&w=3840&q=100)
S Jaishankar to visit China for SCO foreign ministers' meet in Tianjin
The Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO will be held in Tianjin on July 15, a statement by a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry here said on Saturday.
In addition to attending the SCO meeting, Jaishankar will also pay a visit to China, the spokesperson said, without specifying it.
At the invitation of the member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, foreign ministers of other SCO member states and heads of the bloc's permanent bodies will attend the meeting, the statement said.
The ministers will exchange views on SCO cooperation in various fields and major international and regional issues, it said.
The SCO comprises 10 member states - China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
A host of issues between the two countries, including the current normalisation process between the two countries, China's stoppage of the key rare earth metals required to manufacture a host of products, including automobiles, are expected to figure in the talks.
Earlier, reports said that Jaishankar will visit Beijing on July 13 for talks with Wang.
Jaishankar's visit follows the recent visits of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to China.
It would be Jaishankar's first visit to China after the ties between the two countries came under severe strain following the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
Wang may also visit India this month to hold a fresh round of talks with NSA Doval under the framework of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary dispute, it is learnt.
Both Wang and Doval are the designated SRs of the boundary mechanism. Both countries held 23 rounds of talks under the SRs mechanism to resolve the vexed boundary dispute spanning 3,488 km, but without success.
Defence Minister Singh travelled to the Chinese port city of Qingdao last month to participate in the SCO defence ministers' conference.
China is the current chair of the SCO, and it is hosting the meetings of the grouping in that capacity.
During his talks with Chinese Defence Minister Gen Dong Jun on June 26, Singh proposed that India and China should solve the "complex issues" under a structured roadmap comprising steps to de-escalate tensions along the frontiers and rejuvenate the existing mechanism to demarcate the borders.
Singh and Dong held bilateral talks on the sidelines of a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) with a focus on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Singh had also emphasised the need to create "good neighbourly conditions" to achieve the best mutual benefits and called for "taking action on the ground" to bridge the "trust deficit" resulting from the 2020 eastern Ladakh border standoff, according to an Indian readout on the meeting on June 27.
Reacting to Singh's statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had said the boundary question is complicated, and it takes time to settle it.
The military standoff between China and India in eastern Ladakh began in May 2020, and a deadly clash at the Galwan Valley in June that year resulted in a severe strain in ties between the two neighbours.
The face-off effectively ended following completion of the disengagement process from the last two friction points of Demchok and Depsang under an agreement finalised on October 21.
China and India are currently in the process of normalising relations.
The decision to revive the SR mechanism and other such dialogue formats was taken at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Kazan, Russia, on October 23.
The Modi-Xi meeting came two days after India and China firmed up a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok.
In the last few months, India and China have initiated a number of measures to repair the bilateral ties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
When an opaque Election Commission demands voter transparency
In 1766, Sweden enacted the world's first law recognising a people's right to access information from their government. Interestingly, its advocates employed a tailored image of governance mechanisms in Imperial China to support their campaign for a law that guaranteed the freedom of the press to report on governmental actions and curbed State censorship of public debate. Citing the Peking Gazette, whose origins can be traced to the Tang Dynasty's regime, they argued that it was the vehicle for communicating information about governmental action to the people and conveying their feedback to the Emperor – characteristic features of transparent and accountable academics have exposed this propagandist, though noble-intentioned, portrayal of pre-Communist China's administrative practices. Information flows from the capital to the populace were strictly controlled by a conservative bureaucracy, and commenting on the Peking Gazette's contents invited corporal punishment or even the death penalty. While eulogising the Chinese model in support of their democratising aspirations, Sweden's transparency champions had turned a blind eye towards the highly centralised and control-obsessed administration's efforts to gather more information about subjects of the recent order of our own Election Commission of India (ECI) requiring every voter in Bihar to prove one's place and date of birth as a bona fide Indian citizen by furnishing documentary evidence, or risk disenfranchisement, smacks of similar imperiousness. Yet, after 20 years of implementing the RTI Act, which emphasises records maintenance, the ECI has shockingly claimed that it is unable