Diplomacy

Amid China power play in Indian Ocean, India to focus on invigorating IORA

- by Manish Chand

Against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean turning into a theatre of geopolitical competition and increased Chinese forays into this strategic water body, the 21 littoral nations whose shores are washed by this strategically located resource-rich body will hold its first ever summit of leaders in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on March 7.
India, a preeminent Indian Ocean power, has high stakes in moulding the outcomes of the maiden summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. The first IORA summit is special as it also marks the 20th anniversary of the grouping of the Indian Ocean littoral states. Ideally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been trying to shape a strategic and cooperative vision of the Indian Ocean Region, should be participating in the summit, but the crucial elections in India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh has kept him away from this important gathering of leaders of the region. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, a veteran diplomat, is expected to unveil India’s agenda and priorities at the summit in Jakarta on March 7.
Blue will be the reigning colour at the IORA leaders’ discussions in Jakarta. If all goes well, the summit should come out with a joint plan for the development of the blue economy which entails sustainable development of ocean resources by avoiding debilitating resource competition. Prime Minister Modi is an ardent proponent of the blue economy.
The increasing strategic salience of the Indian Ocean can’t be overemphasised. China will be the elephant in the room when the leaders of IORA nations meet in Jakarta as most of them have some form of China anxiety.

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Launch of anti-ship missile places India in exclusive club

- by India Writes Network

In a milestone that pitches India in an exclusive club, the Indian Navy has successfully test-fired for the first time an anti-ship missile from the indigenously-built submarines in the Arabian Sea.

The missile successfully hit a simulated surface target at extended ranges during the trial firing held on March 2, an official statement said.

The missile launch is “a significant milestone not only for the Kalvari class submarines, which is the first in a series of Scorpene class submarines being built in India, but also in enhancing the Indian Navy’s sub-surface warfare capability,” it said.

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Indian Navy’s TROPEX-17 aims at Pakistan-China axis

- by India Writes Network

With China and Pakistan on mind, the Indian Navy’s annual combat readiness (TROPEX 17) was conducted in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa from January 24 to February 23, 2017. The month-long exercise saw the participation of over 45 ships of the Western and Eastern Naval Commands of the Indian Navy, including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, five submarines including the nuclear-powered Chakra, 50 Naval aircraft, 11 ships from the Coast Guard, troops from the Army and 20 aircraft from the Air Force including Su 30s, Jaguars and AWACS.

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‘Hate killing’ of Indian in Kansas: Sifting rhetoric from facts

- by India Writes Network

Was it a hate crime? Was US President Donald Trump, with his anti-immigrant rhetoric, complicit in the racially motivated killing of a young Indian IT professional by an enraged drunk white man in Kansas? These are all-too-real questions to ask, but are not of much solace to the wife of Sunayana Dumala, whose husband Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was killed at Austins Bar and Grill in Kansas on February 23.
For the 32-year-old Kuchibhotla, it was a tragic and violent end to his American dream, which was all the more saddening as it happened in “a country he loved so much,” as his wife said. “Get out of my country,” – these were the last words yelled out by his killer he heard before he was shot dead by Adam Purinton, an American charged for drunk driving more than once.
This is a huge presumption of innocence as hate killings like these, though perpetrated by maniacs, feed on an atmosphere of jingoism and racism.
The insane killing like this one is clearly a morale dampener for the over 3-million strong Indian community that has made America their home. The incident questions the foundational myth of America as a country welcoming of immigrants. In the days to come, as New Delhi builds ties with the new US administration, it should carefully monitor rhetoric emanating from white supremacists in Washington as it could unintentionally endanger the lives of Indians who have enriched their adopted country in countless ways, but are now vulnerable to xenophobes of all stripes.

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India’s Act East on fast-track: Focus on business and security

- by India Writes Network

India’s Act East on fast-track: Focus on business and security
India’s Act East policy is set to get a big boost with a spate of high-profile visits from the ASEAN countries lined up in coming weeks and New Delhi looking at making a vital breakthrough in the huge telecom market of Southeast Asia with a population of 600 million.
Vietnam’s Foreign Minister and Vice President are expected to visit India and so is Malaysia’s Prime Minister NajibRazak followed by Malcolm Turnbull, the prime minister of Australia which is a member of the 18-nation East Asia Summit.

