• Latest
  • Trending

Indian PM ditches US for deeper relationship with China and Russia

June 18, 2019
Ethiopian airlines flight misses landing as pilots fall asleep mid air

Ethiopian airlines flight misses landing as pilots fall asleep mid air

August 19, 2022
Colombo. Image credits - Jalitha Hewage @_llucifer_ / Unsplash

Land value in Colombo District accelerates in first half of 2022

August 19, 2022
Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

August 19, 2022
Exchange Rate

Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

August 19, 2022
Emirates

Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria

August 19, 2022
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un . Image credits - REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool/File Photo

North Korea tells South Korea president to ‘shut his mouth’ after offer of aid

August 19, 2022
Weather. Image credits - Wolfgang Hasselmann @wolfgang_hasselmann / Unsplash

Extreme heat is slamming the world’s three biggest economies all at once

August 19, 2022
Hadi Matar appears in court on charges of attempted murder and assault on author Salman Rushdie, in Mayville, New York, US, August 18, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault

August 19, 2022
Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

10-hour water cut in areas of Colombo tomorrow

August 19, 2022
Apple

iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

August 19, 2022
Electricity

Power cut schedule today in Sri Lanka: 19th August

August 18, 2022
alcohol

Japan urges its young people to drink more to boost economy

August 18, 2022
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, August 20, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Colombo. Image credits - Jalitha Hewage @_llucifer_ / Unsplash

    Land value in Colombo District accelerates in first half of 2022

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

    10-hour water cut in areas of Colombo tomorrow

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule today in Sri Lanka: 19th August

    Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates from around the world. Image credits - Jinan Times

    Fish tested amid Xiamen covid outbreak in China

    Oil

    Myanmar buys Russian oil as emerging markets take shunned supply

    dollar

    Amnesty period announced to deposit/sell foreign currency in the hands of public

    Veteran journalist Sugeeswara Senadhira appointed Lankan Prime Minister’s Media Advisor

    Veteran journalist Sugeeswara Senadhira appointed Lankan Prime Minister’s Media Advisor

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

    Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

    Emirates

    Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria

    Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un . Image credits - REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool/File Photo

    North Korea tells South Korea president to ‘shut his mouth’ after offer of aid

    Weather. Image credits - Wolfgang Hasselmann @wolfgang_hasselmann / Unsplash

    Extreme heat is slamming the world’s three biggest economies all at once

    Hadi Matar appears in court on charges of attempted murder and assault on author Salman Rushdie, in Mayville, New York, US, August 18, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

    Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault

    Apple

    iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

    alcohol

    Japan urges its young people to drink more to boost economy

    Oil

    Myanmar buys Russian oil as emerging markets take shunned supply

    Inflation

    UK inflation tops 10%, highest since 1982

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Marvel has unleashed the first look teaser of Black Panther 2.

    Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Marvel pays emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman

    Stranger Things

    Netflix confirms ‘Stranger Things’ spinoff and play

    Kamal Haasan's Vikram is on a rampage.

    Kamal Haasan’s Vikram is the highest-grossing film in Singapore, UK and UAE

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ celebrates 25 magical years

    Salman Khan

    Plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan revealed

    Shah Rukh Khan's Jawaan, to be directed by Atlee, to scheduled for June 2023 release. (Photo: Twitter)

    Shah Rukh Khan announces new film ‘Jawaan’

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Digital. Image credits - Scott Graham @homajob / Unsplash

    In remote work and tech companies, job titles have gotten longer – and fancier

    Walk. Image credits - Arek Adeoye @areksan / Unsplash

    Why even 2 minutes of walking after a meal will improve your health

    Cheeseburger. Image credits - Alamy / BBC

    McDonald’s puts up price of cheeseburger for first time in 14 years

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    Sushmita Sen. Image credits - Getty Images

    Sushmita Sen: Why ‘gold digger’ jibe caused outrage

    Honey. Image credits - Mariana Ibanez / Unsplash

    7 unique health benefits of honey

    alcohol

    Alcohol is never healthy for people under 40, study finds

    world’s happiest countries in 2022

    List of world’s happiest countries in 2022

    Emirates

    Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Apple

    iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

    A view shows a bionic hand developed by COVVI, at Quayside Business Park in Leeds, Britain. (Photo: Reuters)

    Bionic hand can be updated with new gestures, anytime, anywhere

    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 phones on Aug 10, 2022. (Photo: Samsung)

    5 things to know about Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphones

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Colombo. Image credits - Jalitha Hewage @_llucifer_ / Unsplash

