<p>In a diplomatic breakthrough, Pakistan and Iran have mutually decided to restore their respective ambassadors by January 26. The agreement follows a constructive telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The joint press statement on Monday (Jan 22) revealed this positive development, indicating a step towards normalisation.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🔊: PR NO. 2️⃣3️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣<br />
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Joint Press Statement of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran<br />
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🔗⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/4ScCGZJKPz">https://t.co/4ScCGZJKPz</a> <a href="https://t.co/7ajcpnkZrz">pic.twitter.com/7ajcpnkZrz</a></p>
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1749371484248646050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<p>Further reinforcing diplomatic ties, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian is set to visit Pakistan on January 29, responding to an invitation extended by Jilani.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/explained-why-did-iran-attack-pakistan-what-is-jaish-al-adl-680852">Also read |&nbsp;Explained | Why did Iran attack Pakistan? What is Jaish al-Adl group targeted by Tehran?</a></p>

<h2><strong>Escalation and de-escalation: Background of recent tensions</strong></h2>

<p>The recent diplomatic tensions arose when Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran and suspended high-level visits following the killing of Pakistani children in airstrikes following Iran's violation of Pakistani airspace.</p>

<p>However, both countries are now signalling a commitment to restoring relations to their previous amicable state.</p>

<p>Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar emphasised the mutual interest of both nations in taking steps to restore relations, acknowledging the importance of positive measures from Iran.</p>

<p>Kakar expressed Pakistan's readiness to reciprocate such measures, indicating a desire for cooperation and reconciliation.</p>

<p>Underneath the surface of "friendly and brotherly" relations lie concerns about the use of each other's soil by certain terrorist groups.</p>

<p>Both countries have pointed fingers regarding terrorist outfits finding refuge across the border. To prevent such incidents in the future, Pakistan and Iran are considering a new mechanism, with proposals including strengthening existing mechanisms and deepening intelligence cooperation.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Pakistan gears up for national elections | Inside South Asia</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistan-gears-up-for-national-elections-inside-south-asia-681743/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The proposed solutions aim to enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism instead of violating each other's sovereignty. These suggestions will be discussed during diplomatic engagements between the two nations, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to address security concerns.</p>

<p>The National Security Committee in Pakistan's meeting referred to the recent events as "minor irritants," indicating a desire to de-escalate tensions. Iran, in response to Pakistan's retaliatory strikes, stressed on its commitment to friendly ties and cooperation.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


In a diplomatic breakthrough, Pakistan and Iran have mutually decided to restore their respective ambassadors by January 26. The agreement follows a constructive telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

In a diplomatic breakthrough, Pakistan and Iran have mutually decided to restore their respective ambassadors by January 26. The agreement follows a constructive telephone conversation between Pakistani Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The joint press statement on Monday (Jan 22) revealed this positive development, indicating a step towards normalisation. 🔊: PR NO. 2️⃣3️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ Joint Press Statement of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran 🔗⬇️ https://t.co/4ScCGZJKPz pic.twitter.com/7ajcpnkZrz — Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 22, 2024 × Further reinforcing diplomatic ties, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian is set to visit Pakistan on January 29, responding to an invitation extended by Jilani. Also read | Explained | Why did Iran attack Pakistan? What is Jaish al-Adl group targeted by Tehran? Escalation and de-escalation: Background of recent tensions The recent diplomatic tensions arose when Pakistan recalled its ambassador from Iran and suspended high-level visits following the killing of Pakistani children in airstrikes following Iran's violation of Pakistani airspace. However, both countries are now signalling a commitment to restoring relations to their previous amicable state. Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar emphasised the mutual interest of both nations in taking steps to restore relations, acknowledging the importance of positive measures from Iran. Kakar expressed Pakistan's readiness to reciprocate such measures, indicating a desire for cooperation and reconciliation. Underneath the surface of "friendly and brotherly" relations lie concerns about the use of each other's soil by certain terrorist groups. Both countries have pointed fingers regarding terrorist outfits finding refuge across the border. To prevent such incidents in the future, Pakistan and Iran are considering a new mechanism, with proposals including strengthening existing mechanisms and deepening intelligence cooperation. Also watch | Pakistan gears up for national elections | Inside South Asia The proposed solutions aim to enhance cooperation in the fight against terrorism instead of violating each other's sovereignty. These suggestions will be discussed during diplomatic engagements between the two nations, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts to address security concerns. The National Security Committee in Pakistan's meeting referred to the recent events as "minor irritants," indicating a desire to de-escalate tensions. Iran, in response to Pakistan's retaliatory strikes, stressed on its commitment to friendly ties and cooperation. (With inputs from agencies)

