Global Indian News
The hope of signing a nationwide ceasefire agreement between the Myanmar government and the ethnic armed groups on the Union Day, 12 February, is unlikely to happen. The date of inking the agreement on this day was proposed by President Thein Sein. It was on this day several decades ago that the historic Panglong Agreement was signed between the Myanmar (then Burma) government and several ethnic minority groups.
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The US has sought a more proactive partnership with India to promote regional stability, but has underlined that the growing India-US relationships are not “confrontational” in relationship with China.
“[India-US Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions] is a vision borne out of the recognition that India’s Act East policy and our rebalance to Asia are complementary and have the potential to create meaningful impact in the region. We want our partnership to benefit not only our two countries, but also the region—and to a larger extent have our partnership stand as a model for emerging democracies worldwide,” US ambassador to India Richard Verma said. Richard Verma is the first Indian-American to become the US ambassador to India. He was speaking an interaction organised by the Asia Society Indian Centre in Mumbai on February 10.
The joint vision statement on the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean regions during US President Barack Obama’s trip to India haw elicited strong negative reaction from China. Influential state-controlled Chinese dailies termed the vision statement as a manifestation of a US-orchestrated containment strategy directed against China, and accused India of following through with the “containment policy.”
The US envoy’s remarks sought to allay Beijing’s anxieties and placed the India-US geopolitical configuration in a broader perspective
Seemingly, the highlight of President Obama’s visit was the announcement that India and the United States had come to an understanding on the two major issues that stood in the way of the successful full implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal. While the first issue related to some of the provisions of the Indian Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), the second concerned a successful negotiation of the administrative arrangements for the implementation of the India-US 123 nuclear agreement.
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India’s GDP data has been revised recently and the new figures tell a different story — of robust growth rather than of policy paralysis and industrial decline in 2013-14. According …
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Delhi loves Arvind Kejriwal. Fittingly, Kejriwal, the man who has created history by winning 67 seats in Delhi assembly, will be sworn in as the chief minister of the city state on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
The blockbuster victory of Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party has stunned pundits and pollsters alike, and only showed how much Delhi loves the greenhorn politician, decried by his opponents as ‘muffler man,’ and his connect with the masses and classes of this city state of around 25 million people.
Kejriwal is, however, not the kind to let success go to his head. A day after the results of the Delhi polls were declared, the APP said that the party would invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi and other union ministers for the swearing-in ceremony. The induction of Kejriwal, a rights activist-turned-politician, will take place at Ramlila Maidan, the sprawling public square which was the epicenter of mass anti-corruption protests in 2011, pitchforking Kejriwal into the national limelight.
The path breaking agreement, dramatically ‘operationalised’ in the 25 January meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama, has raised high expectations in both India and the United …
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In a resounding triumph of new politics, Arvind Kejriwal, an activist-turned-politician, has made history, and has conquered Delhi, with a vengeance. In a virtual sweep of the broom, Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (at 11 am IST) is now leading in 62 of Delhi’s 70 seats.
The results of the Delhi assembly elections are expected to be declared later in the day.
The Delhi verdict is a major blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had converted the Delhi elections into a personality-style contest between him and Mr Kejriwal.
Kejriwal has created history in more ways than one: this is the first time Delhi will get a non-Congress, non-BJP government, with an outsider to the political system set to be anointed the chief minister of Delhi. This is also the first time a party will get more than 60 seats in the Delhi assembly.
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India’s outlook towards global politics is at a turning point and it could mark the beginning of a new role for India on the global stage. Underlying this is the …
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Narrowing India’s $37.85 billion trade deficit with China, a contentious issue between the two Asian giants, will take some out-of-the-box thinking, and greater consumer orientation. Here are some pointers on how it can be done.
A few weeks ago, as my wife Sumona was having a manicure at a nail salon in Shanghai, a thirty-something Chinese lady sitting in the next chair excitedly told her that she was simply in love with a handsome Indian star. Naturally, Sumona assumed it would be one of the Khans. “He has big eyes, a lovely smile, and is quite plump. So different from the skinny Chinese men! Look, I carry his picture on my phone,” she said. Pulling out a crystal-encrusted I-Phone 6, she showed the photo of a smiling Ram Kapoor.
Would you have ever imagined that Bade Achche Lagte Hain, a popular TV drama in India, could be so popular in China? Or that one of the most popular dance performances at last year’s Chinese New Year office parties was Jai Ho? Or that thousands of Chinese youth are enraptured by 3 Idiots (San Geshagua in Mandarin) because it reflects exactly the same kind of pressure that they experience?
The continued growth of both the Chinese market and consumer power offers Indian businesses myriad opportunities. Narrowing the trade gap is a political and economic commitment on both sides of the Himalaya. It’s up to Indian business to make the most of China’s booming consumer markets.
No balancing or containment for India. Position India in the leadership role in the world. This was the overarching message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to heads of Indian missions as he underlined the new template of proactive holistic diplomacy, which entails harnessing the global environment to enable India to play a leadership role, upgrading capacity to deal with new-age threats, promoting the country’s soft power and setting the tone for global climate change negotiations.
In an oblique critique of India’s hitherto defensive foreign policy, Mr Modi exhorted Indian envoys to shed “old mindsets” and help the country position itself in a leading role, rather than just a balancing force globally. The formulation will be specially scrutinised in China where the diplomatic-strategic establishment has often accused India of ganging up with the US and Japan to contain Beijing’s rise.
“The present global environment represents a rare opportunity, when the world is keen to embrace India, and India is moving forward with confidence,” Mr Modi said while inaugurating a four-day “Heads of Indian Missions” conference, which is themed “diplomacy with development. Around 120 envoys from Indian missions abroad have gathered in the Indian diplomat for brainstorming sessions on the future trajectory of India’s diplomacy, the first such meeting under the Narendra Modi government.