to step back.
'Good progress' made by the countries in the past nine months for normalisation of relations is a result of the resolution of friction along their border, Jaishankar told Wang.
India and China share a 3,800 km (2,400 miles) border that is poorly demarcated and has been disputed since the 1950s.
China, India to hold high-level talks over contested border
They fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962 and talks over the decades to settle the border dispute have made slow progress.
Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that the two countries should seek a 'permanent solution' to the border dispute, seen as a new push by New Delhi for a conclusive outcome.
'It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation,' Jaishankar said, adding that it was also critical that restrictive trade measures and roadblocks be avoided to foster mutually beneficial cooperation.
The minister was speaking in the backdrop of Beijing's restrictions in recent months on supplies of critical minerals such as rare earth magnets and machinery for manufacturing of high-tech goods.
India holds the world's fifth-largest rare earth reserves but its domestic output remains underdeveloped.
There was no immediate Chinese readout of the talks between Jaishankar and Wang.
Jaishankar, who is in China to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng earlier in the day, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
India and China should steadily advance practical cooperation and respect each other's concerns, Han told Jaishankar, Xinhua said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
India seeks to normalise ties with China
India and China must resolve friction along their border, pull back troops, and avoid "restrictive trade measures" to normalise their relationship, India's foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday. India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Wang Yi during his first visit to China since 2020, when a deadly border clash led to a four-year military standoff and damaged ties until a thaw began in October. "Good progress" in the past nine months toward normalising relations is due to resolving tensions along their border, Jaishankar told Wang. The positive momentum in bilateral ties is "hard-won and should be cherished," Wang said, adding that the two countries should enhance political trust, properly handle differences, and expand exchanges and cooperation. "The two sides should trust each other rather than suspect each other, cooperate with each other rather than compete with each other," Wang said, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry. India and China share a 3,800 km (2,400 miles) border that is poorly demarcated and has been disputed since the 1950s. The two countries fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962, and decades of talks have made limited progress. Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that both sides should work toward a permanent solution to the border dispute. "It is now incumbent on us to address other aspects related to the border, including de-escalation," Jaishankar said, adding that avoiding restrictive trade measures and roadblocks is also critical to fostering mutually beneficial cooperation. Jaishankar's remarks come against the backdrop of recent Chinese restrictions on the export of critical minerals such as rare earth magnets and high-tech manufacturing machinery. India has the world's fifth-largest rare earth reserves, but its domestic production remains underdeveloped. "China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with India to jointly safeguard the multilateral trading system and the stability of global industrial and supply chains," Wang told Jaishankar. Reuters
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Govt plans to expand Hajj quota
The federal government is finalising a new Hajj policy that will request an expanded quota of 255,000 pilgrims for Pakistan next year, up from this year's 189,000. The policy, which is being prepared in consultation with stakeholders and will soon be tabled before the cabinet, also aims to explore the resumption of Hajj travel by sea and extend Saudi Arabia's "Road to Makkah" immigration facility to more Pakistani airports. The developments were shared during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Monday. The panel met under the chairmanship of Malik Amir Dogar at the Parliament House, where Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf gave a comprehensive briefing on this year's Hajj arrangements. He said this year's pilgrimage was "one of the most successful in recent memory", adding that the Saudi government and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the Pakistani authorities for the well-executed operations. "For the first time, Pakistan received an 'Excellence Award' from the Saudi government for its outstanding Hajj management," he told the committee. He added that Pakistani pilgrims were provided with air-conditioned facilities at key ritual sites including Arafat. Yousaf said a new Hajj policy is being formulated under the instructions of the prime minister and in line with Saudi guidelines, and would soon be presented before the federal cabinet. Members of the committee were invited to share suggestions for the new policy. He added that the Saudi authorities had already issued their updated Hajj policy on 12th Dhul Hijjah. Regarding registration for Hajj 2025, the minister revealed that over 455,000 people had already signed up. "Pakistan's previous quota was 189,000 pilgrims. Next year, we hope to receive an expanded quota of 255,000, for which we've submitted a request to the Saudi authorities," he added. The committee also discussed reducing Hajj costs by offering installment-based payment options, resuming travel by sea routes and limiting the use of luxury accommodations. Without mahram During the session, the committee also discussed the Saudi government's recent policy allowing women to perform Hajj and Umrah without a mahram (male guardian). While the minister confirmed that no Pakistani pilgrims were assigned to any Indian company - clarifying that a firm named "Asia Bhart" was mistaken for an Indian entity due to its name - a member raised religious concerns. The committee subsequently decided to seek the opinion of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on the permissibility of women travelling without a mahram for pilgrimage under Islamic teachings.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Milan court flags LVMH brand for labour abuse
An Italian court has placed LVMH group's high-end Italian cashmere firm Loro Piana under judicial administration for a year after allegedly uncovering worker abuse inside its supply chain, in the latest in a string of cases that have tainted the image of Italy's luxury brands. Loro Piana Spa is the fifth fashion company to be targeted by the same Milan court for similar labour issues since 2023, according to the 26-page ruling reviewed by Reuters on Monday. Units of fashion brands Valentino, LVMH's Dior, Italy's Armani, and Italian handbag company Alviero Martini were also placed under administration. The court found that Loro Piana, which makes cashmere clothing, subcontracted its production through two front firms with no actual manufacturing capacity to Chinese-owned workshops in Italy that it said exploited workers. The Milan court found Loro Piana "culpably failed" to adequately oversee its suppliers in order to pursue higher profits, according to the ruling. The court in its ruling also appointed an external administrator to verify the company meets all the judges' demands on control of its supply chain. Loro Piana declined to comment. LVMH was not immediately available for comment. The administration will be lifted earlier if the unit brings its practices into line with legal requirements, as was the case with Dior, Armani and Alviero Martini previously targeted by the court. LVMH, the world's biggest luxury group, acquired 80 per cent of Loro Piana in July 2013, leaving 20 per cent in the hands of the Italian family that founded the company. In their ruling, the Milan judges wrote that despite the previous cases being widely reported "this production chain, headed by Loro Piana, has continued to operate until now". In its ruling, the court also emphasises that this kept going even after representatives of Italy's fashion brands signed an accord in May with legal and political authorities to fight worker exploitation. The owners of the contracting and subcontracting companies are under investigation by Milan prosecutors for exploiting workers and employing people off the books. Loro Piana Spa itself faces no criminal probe. The prosecutors in the case said the violation of rules among fashion companies in Italy was "a generalised and consolidated manufacturing method". Italy is home to thousands of small manufacturers that make up 50-55 per cent of global luxury goods production, consultancy Bain has calculated. Reuters