Pak, Iran envoys to return to their posts days after tit-for-tat cross-border strikes, easing tensions

<p>Estonia's Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo has lauded India's IT revolution and said that his country sees India as a "powerful IT centre and one of the centres&nbsp;of gravity".</p>

<p>Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he pointed to his country's digital identification ID and India's Aadhar. The minister who is also the Minister of Economic Affairs pointed to how "countries like India are instrumentally important for Estonia...countries who share the same values, the same basic values and in this context, I mainly mean you know, rule of law, democracies need to stick together". The minister is in India to attend the 'Vibrant Gujarat&nbsp;Summit'.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><em><strong>Here are the excerpts of the exclusive interview.</strong></em></p>

<p><strong>Sidhant Sibal: </strong>What will be the key focus of your India visit?</p>

<p><strong>Tiit Riisalo: </strong>Yes, of course. If you look a little bit into the broader picture, the relations with countries like India are instrumentally important for Estonia, because if you look around ourselves in a in a global context, we understand very well that the countries who share the same values, the same basic values and in this context, I mainly mean you know, rule of law, democracies need to stick together and work together and communicate. And for this, not only you know reading what happens in the newspapers or even having the zoom or web conferences is not enough, you need human contact. And that's why we had to deepen this mutual understanding. And we certainly find India, in the coming years one of the major global players who shares our values so of course, we want to have good, good working relationships, diplomatically, economy wise, but also as a minister of economy, I represent delegation of the Estonian companies and as a small export oriented country, Estonia is very happy to scale our businesses outside Estonia and outside EU and we hope also Indian companies take interest in in Estonia. Our market size as a Republic of Estonia is not that big, but we are a member of the EU, one of the outstanding members of the EU and its market of 500 million people. So we hope also from the Indian side to create interest to invest in our region.</p>

<p><strong>Sidhant Sibal: </strong>How is India's IT revolution?</p>

<p><strong>Tiit Riisalo: </strong>Estonia is a well known digital society. We made our first moves already in the end of the 90s. And we are well recognized worldwide, especially now for the efficiency of digital government. But we understand very well that just by admiring yourself in the changing world, you don't reach too far. And we definitely see India's powerful IT centre&nbsp;and one of the centres&nbsp;of gravity in this context. And from one side we are happy to share how we experience but from the other side to learn what is happening in Estonia. And again, it's also interesting for our IT companies because in IT, it's even better. You know it is much easier to scale up. And so we hope that that we find new ideas here, that India find something useful or Indian company in Estonia, but also vice versa, that that we can, maybe work mutually together in some sort of solution using then both experiences and one thing we certainly share and that most countries don't cross yet very well, I must admit is the importance of strong, singular digital identity, which opens, you know, public services which opens business opportunities, and I think definitely we will find mutual interest</p>

<p><strong>Sidhant Sibal:</strong> When it comes to IT space. You have been training Indian officials if you can elaborate on that. And I believe you have with India unique cyber exercises, if you can elaborate on that as well.</p>