    Land value in Colombo District accelerates in first half of 2022

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    Water cut. Image credits - Walter Randlehoff / Unsplash

    10-hour water cut in areas of Colombo tomorrow

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule today in Sri Lanka: 19th August

    Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates from around the world. Image credits - Jinan Times

    Fish tested amid Xiamen covid outbreak in China

    Oil

    Myanmar buys Russian oil as emerging markets take shunned supply

    dollar

    Amnesty period announced to deposit/sell foreign currency in the hands of public

    Veteran journalist Sugeeswara Senadhira appointed Lankan Prime Minister’s Media Advisor

    Veteran journalist Sugeeswara Senadhira appointed Lankan Prime Minister’s Media Advisor

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

    Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

    Emirates

    Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria

    Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un . Image credits - REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool/File Photo

    North Korea tells South Korea president to ‘shut his mouth’ after offer of aid

    Weather. Image credits - Wolfgang Hasselmann @wolfgang_hasselmann / Unsplash

    Extreme heat is slamming the world’s three biggest economies all at once

    Hadi Matar appears in court on charges of attempted murder and assault on author Salman Rushdie, in Mayville, New York, US, August 18, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

    Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault

    Apple

    iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

    alcohol

    Japan urges its young people to drink more to boost economy

    Oil

    Myanmar buys Russian oil as emerging markets take shunned supply

    Inflation

    UK inflation tops 10%, highest since 1982

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Marvel has unleashed the first look teaser of Black Panther 2.

    Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Marvel pays emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman

    Stranger Things

    Netflix confirms ‘Stranger Things’ spinoff and play

    Kamal Haasan's Vikram is on a rampage.

    Kamal Haasan’s Vikram is the highest-grossing film in Singapore, UK and UAE

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ celebrates 25 magical years

    Salman Khan

    Plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan revealed

    Shah Rukh Khan's Jawaan, to be directed by Atlee, to scheduled for June 2023 release. (Photo: Twitter)

    Shah Rukh Khan announces new film ‘Jawaan’

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Austria donates essential medicines to Sri Lanka

    Digital. Image credits - Scott Graham @homajob / Unsplash

    In remote work and tech companies, job titles have gotten longer – and fancier

    Walk. Image credits - Arek Adeoye @areksan / Unsplash

    Why even 2 minutes of walking after a meal will improve your health

    Cheeseburger. Image credits - Alamy / BBC

    McDonald’s puts up price of cheeseburger for first time in 14 years

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    Sushmita Sen. Image credits - Getty Images

    Sushmita Sen: Why ‘gold digger’ jibe caused outrage

    Honey. Image credits - Mariana Ibanez / Unsplash

    7 unique health benefits of honey

    alcohol

    Alcohol is never healthy for people under 40, study finds

    world’s happiest countries in 2022

    List of world’s happiest countries in 2022

    Emirates

    Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Apple

    iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

    A view shows a bionic hand developed by COVVI, at Quayside Business Park in Leeds, Britain. (Photo: Reuters)

    Bionic hand can be updated with new gestures, anytime, anywhere

    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 phones on Aug 10, 2022. (Photo: Samsung)

    5 things to know about Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphones

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around The World

Indian PM ditches US for deeper relationship with China and Russia

Editor by Editor
June 18, 2019
in Around The World, China, India, Politics, Top Story
Reading Time: 9 mins read
4 0
A A
Share on WhatsApp

By M.K.Bhadrakumar/Indian Punchline

The Bishkek Declaration, issued after the summit meeting (June 14-15) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation devotes one sentence praising China’s Belt and Road Initiative: “The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirm their support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and praise the results of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (which was held in April 26).”

India kept aloof. Any surprises here? Not, at all. In broad daylight, India had been shouting and screaming from the roof top that the BRI was no good, that it led to ‘debt trap’. India’s condemnation of the BRI was so impolite bordering on crass rudeness in the pre-Wuhan [a Xi-Modi Summit last year] era with then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar once even called Chinese President Xi Jinping by name at an international conference in New Delhi and counselled him as to how to go about executing his pet project.

ADVERTISEMENT

But times have changed. Neither did India block the Bishkek Declaration nor did other member countries try to shove the Chinese project down the Indian throat. They didn’t even have to agree to disagree. The fact of the matter is that India’s condemnation of the BRI got toned down to criticism over time and incrementally mellowed to a deafening silence through the past year or so. PM Narendra Modi paid no attention to the BRI in his speech at the SCO summit.

