India and the World

Bollywood bonding: Hindi Chini filmi bhai

- by India Writes Network

Call it Bollywood bonding, if you like. India and China may have some festering differences, but the magic of cinema entwines these two Asian giants.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping comes to India on his maiden visit September 17-19, the two countries are expected to sign a pact on the joint co-production of films, a pioneering initiative that seeks to bring the people of the two countries closer culturally.

“Both have huge film industries and these industries will be linked soon following the pact,” said Zhang Hongsenon, Director-General of Film Bureau of China, on September 10.

This move follows recent attempts by the film industry in both countries to tap into the rich tapestry of culture in their respective countries and market in each other’s country. In recent years Indian movies like the Aamir Khan-starrer, Three Idiots, have been a huge success in China. Dubbed versions of the movie were screened throughout the country making the language barrier a mere formality.

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Xi Jinping’s visit: India hopes for ‘directional change’ in ties with China

- by India Writes Network

Ahead of the much-publicised visit by China’s President Xi Jinping to India, the two emerging Asian powers have struck an optimistic note that the forthcoming trip by the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong will positively transform relations between the two Asian giants.

The Chinese president is scheduled to begin his three-day visit to India September 17, which has coincided with the birthday of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The choice of Ahamedabad, the capital of Modi’s home state Gujarat, as the first leg of his India visit underlines the keen desire of the Chinese leader to forge close equations with the business-friendly Indian leader.

Sino-Indian relations will see a “directional change” with Xi Jinping’s visit to the country next week, said India’s Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on September 10.

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Stage set for Modi-Obama summit in White House

- by India Writes Network

It’s official. The defining partnership of the 21st century is set to get a fresh sparkle when the White House hosts India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his maiden summit with US President Obama in Washington September 30.

Prime Minister Modi will travel to Washington September 29, after a clutch of back-to-back meetings in New York, which includes his maiden address to the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

President Obama will host a private dinner for the Indian leader at the White House on September 29, to which only seniormost figures of his Cabinet will be invited. On September 30, the two leaders will hold full-spectrum talks to reinvigorate the India-US relationship and set fresh benchmarks for fructifying the full potential of this critical strategic partnership. This will be followed by a lunch hosted for Prime Minister Modi by US Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department on September 30.

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‘No full stop in diplomacy’: India, Pakistan PMs may meet in New York

- by India Writes Network

“In diplomacy, there is no full stop. It is always commas and semi colon.” In a masterly one-liner, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has indicated that India is keeping options open on re-engaging Pakistan, kindling possibilities of a likely meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York later this month.
In her first interaction with the media after taking charge of India’s Ministry of External Affairs over three months ago, Swaraj appeared a picture of poise and handled around 50 questions on issues ranging from India-Pakistan talks and the Chinese president’s forthcoming visit to India to the crisis in Fiji and the plight of Indian hostages in Iraq. Unlike her loquacious predecessor, Swaraj’s answers were pithy and pointed, displaying her easy familiarity with nuances of foreign policy issues. This emerged clearly from her measured response to the possibilities of the meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Sharif on the sidelines of the 69th UNGA in New York and the no-nonsense stand on the cancellation of foreign secretary-level talks last month due to the Pakistani high commissioner’s meeting with separatist Kashmiri leaders.

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Floods in Kashmir ignite India-Pakistan goodwill diplomacy

- by India Writes Network

As floods and landslides continue to wreak havoc in Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan have put aside their recent diplomatic acrimony and extended a helping hand to each other in this time of unfolding human tragedy.

Late monsoon rains have trigged massive floods on either sides of the Line of Control (LoC) that divide the two halves of Kashmir, inundating hundreds of villages. According to reports, over 270 people have died in India and Pakistan.

The death toll in India is reported to have crossed 160 with around 5000 homes destroyed. Srinagar, the capital of India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, too, have been inundated by flood water in the worst floods in over 60 years.

In what is being termed as “flood aid diplomacy” by Pakistan’s media, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a personal letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to express condolences and offered humanitarian assistance to Islamabad for relief and rescue operations.

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