<p><strong>Tiit Riisalo:</strong> This you know, educating of the public sector of course, is something we have to share with the world and, and we have been doing this this for years, because we believe that this shared experience based on open source software, where India has also now taken a lead which we have been preaching already for years. It's an instrumental cornerstone of democracies so that we actually make the public services not that expensive, easy to develop based on platforms, and that makes it accessible to people. You know, in public sector services, but also business wise. So we are very like minded here and certainly this is, this is also where we have shared our experience also together with our European partners. We have done some training courses which are still going on actually to sort of educate mainly the state employees, but we also look further because we need digital literacy also among you know our populations, otherwise there is no point to develop the digital services. So what concerns cyber, then we are there also I must admit, standing pretty strong on the global level. And it all started for fortunately or unfortunately, with a nuance that Estonia was target of the first major cyber attack in 2007, made to buy by unfortunately our neighbour Russia, but from there on we had to technological basis, but I think we were the first ones to recognize what importance cyber security has in the world which is actually connected to the complete IoT or internet of things. And we see it on a daily basis. And yes, we have a good working relationship and in Estonian case, we always work together with private companies because we just don't have enough people. You know, to hire everybody and in the public sector. So we work together with the private sector and the private sector has also more motivation to develop the services.</p>

<p><strong>Sidhant Sibal: </strong>You mentioned the unique identification. When it comes to India. If you can elaborate I mean, are you looking at some kind of Indian model?</p>

<p><strong>Tiit Riisalo:</strong> We both use that. We have the system in place already from the beginning of the 2000s. It's electronic identity and you can add the first one it started with you know, the ID card and the chip on it. And then there was you know, messaging based and now it is smartphone based and I think it's developing in the Indian case you use this Aadhaar system, I think so, these are basically doing the same function in a little bit different ways. But, why is it important that this you know, opens secure services, makes it possible to offer secure services. And this is something that we share the understanding, which enables us to work together to advance this sphere.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Estonia's Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo has lauded India's IT revolution and said that his country sees India as a "powerful IT centre and one of the centres of gravity".