Modi preferred instead to work on the “Wuhan Spirit”, conveying to Xi Jinping at their “extremely fruitful” meeting in Bishkek on June 13 that in the period since April last year, strategic communication between the two countries has “improved” at all levels and in that context only some of the long-pending issues such as Masood Azhar’s designation as global terrorist could be resolved.

Curiously, when the Indian media insists that it is the ubiquitous Americans who swung the Azhar designation for India by coming down hard on Beijing, Modi gives credit to the India-China strategic communication! The winds of change are palpable. To quote the Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, “So we see this (Modi-Xi meeting in Bishkek) as the beginning of a process after the formation of government in India, to now deal with India-China relations from both sides in a larger context of the 21st century and of our role in the Asia-Pacific region in this regard.” (Transcript)

The SCO summit has been an eye-opener. Modi had two outstanding ‘bilaterals’ — with Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin respectively and they highlight that India’s relations with these two countries have been put on a high trajectory. Modi and Xi are to meet thrice during the remaining six-month period of the year alone — plus, of course, Xi’s expected informal summit with Modi sometime in autumn (in Varanasi?).

Equally, Modi has accepted the invitation from Putin to be the Chief Guest at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in early September and the two leaders are also to meet each other at Osaka at the G20 Summit and at the BRICS summit. Indeed, Putin is also due to visit India this year for the annual summit and there is also some talk in the air regarding another “informal” summit.

Without doubt, the little-noticed vignette out of the SCO summit is that the leaderships of Russia, India and China have agreed to have a trilateral meeting within the RIC format, too, alongside their summits on the bilateral track. And, the venue will be the Osaka — on the sidelines of the G20 summit (which will be attended by President Trump and where a galaxy of western leaders is expected.)

If international diplomacy indulges in symbolism, this must be one of the most poignant ones in world politics in the recent times. The RIC has always been a red rag for the US — ever since the great Soviet strategic thinker and Kremlin statesman Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov first proposed the tantalising idea in 1999. The profound symbolism cannot be lost on Trump that India is consorting with the two “revisionist powers” on the planet (Russia and China) which, according to the US, are each working its way toward making a power grab on the world stage.

The SCO summit in Bishkek becomes defining moment in India’s foreign policy. Modi has wetted his toes in Eurasianism. His disenchantment with the “defining partnership” with the US can only partly account for it. The crux of the matter is that Modi is taking Indian diplomacy away from its obsession with geopolitics and making it a handmaiden of his national policies. Both Xi and Putin sense this.

The Xinhua report on Xi’s meeting with Modi harps on geoeconomics. Equally, one of the highlights of the Putin-Modi meeting is the Russian invitation to India to get involved in cooperation in the Arctic. Now, China also happens to be a key partner country for Russia to create a “Polar Silk Road” in the Arctic Sea. Beijing has announced that China would be pursuing investment across the Arctic Route to encourage commercial shipping through Russia’s Northern Sea Route as a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

This is indeed a massive undertaking involving investment programs worth trillions of dollars, which will go toward connecting Asia and Europe by sea to promote more trade between the continents. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “China is breaking into Arctic transport through a joint venture between the country’s biggest ocean carrier, Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., and its Russian counterpart PAO Sovcomflot to move natural gas from Siberia to Western and Asian markets.”

The report adds, “The new venture will ship liquefied natural gas from central northern Siberia’s gargantuan Yamal LNG project to a laundry list of destinations including Northern Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China. The initiative will begin with a fleet of a dozen ice-breaking tankers, and Cosco’s China Shipping LNG Investment Co. will reportedly operate another nine tankers.”

Foreign Secretary Gokhale disclosed at his media briefing in Bishkek that Modi has decided that India should engage with Russia in the Arctic region oil & gas “and we have already began that engagement. A delegation from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has already had discussion with the Russian side last month and this is something that the leaders felt we should take forward.” The Russian Deputy Prime Minister and the Special Representative of President Putin for the Arctic region, Yury Trutnev is arriving in India on June 18 for talks in this regard. The Indian-Russian Strategic Economic Dialogue, which from our side is headed by the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, will take place in July.

Suffice to say, the big picture that emerges out of all this is that Modi is connecting the dots and creating synergy between India’s strategic communication with China and Russia respectively. It is an audacious strategy but holds infinite possibilities. Consider the following.

China-Russian entente is rapidly developing into a quasi-alliance. On the other hand, India’s relations with Russia have not only recovered from the neglect of the UPA era but are blossoming into a truly strategic partnership attuned to the 21st century, thanks to the warm friendship between Modi and Putin. Succinctly put, Russia is uniquely placed to help strengthen the incipient signs of the Wuhan Spirit maturing into an enduring strategic understanding between India and China as two emerging powers with great many common interests.