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Pakistan hunts terrorists after sufi shrine blast

- by India Writes Network

Pakistan ’s security forces killed at least 39 militants in a coordinated crackdown across the country a day after an Islamic State suicide attacked a popular and crowded Sufi shrine in southern Sindh province that left 80 people dead and about 250 injured. The bomb blast at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar on February 16 was one of the major terror attacks in Pakistan in recent years and followed a string of several extremist strikes this week.

Paramilitary unit Sindh Rangers said they killed 18 terrorists in overnight operations in Sindh province. Of them, 11 were killed in Karachi.The crackdown was launched in a coordinated manner by Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments after at least eight terror attacks rocked Pakistan over the week, killing dozens. A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif this week participants agreed that militants posed a threat to national security and should be “liquidated”.

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Royal gloss to India-UK culture celebrations

- by India Writes Network

It is probably the best of time for India-UK relations and it can’t get more royal than this.Come February 27, the celebration of Indian culture in the United Kingdom will begin at Buckingham Palace, the abiding symbol of British royalty, with a reception to be hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
The reception by the 90-year-old Queen, the world’s longest reigning monarch, is expected to attract guests from across various fields in India, including Finance Minister ArunJaitley, and the UK’s senior-most minister of Indian origin Priti Patel among other key Cabinet ministers.
The Palace came out with the date of the reception as February 27 in the calendar of engagements of the Queen. “Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh will give a reception to mark the launch of the UK India Year of Culture 2017.” The decision to celebrate India-UK cultural bonding in 2017 was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to London in November 2015.

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Trump-Abe bonding and bonhomie: US-Japan alliance to grow stronger

- by India Writes Network

Talks at the White House, dinner at a private club and a round of golf — US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed how serious diplomacy and weekend fun could blend to strike a personal chemistry between them and herald a new chapter in ties between the world’s sole super power and its major ally in Asia.
Appearing at a joint media conference with Mr Abe after the talks, Mr Trump underlined the US’ commitment to defend Japan in the face of China’s massive maritime build-up and North Korea nuclear missile programme. This categorical assistance appears to have put behind Mr Trump’s strident election campaign rhetoric last year that suggested Tokyo pay more for enjoying the American security umbrella.
“We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control and to further strengthening our very crucial alliance,” the US president said. “The bond between our two nations and the friendship between our two peoples runs very, very deep. This administration is committed to bringing those ties even closer,” he added.
Mr Abe’s Washington mission proved to be successful as he got Mr Trump’s assurance in clear terms that the US would continue to back Japan in its dispute with China over territorial claims in some islands in the East China Sea that China also claims. The joint statement said the two leaders affirmed that Article 5 of the US-Japan security treaty covered the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, as is evident from Mr Trump’s reference to the areas under Japan’s administrative control.
The Trump-Abe meeting was closely scanned in Beijing, which sees the US-Japan alliance as posing a formidable obstacle to its regional ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Mattis-Parrikar talk: US assures India of sustaining momentum in defence ties

- by India Writes Network

Amid anxiety in India over the Trump administration’s H1B visa policy, there is a reassuring note from Washington about sustaining the momentum in burgeoning defence relations between India and the US. Days after US President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Secretary James Mattis spoke to his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar and underscored the new administration’s commitment to build upon the transformation in India-US defence relations accomplished in the last few years.
In the first conversation between the two defence ministers since the change of guard in Washington, Secretary Mattis committed to build upon the tremendous progress in bilateral defense cooperation made in recent years, underscoring the strategic importance of the US—India relationship and India’s role in advancing global peace and security,” Pentagon Press Secretary Capt Jeff Davis said in Washington DC on February 8.
On the strategic and security side, the signalling from the Trump administration has been largely positive. In his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump had assured that the US “considers India a true friend and partner in addressing challenges around the world.” The two leaders also decided to bolster the partnership between the United States and India in broad areas such as the economy and defense.

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