Estonia's Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo has lauded India's IT revolution and said that his country sees India as a "powerful IT centre and one of the centres of gravity". Speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, he pointed to his country's digital identification ID and India's Aadhar. The minister who is also the Minister of Economic Affairs pointed to how "countries like India are instrumentally important for Estonia...countries who share the same values, the same basic values and in this context, I mainly mean you know, rule of law, democracies need to stick together". The minister is in India to attend the 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit'. Here are the excerpts of the exclusive interview. Sidhant Sibal: What will be the key focus of your India visit? Tiit Riisalo: Yes, of course. If you look a little bit into the broader picture, the relations with countries like India are instrumentally important for Estonia, because if you look around ourselves in a in a global context, we understand very well that the countries who share the same values, the same basic values and in this context, I mainly mean you know, rule of law, democracies need to stick together and work together and communicate. And for this, not only you know reading what happens in the newspapers or even having the zoom or web conferences is not enough, you need human contact. And that's why we had to deepen this mutual understanding. And we certainly find India, in the coming years one of the major global players who shares our values so of course, we want to have good, good working relationships, diplomatically, economy wise, but also as a minister of economy, I represent delegation of the Estonian companies and as a small export oriented country, Estonia is very happy to scale our businesses outside Estonia and outside EU and we hope also Indian companies take interest in in Estonia. Our market size as a Republic of Estonia is not that big, but we are a member of the EU, one of the outstanding members of the EU and its market of 500 million people. So we hope also from the Indian side to create interest to invest in our region. Sidhant Sibal: How is India's IT revolution? Tiit Riisalo: Estonia is a well known digital society. We made our first moves already in the end of the 90s. And we are well recognized worldwide, especially now for the efficiency of digital government. But we understand very well that just by admiring yourself in the changing world, you don't reach too far. And we definitely see India's powerful IT centre and one of the centres of gravity in this context. And from one side we are happy to share how we experience but from the other side to learn what is happening in Estonia. And again, it's also interesting for our IT companies because in IT, it's even better. You know it is much easier to scale up. And so we hope that that we find new ideas here, that India find something useful or Indian company in Estonia, but also vice versa, that that we can, maybe work mutually together in some sort of solution using then both experiences and one thing we certainly share and that most countries don't cross yet very well, I must admit is the importance of strong, singular digital identity, which opens, you know, public services which opens business opportunities, and I think definitely we will find mutual interest Sidhant Sibal: When it comes to IT space. You have been training Indian officials if you can elaborate on that. And I believe you have with India unique cyber exercises, if you can elaborate on that as well. Tiit Riisalo: This you know, educating of the public sector of course, is something we have to share with the world and, and we have been doing this this for years, because we believe that this shared experience based on open source software, where India has also now taken a lead which we have been preaching already for years. It's an instrumental cornerstone of democracies so that we actually make the public services not that expensive, easy to develop based on platforms, and that makes it accessible to people. You know, in public sector services, but also business wise. So we are very like minded here and certainly this is, this is also where we have shared our experience also together with our European partners. We have done some training courses which are still going on actually to sort of educate mainly the state employees, but we also look further because we need digital literacy also among you know our populations, otherwise there is no point to develop the digital services. So what concerns cyber, then we are there also I must admit, standing pretty strong on the global level. And it all started for fortunately or unfortunately, with a nuance that Estonia was target of the first major cyber attack in 2007, made to buy by unfortunately our neighbour Russia, but from there on we had to technological basis, but I think we were the first ones to recognize what importance cyber security has in the world which is actually connected to the complete IoT or internet of things. And we see it on a daily basis. And yes, we have a good working relationship and in Estonian case, we always work together with private companies because we just don't have enough people. You know, to hire everybody and in the public sector. So we work together with the private sector and the private sector has also more motivation to develop the services. Sidhant Sibal: You mentioned the unique identification. When it comes to India. If you can elaborate I mean, are you looking at some kind of Indian model? Tiit Riisalo: We both use that. We have the system in place already from the beginning of the 2000s. It's electronic identity and you can add the first one it started with you know, the ID card and the chip on it. And then there was you know, messaging based and now it is smartphone based and I think it's developing in the Indian case you use this Aadhaar system, I think so, these are basically doing the same function in a little bit different ways. But, why is it important that this you know, opens secure services, makes it possible to offer secure services. And this is something that we share the understanding, which enables us to work together to advance this sphere.

'We see India as a powerful IT centre,' says Estonia's IT minister to WION

<p>Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale on Friday (June 08) said New Delhi and Beijing have moved past the Himalayan border stand-off and were looking at settling differences and enhancing cooperation.</p>

<p>Last year, India and China were engaged in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector. The stand-off was called off after both sides arrived at an understanding over the disengagement of their personnel.</p>

<p>Bambawale, while speaking to reporters ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit scheduled to be held in east China's coastal city of Qingdao, said Doklam was "a thing of past" and both the countries were working on their differences through dialogue.</p>

<p>China and India share frictional associations as two powerful economies in south Asia. Their rather smooth trade relations are marred by decades old border disputes along the Himalayan region.</p>

<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart for Quingdao for a two-day visit to attend the SCO summit on Saturday (June 09). He is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping, during which the two leaders are expected to hold dialogues aimed at deepening ties in areas of trade and investment.</p>

<p>Bambawale said the SCO summit will revolve around wide-ranging areas like defence and security, and counter-militancy.</p>

<p>India became a full member of the China-dominated SCO grouping last year. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was formed in 2001 and includes other countries like China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and&nbsp;Pakistan.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Last year, India and China were engaged in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector

Indian Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale on Friday (June 08) said New Delhi and Beijing have moved past the Himalayan border stand-off and were looking at settling differences and enhancing cooperation. Last year, India and China were engaged in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in the Sikkim sector. The stand-off was called off after both sides arrived at an understanding over the disengagement of their personnel. Bambawale, while speaking to reporters ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit scheduled to be held in east China's coastal city of Qingdao, said Doklam was "a thing of past" and both the countries were working on their differences through dialogue. China and India share frictional associations as two powerful economies in south Asia. Their rather smooth trade relations are marred by decades old border disputes along the Himalayan region. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart for Quingdao for a two-day visit to attend the SCO summit on Saturday (June 09). He is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping, during which the two leaders are expected to hold dialogues aimed at deepening ties in areas of trade and investment. Bambawale said the SCO summit will revolve around wide-ranging areas like defence and security, and counter-militancy. India became a full member of the China-dominated SCO grouping last year. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was formed in 2001 and includes other countries like China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

India, China bilateral relations to thaw in future, says envoy

<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Trump had a meeting on November 13, 2017, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit held in Manila. This was days after India attended a meeting with Japanese, Australians and the US (this grouping has been dubbed as the Quad). Off late, the US has also spoken about a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific, first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did so, and during his visit to Asia, the US President Trump has referred to the Asia-Pacific as the Indo-Pacific much to the chagrin of the Chinese.</p>

<p>The Indian prime minister&rsquo;s emphasis on the need for New Delhi-Washington ties moving beyond the bilateral context was a clear reference to a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific and greater cooperation between New Delhi and Washington DC.</p>

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<h5>The US President while highlighting India&rsquo;s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India.</h5>
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<p>Indian Prime Minister said, &quot;The cooperation between India and US can rise beyond bilateral cooperation and both countries can work for the future of Asia and the world. We are moving ahead together on many issues,&quot; Modi told Trump in his opening remarks&rsquo; Modi also expressed gratitude to Trump for expressing optimism with regard to the India growth story and stated that India would live up to US expectations.</p>

<p>Trump had lavished praise on India while addressing a gathering of CEO&#39;s on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Vietnam. The US President while highlighting India&rsquo;s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. Said Trump: &ldquo;Since India opened its economy, it has achieved astounding growth and a new world of opportunities for its expanding middle class&rsquo;.</p>

<p>While there is a clear synergy, a few questions need to be kept in mind. The US President is transactional and unpredictable. While New Delhi should be happy with the current administration&rsquo;s repeated calls for granting a larger role to India in the Indo-Pacific, New Delhi should not forget that Trump himself has given mixed signals with regard to the US role in the Indo-Pacific. Initially, the US President had backed a more isolationist role for the US, confusing its allies like Japan and South Korea. Only on the issue of North Korea, Trump has taken an unequivocally harsh stance.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Secondly, while Trump may at times make belligerent statements against China. Beijing has read him very well and understood that business deals work as a sweetener for the US President. This was clearly evident from Trump&rsquo;s recent China visit where the Chinese apart from laying out a red carpet, also signed business deals to the tune of 250 billion USD (the sceptics believe that many of these are MOU&#39;s).</p>

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<h5>While the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi.</h5>
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<p>Post the meeting between&nbsp;Trump and Xi, the US President&rsquo;s tone totally changed. While Washington having good ties with Beijing is not bad news for India, Trump&#39;s flip-flops certainly send a clear message that New Delhi should not solely depend upon Trump for its Indo-Pacific strategy, and neither should it&#39;s China policy be an extension of Washington&#39;s. Given their economic clout, the Chinese are in a good position to outmanoeuvre Trump.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Third, while the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Old hands in the state department will not let go so easily, and even on Afghanistan, Washington&rsquo;s policy will not echo India&rsquo;s though the synergies may increase. PM Modi&rsquo;s mention of India&rsquo;s recent decision to send a consignment of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar (Iran) sent an important message that just as Washington has its own priorities, so does New Delhi.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>What are India&rsquo;s options</strong></p>

