Diplomacy

India, South Korea upgrade ties, sign 7 pacts

- by India Writes Network

SEOUL: India and South Korea have infused a new energy into their multi-faceted partnership by upgrading ties to “special strategic partnership” and signing seven bilateral agreements in diverse areas.

“Our relationship started with a strong economic emphasis. But, it has also now become strategic in content,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

“The decision to upgrade bilateral ties reflect how seriously we take the new framework of our relationship. Republic of Korea is the second country with which India will have a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2 format,” PM Modi said while addressing a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul.

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South Korea’s $10 billion boost for India’s infrastructure

- by India Writes Network

As India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in South Korea, on his last leg of three-nation visit, Seoul has announced that it will offer $10 billion to support several of India’s ambitious projects including bullet trains and smart cities.

“My country is offering India a financial package amounting to a total of $10 billion. This will comprise an economic development cooperation fund of $1 billion and export credits of another $9 billion,” said Joon-gyu Lee, South Korea’s envoy to India.

Several South Korean companies are doing well in India, and this has given confidence to other Korean organisations to expand its manufacturing and other operations in the country.

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PM Modi unveils e-visa for Chinese tourists

- by India Writes Network

BEIJING: In an important move that is poised to boost people-to-people contacts between Asia’s leading economies, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced New Delhi’s decision to grant e-visas to Chinese tourists.

“We have decided to extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals,” the prime minister said while addressing students and faculty at the renowned Tsinghua University in Beijing on May 16.
There has been a constant increase in the number of Chinese travelers visiting the other neighboring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Where Nepal saw an increase of 70 percent, Sri Lanka witnessed a surge of 130 percent Chinese tourists flocking in the countries over the last year. However, India did not get many Chinese tourists, largely due to cumbersome visa procedures. Against this backdrop, India announced ‘Visit India Year’ in China’ with an aim to attract more Chinese tourists to the country and boost its tourism revenue.

China is home to the world’s largest Buddhist population, and the e-visa scheme is expected to sharply enhance the flow of Chinese tourists to ‘Land of Buddha.”

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India, China raise bar for economic ties, talk Asian century

- by Manish Chand

India and China have imparted a fresh momentum to their
burgeoning ties by signing over twenty agreements in diverse areas,
and raised the bar for their economic and strategic partnership by
placing their cooperation in the context of an emerging Asian century.
Beijing has launched a charm offensive to welcome India’s Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on his maiden visit to China. In a
first-of-its-kind gesture, China’s President Xi Jinping personally
welcomed Mr Modi in Xian, an ancient cultural city and hometown of the
Chinese leader, on May 14. And on the second day, Mr Modi was
accorded a captivating ceremonial welcome, with Premier Le Keqiang
accompanying the Indian leader for the tri-service guard of honour.
PM Modi’s maiden visit to China has been pitched as an opportunity to
create a new dynamic and architecture in relations between the two
Asian giants. “The leaders agreed that the simultaneous rise of India
and China as two major powers in the region and the world offers a
momentous opportunity for realization of the Asian century,” a joint
statement said after wide-ranging talks between Mr Modi and Premier
Li.

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