to produce a copy of a similar order for the intensive revision of voter lists in Bihar issued in 2003. While the ballot has been digitised, old paper-based files containing a record of the ECI's work seem to have escaped that destiny. Two years ago, its staff told me, a lot of information sent from the states and the districts about recent elections, simply cannot be traced in the multi-storeyed Nirvachan readers dismiss my words as hearsay, here is a sample of election-related records which the ECI claimed, in RTI replies, it does not hold or never received from the states relating to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. When asked for the complete list of Returning Officers (ROs) of the constituencies (as they are not displayed on the website), the ECI replied nonchalantly that no such list is available with it and refused to transfer the request to the states and the UTs!.In response to my RTI application seeking a list of expenditure-sensitive Lok Sabha constituencies that must be monitored more closely for campaign spending, the ECI replied that it does not have a readily available list and compiling it would disproportionately divert its resources. It also rejected a proactive disclosure of the expenditure observers' quizzed about the suspicious transaction reports (STRs) received from banks that are required to monitor large-sized monetary transactions during the campaign, the ECI claimed that no such information is available with it. Refusing to disclose even the number of STRs it received, ECI instructed me to approach the district election officers asked for a copy of the reports ROs send after scrutinising all documents created during polling, the ECI replied that the records sought do not even fall within the definition of 'information' under the RTI Act! In the wake of the controversy about voter turnout figures in Maharashtra last year, the ECI told me, in writing, that it does not have information about the number of voters who were issued pre-numbered tokens to cast their vote after 5 pm even though its election manual requires ROs to submit such reports through their Chief Electoral asked to publish reports sent by the states after mapping Lok Sabha constituencies, or pockets within them, where voters are vulnerable to intimidation and illegal inducement, the ECI claimed that it does not have such information in its records. This lie stands exposed. An RTI activist successfully obtained these vulnerability mapping reports from Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer. They were dispatched to the ECI on March 27, 2024!.Much like the no-data-available governments holding fort across the country, the ECI is turning crucial election-related information into sarkari secrets, especially that which is required to establish its accountability. The citizen-State relationship envisioned by the Constitution to guarantee the dignity of every individual is in danger of becoming a master-servant fetter. Bihar seems to be the laboratory for an iniquitous experiment that might soon be repeated across the country.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
Centre to provide technology to private factories to ramp up rare earth magnet production: Kishan Reddy
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 12 (ANI): The Centre is trying to make available technology in three to four months to different private factories to ramp up rare earth magnets production in India, said Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy. 'We used to be 100% dependent on China for permanent magnets of the rare earths. But recently, China has refused to supply. With this view, the Indian government is making efforts for permanent magnet manufacturing,' Kishan Reddy told ANI. 'Our mining ministry's institute in Hyderabad has made efforts and prepared a permanent magnet processing unit with equipment. After three to four months, we will try to manufacture permanent magnets by giving the technology to different private factories. For this, the Indian government has also started some PLI schemes to encourage it. We are paying attention to this subject,' he added. He said that PM Modi has continuously discussed the production of magnets in India. 'Recently, during his (PM Modi) visit to 5 countries, discussions were held with different countries on this subject. The raw material of rare earth is also available in less quantity in India. Importing that raw material, processing it, making permanent magnets for it, which is used from cell phones to space technology, including defence, there is a huge demand for this. The Indian government is working seriously for this. This scheme has also been brought under it,' he said. The central government has earmarked Rs 1,345 crore to incentivise rare earth magnets production in India, aimed at building domestic capacity when there are reports of global short supply. Early this April, China announced a decision to implement export controls on certain rare earth-related items, pushing a supply shortage across the world, including India. India was in touch with the Chinese side, seeking predictability in the supply of rare earth metals -- which had been put under the export controls regime by the Xi administration. China's overwhelming control of global rare earth processing - commanding over 90 per cent of the world's magnet production capacity - has created significant vulnerabilities for industries worldwide. These materials are critical across multiple sectors, including automobiles, home appliances, and clean energy systems. Beyond China, there are only a few alternative suppliers of critical minerals. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the setting up of the Critical Mineral Mission in the Union Budget for 2024-25 on July 23, 2024. The Union Cabinet in January 2025 approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) with an expenditure of Rs 16,300 crore and an expected investment of Rs 18,000 crore by Public Sector Undertakings. (ANI)