<p>While the scepticism with regard to being part of a US-led alliance is over the top, the Quad in itself is not an answer to India&rsquo;s strategic challenges &ndash; especially with the rise of China. India&rsquo;s most reliable partner is Japan and Australia, which of&nbsp;late has witnessed significant strains in the relationship, and should be given high top priority.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Second, New Delhi should continue to explore synergies with China, but New Delhi should draw some red lines. China&rsquo;s approach of turning a blind eye towards the activities of Pakistani terror groups targeting India, especially its recent decision to block the UN ban on Azhar Masood should not go unnoticed. New Delhi should look at reducing economic dependence upon Chinese goods, and look at other alternatives. This can not happen overnight but should be an incremental process.</p>

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<h5>While New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases&nbsp;and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles.</h5>
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<p>Third, India has understood the importance of personalised diplomacy with Trump, and the importance he gives to business in bilateral relationships. This is useful, though not enough given the US President&#39;s flip-flops. Apart from this, a lot also depends upon the US President&#39;s domestic political capital. A vulnerable Trump could be even more isolationist and this does not help India&#39;s cause in any way.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In conclusion, while New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases&nbsp;and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. China&rsquo;s increasing leverage clearly shows that robust economic growth enhances diplomatic clout. Western democracies which pontificate about Human Rights and Democracy, have had to meekly surrender vis-&agrave;-vis Beijing on more than one occasion.</p>


India needs to develop business bilateral ties in order to fight its own battle.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Trump had a meeting on November 13, 2017, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit held in Manila. This was days after India attended a meeting with Japanese, Australians and the US (this grouping has been dubbed as the Quad). Off late, the US has also spoken about a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific, first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did so, and during his visit to Asia, the US President Trump has referred to the Asia-Pacific as the Indo-Pacific much to the chagrin of the Chinese. The Indian prime minister’s emphasis on the need for New Delhi-Washington ties moving beyond the bilateral context was a clear reference to a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific and greater cooperation between New Delhi and Washington DC. The US President while highlighting India’s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. × Indian Prime Minister said, "The cooperation between India and US can rise beyond bilateral cooperation and both countries can work for the future of Asia and the world. We are moving ahead together on many issues," Modi told Trump in his opening remarks’ Modi also expressed gratitude to Trump for expressing optimism with regard to the India growth story and stated that India would live up to US expectations. Trump had lavished praise on India while addressing a gathering of CEO's on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Vietnam. The US President while highlighting India’s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. Said Trump: “Since India opened its economy, it has achieved astounding growth and a new world of opportunities for its expanding middle class’. While there is a clear synergy, a few questions need to be kept in mind. The US President is transactional and unpredictable. While New Delhi should be happy with the current administration’s repeated calls for granting a larger role to India in the Indo-Pacific, New Delhi should not forget that Trump himself has given mixed signals with regard to the US role in the Indo-Pacific. Initially, the US President had backed a more isolationist role for the US, confusing its allies like Japan and South Korea. Only on the issue of North Korea, Trump has taken an unequivocally harsh stance. Secondly, while Trump may at times make belligerent statements against China. Beijing has read him very well and understood that business deals work as a sweetener for the US President. This was clearly evident from Trump’s recent China visit where the Chinese apart from laying out a red carpet, also signed business deals to the tune of 250 billion USD (the sceptics believe that many of these are MOU's). While the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. × Post the meeting between Trump and Xi, the US President’s tone totally changed. While Washington having good ties with Beijing is not bad news for India, Trump's flip-flops certainly send a clear message that New Delhi should not solely depend upon Trump for its Indo-Pacific strategy, and neither should it's China policy be an extension of Washington's. Given their economic clout, the Chinese are in a good position to outmanoeuvre Trump. Third, while the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Old hands in the state department will not let go so easily, and even on Afghanistan, Washington’s policy will not echo India’s though the synergies may increase. PM Modi’s mention of India’s recent decision to send a consignment of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar (Iran) sent an important message that just as Washington has its own priorities, so does New Delhi. What are India’s options While the scepticism with regard to being part of a US-led alliance is over the top, the Quad in itself is not an answer to India’s strategic challenges – especially with the rise of China. India’s most reliable partner is Japan and Australia, which of late has witnessed significant strains in the relationship, and should be given high top priority. Second, New Delhi should continue to explore synergies with China, but New Delhi should draw some red lines. China’s approach of turning a blind eye towards the activities of Pakistani terror groups targeting India, especially its recent decision to block the UN ban on Azhar Masood should not go unnoticed. New Delhi should look at reducing economic dependence upon Chinese goods, and look at other alternatives. This can not happen overnight but should be an incremental process. While New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. × Third, India has understood the importance of personalised diplomacy with Trump, and the importance he gives to business in bilateral relationships. This is useful, though not enough given the US President's flip-flops. Apart from this, a lot also depends upon the US President's domestic political capital. A vulnerable Trump could be even more isolationist and this does not help India's cause in any way. In conclusion, while New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. China’s increasing leverage clearly shows that robust economic growth enhances diplomatic clout. Western democracies which pontificate about Human Rights and Democracy, have had to meekly surrender vis-à-vis Beijing on more than one occasion.

