India and the World

China pledges $20 billion investment for India

- by India Writes Network

Marking the opening of a new chapter in the economic relations between the two Asian neighbours, China has unveiled an investment package of around $20 billion to bolster infrastructure investment in India – a major step that will help bridge trade deficit and bring the two countries closer in an economic embrace.

The two Asian giants signed 12 agreements, including a pact for the establishment of two Chinese industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra. The pacts were signed after side-ranging talks between India’s Prime Minister and China’s President Xi Jinping in New Delhi September 18.

Besides economic issues, the two leaders also focused on bolstering trust and agreed to fast-track negotiations for resolving their decades-old boundary dispute.

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Xi Jinping in Gujarat: Three pacts inked, big-ticket outcomes in Delhi

- by India Writes Network

It was business from the word go. Barely hours after China’s President Xi Jinping began a three-day trip to India, the two Asian neighbours have signed three agreements, including a pact that will enable China to set up a sprawling industrial park in Gujarat.

In a special gesture, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew down to Ahmedabad to receive his Chinese guest. The two leaders sat down for informal talks September 17, following which three agreements were signed in their presence.

Pacts were signed between China Development Bank (CDB) and Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb) of the Gujarat government for the development an industrial park in India’s western state that has become a byword for modernisation and industrial development.

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The Long View: ABCD of India-China relations

- by Manish Chand

A for Asia. B for Business. C for Culture. And D for Diplomacy and Development. This is the emerging alphabet of multi-faceted engagement between the two Asian powers which are forging a new vocabulary and semantics to script new pathways of cooperation and to reconfigure the evolving world order. The ABCD of India-China relations will find fuller articulation in the September 17-19 visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India, a potentially defining trip which could transform ties between the two Asian neighbours and create new opportunities for their 2.5 billion people, one third of the world’s humanity.

Why Modi-Xi summit matters

When the leaders of India and China hold talks, the world will be watching closely, and not without reason. They are, after all, Asia’s leading economies with a combined GDP of over $11 trillion and proactive stakeholders in crafting an inclusive international world order.

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Modi’s Inch’ & Miles mantra for India-China relations

- by Manish Chand

INCH (India and China) and MILES (Millennium of Exceptional Synergy). This is the new Modi mantra for energising relations between India and China, the two Asian giants which are often portrayed as rivals, but have chosen to be fellow-travellers in the unfolding journey of an Asian century.

A day before China’s President Xi Jinping touches down in India to begin a three-day transformational trip, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled his long-distance vision of India-China relations.

“India and China are bound by history, connected by culture, and inspired by rich traditions. Together they can create a bright future for the entire mankind,” Mr Modi said in a wide-ranging interaction with Chinese journalists a day before he meets the Chinese president in Ahamedabad, the capital of his home state Gujarat which has forged robust economic relations with China.

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Modi invokes Buddha bonding between India and China

- by India Writes Network

Buddha bonding is set to complement the burgeoning business ties between India and China. Imparting a cultural flavour to his forthcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invoked Buddhism as an age-old connector between the two Asian neighbours and has highlighted Buddhist connections of his home state Gujarat.

“Buddhism is a very strong bond between China & India. In fact, Gujarat too has a very rich Buddhist heritage,” tweeted Modi on September 15.

An article was also posted on the prime minister’s website in English and Mandarin, which showcases the rich “Buddhist heritage in Gujarat”.

A day before he meets the Chinese president in Ahamedabad, Modi underlined the linkages between his hometown of Vadnagar and the famous Chinese explorer and Buddhist priest Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) who “noted the presence of Buddhist monasteries, monks in parts of Gujarat”.

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Modinama: One man, hundred days, 180 books

- by India Writes Network

The journey of a tea-seller from Vadnagar, a small village in Gujarat, to the most prized address in New Delhi – 7 Race Course Road – is the stuff of which contemporary myths and folklore is woven. Not surprisingly, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life story has launched a thousand tales about the man who evokes diverse emotions among Indians and the world at large. The publishing industry in India is on a roll, with over 180 books published on Modi within the first 100 days of his taking office.

Written mostly in Hindi and Gujarati, the books provide a melange of perspectives and insights into Modi the leader as well as Modi the person.

The authors who penned these stories include former journalists, lawyers, RSS workers and even his body guard. Presented in multifarious ways, these works range from political biographies to comics. Bookstores across the country display these books; some have even been translated in Mandarin and French.

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President Mukherjee’s visit to Vietnam: Buddha, energy and strategy on agenda

- by Manish Chand

Buddha, energy and strategy. They may sound like a fusion menu of sorts, but India’s President Pranab Mukherjee’s first state visit to Vietnam will deftly coalesce diverse strands that make the texture of the vibrant India-Vietnam relationship.

Mukherjee travels to Vietnam on a state visit from September 14 to September 17, which will telescope the trend of multi-alignment in India’s foreign policy. This essentially means aligning with different countries which may be at odds with each other to promote India’s national interests. Significantly, Mukherjee’s visit to Hanoi will be followed by the big-ticket visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India.

While China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, the two countries are not exactly on the best of terms as Vietnam resents what it sees as China’s assertive posturing in South China Sea. India, on the other hand, has shown a talent for juggling its relations with both China and Vietnam.

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