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
Himachal PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh announces Rs 2 crores interim relief for flood-hit areas
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 12 (ANI): In the wake of devastating rains and landslides across Himachal Pradesh, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh announced immediate financial relief for flood-hit areas. Speaking to ANI, Singh said that an interim sum of Rs 2 crore per constituency has been sanctioned for road restoration in badly affected assembly segments. At the same time, Rs 50 lakh will be allocated to each of the remaining constituencies for emergency infrastructure work. 'After a departmental meeting yesterday, we have decided to release two crore per constituency as interim relief for those areas worst affected by the floods, and Rs 50 lakh for every other assembly constituency,' Singh confirmed. The minister emphasised that ensuring balanced and equitable development across Himachal Pradesh has always been a core objective. 'Balanced development has always been our top priority. The disaster that has struck parts of Himachal, particularly Mandi district, is deeply tragic. I personally visited affected areas such as Nachan, Siraj, Chohar, Karsog, and Dharampur. The worst-hit region is the constituency of former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur,' he noted. He added that the department is compiling a detailed report and will be submitted to the Union Government. 'I will meet Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and also Renu Devi Shivraj Chauhan, the Minister for Rural Development. Since PMGSY roads fall under their purview, I will seek their full cooperation. We are requesting maximum support for Himachal, and this is not a political issue. We must rise above party lines and act with unity,' Singh stated. He took a strong stance against trivialising relief work, particularly referring to recent statements by Kangana Ranaut, without naming her directly. 'Some people make laughable remarks, saying they have no post or power. But when you're elected, you're not just voicing your own concern, as you represent the voice of lakhs of voters,' he said. On Kangana Ranaut's statement showing helplessness, he said that it is unfortunate that an MP is avoiding people in such a critical situation. 'Statements that claim one cannot serve because of a lack of position are unfortunate. Real service goes beyond holding office. Even clearing a drain or fixing a broken road matters deeply to those affected. For them, it's a life-saving act, not a small task,' he said. He continued, warning against opportunistic politics during a crisis. 'I don't want to comment much, but making jokes or smiling in disaster zones is against the very soul of Himachali culture. A public representative should act with dignity, gravity, and compassion. The need of the hour is solidarity.' Singh Said. Singh also said the government has relaxed tendering norms to enable quick work. 'We've allowed offline tenders in severely affected zones to speed up road restoration, JCB deployment, drainage repair, and other emergency works. This flexibility is essential in such emergency conditions,' he explained. Highlighting the economic angle, Singh said restoring roads and transport is crucial for farmers. 'Mandi is a fruit-producing region. The broken road network is hampering the movement of apples, vegetables, and other produce to markets. This causes economic losses to farmers. Reconnecting these areas is our urgent priority,' he said. Calling for greater cooperation from the Centre, Singh expressed disappointment over delays in financial support for past disasters: 'Earlier, a support of Rs 2,000 crore was promised on paper. We hope this is released soon. We must speak with one united voice before the Centre. Whether ruling or opposition, all Himachalis must come together for this cause,' he said. He mentioned that damage assessments are ongoing and the PWD alone has suffered losses between Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore, particularly in Mandi district. On the Postponement of Virbhadra Singh's Statue Inauguration, Vikramaditya Singh also addressed the planned inauguration of a statue of former CM Virbhadra Singh, originally scheduled for July 15 at Shimla's Ridge. 'Given the current situation, so many deaths, people displaced, massive suffering--it would be inappropriate to hold any celebratory event. The event has been postponed, and a new date will be finalised later after consultation with the party leadership,' Singh said. 'My father, Virbhadra Singh, served six terms as CM. He always stood by the people in tough times. Honouring his legacy must also reflect compassion and timing,' he said. Singh further said that the state government is fully committed to both short-term relief and long-term reconstruction. 'I have toured the affected regions personally and spoken with people. PWD teams are working relentlessly on the ground. Whether it's a small job or a major restoration, we treat every task with seriousness. Our goal remains the equitable development of all of Himachal Pradesh, and I assure the people of the state of our full commitment during this crisis, ' he affirmed. (ANI)
