'Can Destroy Karachi Port...': Indian Navy's STARK Ultimatum To Pakistan Over New 'Misadventure'
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Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Undeclared emergency@11': Farooq Abdullah calls BJP's rule ‘dangerous', will fight for Indian democracy
Delhi | National Conference president Farooq Abdullah says, "...They talk of Indira Gandhi's emergency. That only lasted for 18 months. This (emergency) has been going on for 11 years. I hope it ends. And I hope people in the Parliament will fight for Indian democracy. That's all I want..." Show more Show less
The Hindu
18 minutes ago
- The Hindu
After 5 years, India to issue visas to Chinese tourists
India will start issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals after a gap of five years, the Indian Embassy in Beijing announced on Wednesday. The announcement, that was called 'positive' by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marks another step in normalising India-China ties ruptured by the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control and Galwan clashes in 2020. According to an official notice posted online and on Chinese social media, the visas can be applied for online beginning from Thursday and obtained after an appointment at the Indian Embassy in Beijing and consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Amidst the bonhomie, Beijing rejected concerns in Delhi and Dhaka about China's latest dam project on the Yarlung Sangpo or Brahmaputra River in Tibet and said it had communicated with both the governments. Responding to a question about the visa issuance on Wednesday, a Chinese MFA spokesperson said that Beijing had taken note of the 'positive move'. 'Easing cross-border travel is widely beneficial. China will maintain communication and consultation with India to further facilitate travel between the two countries,' said spokesperson Guo Jiakun in Beijing. After the Covid pandemic and then violence between the two militaries after China amassed troops at the LAC, both countries had cancelled all flights and most visa services between them. China restored visa applications for Indian students in 2022 and for business and tourism purposes subsequently. It issued an estimated 85,000 visas between January and June 2025. India had issued visas in business and student categories, but not for tourism until now. According to the Ministry of Tourism figures in 2019, before the lockdown, more than 3,00,000 Chinese tourists had visited India and about 8,69,000 Indian tourists had gone to China. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan last October and agreed to restore ties, a series of high-level meetings discussed the next steps, including the start of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. Most recently, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar travelled to China on July 14-16, and met with his counterpart Wang Yi, and also called on Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice-President Hang Zheng, before attending the SCO Council for Foreign Ministers. In an interview to The Hindu, Chinese Ambassaor Xu Feihong said that resuming the Kailash pilgrimage was 'an important initiative taken by China to improve relations between the two countries', indicating that it was India's turn to take the next positive step. Both sides are also working on resuming direct flights between the two countries soon, understood to be announced before PM Modi's visit to China for the SCO summit, which is expected on August 31-September 1, officials said. When asked by reporters about the hydropower project being constructed on the Yarlung Sangpo, Mr. Guo said that it was 'fully within China's sovereignty'. 'China is engaged in cooperation with downstream countries on sharing hydrological data, flood prevention and disaster reduction,' he said, adding that Beijing has had the 'necessary communication' with India and Bangladesh. Construction for the massive 60,000 MW Medog Hydropower station, set to be the world's largest, began last week, and was flagged off by Chinese Premier Li Qiang. In a response in Parliament, the government had said that India had 'registered its concerns' with China over the ecological and disaster risks of the project in December 2024, while the Bangladesh's Ministry of Water Resources had also requested Beijing's response on its concerns in March this year.
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Business Standard
18 minutes ago
- Business Standard
No threat to India from upper Brahmaputra mega dam project, says China
China on Wednesday defended the launch of its massive hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra river in the environmentally sensitive Tibetan region, asserting that the project poses no threat to India or Bangladesh, both downstream countries the river flows through. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a briefing that the dam 'will not have any negative impact on the downstream regions'. He added that China has maintained communication with India and Bangladesh on the matter, and that it continues to share hydrological data and cooperate on flood prevention and disaster relief. The project, which is being developed near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Nyingchi City — close to Arunachal Pradesh — was formally announced by Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday. The river, called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet, flows into India as the Brahmaputra and subsequently into Bangladesh. India is reportedly keeping a close watch on what could become the world's largest hydropower station. The dam is projected to generate over 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — more than the total yearly consumption of the United Kingdom. Why is China building a dam near Arunachal Pradesh? Beijing has positioned the dam as a key component of its green energy ambitions. Incorporated in China's 14th Five-Year Plan and long-term development blueprint through 2035, the project is intended to bolster clean energy production, reduce carbon emissions, and address climate change. According to a Reuters report, the dam could produce as much electricity in a year as the UK consumes. Chinese officials also claim that the project will provide flood control benefits, stimulate infrastructure growth, generate employment, and act as an economic booster for sectors such as construction and equipment manufacturing. With an estimated cost of $167 billion to $170 billion (around 1.2 trillion yuan), it is expected to support China's bond markets and reinforce its energy security goals. Why is India worried about the Chinese dam? India has expressed serious concern over the strategic and environmental implications of the project. Officials in New Delhi worry that China's upstream control of a critical transnational river could give it the ability to manipulate water flow — using it as a geopolitical tool in times of conflict. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has described the project as a 'ticking water bomb' and an existential threat. 'The issue is that China cannot be trusted. No one knows what they might do,' Khandu said in an interview earlier this month. He also noted that China is not party to any international water-sharing treaty that might have imposed regulatory checks. Experts in India fear that, aside from power generation, the dam could enable China to hold or release large volumes of water — potentially causing artificial floods in Indian territory. Guo, however, emphasised that the project aims to improve the lives of local communities while contributing to climate goals. 'In the planning, design and construction of the hydro projects, China strictly adheres to top-level industrial standards to ensure full ecological protection,' he said.