Trump unreliable; India needs robust economy to counter China

<p>China and Poland have agreed on Monday to upgrade their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Chinese President Xi Jinping&#39;s&nbsp;visit to the country.</p>

<p>The move was made as Xi met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, in a bid to further promote cooperation across the board and benefit the two peoples.</p>

<p>Xi said at the meeting that the two peoples have enjoyed lasting friendship since the two countries established diplomatic relations 67 years ago.</p>

<p>The two countries have borne fruitful results in high-level and people-to-people exchanges, and economic and trade cooperation, especially since they established a strategic partnership in 2011, said Xi.</p>

<p>He added that China has cherished the traditional friendship with Poland and stands ready to work with Poland to push forward the bilateral relations in a sound and steady way.</p>

<p>Xi also called for efforts to enhance mutual trust, align development strategies of the two countries and boost interconnectivity and production cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative.</p>

<p>Bilateral cooperation in economy and trade, finance, agriculture, science and technology should be promoted, according to Xi.</p>

<p>Hailing the bilateral ties, Duda said that Poland is willing to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the Sino-Polish comprehensive strategic partnership in various areas including the Belt and Road initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and people-to-people exchanges.</p>

<p>A joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership was inked after the meeting, as well as a memorandum of understanding on a bilateral cooperation blueprint.</p>

<p>Poland is the second leg of Xi&#39;s Eurasia tour. Before visiting Poland, Xi visited Serbia from June 17 to June 19.</p>

<p>After visiting Poland, Xi will travel to Uzbekistan for a state visit and attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)</p>


A bunch of cooperation agreements signed covering various aspects, including infrastructure construction, education, culture and aerospace

China and Poland have agreed on Monday to upgrade their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the country. The move was made as Xi met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, in a bid to further promote cooperation across the board and benefit the two peoples. Xi said at the meeting that the two peoples have enjoyed lasting friendship since the two countries established diplomatic relations 67 years ago. The two countries have borne fruitful results in high-level and people-to-people exchanges, and economic and trade cooperation, especially since they established a strategic partnership in 2011, said Xi. He added that China has cherished the traditional friendship with Poland and stands ready to work with Poland to push forward the bilateral relations in a sound and steady way. Xi also called for efforts to enhance mutual trust, align development strategies of the two countries and boost interconnectivity and production cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative. Bilateral cooperation in economy and trade, finance, agriculture, science and technology should be promoted, according to Xi. Hailing the bilateral ties, Duda said that Poland is willing to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the Sino-Polish comprehensive strategic partnership in various areas including the Belt and Road initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and people-to-people exchanges. A joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership was inked after the meeting, as well as a memorandum of understanding on a bilateral cooperation blueprint. Poland is the second leg of Xi's Eurasia tour. Before visiting Poland, Xi visited Serbia from June 17 to June 19. After visiting Poland, Xi will travel to Uzbekistan for a state visit and attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. (Reuters)

China, Poland to lift ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

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