The fact that Modi and Xi exuded confidence to accelerate the negotiations for a border settlement alone underscores that the Russia-India-China triangle has become very dynamic. Truly, the RIC summit in Osaka provides underpinning for the concert of the three Asian powers. To be sure, the West won’t like what is happening.

By M.K.Bhadrakumar/Indian Punchline

The Bishkek Declaration, issued after the summit meeting (June 14-15) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation devotes one sentence praising China’s Belt and Road Initiative: “The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirm their support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and praise the results of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (which was held in April 26).”

India kept aloof. Any surprises here? Not, at all. In broad daylight, India had been shouting and screaming from the roof top that the BRI was no good, that it led to ‘debt trap’. India’s condemnation of the BRI was so impolite bordering on crass rudeness in the pre-Wuhan [a Xi-Modi Summit last year] era with then Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar once even called Chinese President Xi Jinping by name at an international conference in New Delhi and counselled him as to how to go about executing his pet project.

But times have changed. Neither did India block the Bishkek Declaration nor did other member countries try to shove the Chinese project down the Indian throat. They didn’t even have to agree to disagree. The fact of the matter is that India’s condemnation of the BRI got toned down to criticism over time and incrementally mellowed to a deafening silence through the past year or so. PM Narendra Modi paid no attention to the BRI in his speech at the SCO summit.

Modi preferred instead to work on the “Wuhan Spirit”, conveying to Xi Jinping at their “extremely fruitful” meeting in Bishkek on June 13 that in the period since April last year, strategic communication between the two countries has “improved” at all levels and in that context only some of the long-pending issues such as Masood Azhar’s designation as global terrorist could be resolved.

Curiously, when the Indian media insists that it is the ubiquitous Americans who swung the Azhar designation for India by coming down hard on Beijing, Modi gives credit to the India-China strategic communication! The winds of change are palpable. To quote the Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, “So we see this (Modi-Xi meeting in Bishkek) as the beginning of a process after the formation of government in India, to now deal with India-China relations from both sides in a larger context of the 21st century and of our role in the Asia-Pacific region in this regard.” (Transcript)

The SCO summit has been an eye-opener. Modi had two outstanding ‘bilaterals’ — with Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin respectively and they highlight that India’s relations with these two countries have been put on a high trajectory. Modi and Xi are to meet thrice during the remaining six-month period of the year alone — plus, of course, Xi’s expected informal summit with Modi sometime in autumn (in Varanasi?).

Equally, Modi has accepted the invitation from Putin to be the Chief Guest at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in early September and the two leaders are also to meet each other at Osaka at the G20 Summit and at the BRICS summit. Indeed, Putin is also due to visit India this year for the annual summit and there is also some talk in the air regarding another “informal” summit.

Without doubt, the little-noticed vignette out of the SCO summit is that the leaderships of Russia, India and China have agreed to have a trilateral meeting within the RIC format, too, alongside their summits on the bilateral track. And, the venue will be the Osaka — on the sidelines of the G20 summit (which will be attended by President Trump and where a galaxy of western leaders is expected.)

If international diplomacy indulges in symbolism, this must be one of the most poignant ones in world politics in the recent times. The RIC has always been a red rag for the US — ever since the great Soviet strategic thinker and Kremlin statesman Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov first proposed the tantalising idea in 1999. The profound symbolism cannot be lost on Trump that India is consorting with the two “revisionist powers” on the planet (Russia and China) which, according to the US, are each working its way toward making a power grab on the world stage.

The SCO summit in Bishkek becomes defining moment in India’s foreign policy. Modi has wetted his toes in Eurasianism. His disenchantment with the “defining partnership” with the US can only partly account for it. The crux of the matter is that Modi is taking Indian diplomacy away from its obsession with geopolitics and making it a handmaiden of his national policies. Both Xi and Putin sense this.

The Xinhua report on Xi’s meeting with Modi harps on geoeconomics. Equally, one of the highlights of the Putin-Modi meeting is the Russian invitation to India to get involved in cooperation in the Arctic. Now, China also happens to be a key partner country for Russia to create a “Polar Silk Road” in the Arctic Sea. Beijing has announced that China would be pursuing investment across the Arctic Route to encourage commercial shipping through Russia’s Northern Sea Route as a part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

This is indeed a massive undertaking involving investment programs worth trillions of dollars, which will go toward connecting Asia and Europe by sea to promote more trade between the continents. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that “China is breaking into Arctic transport through a joint venture between the country’s biggest ocean carrier, Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., and its Russian counterpart PAO Sovcomflot to move natural gas from Siberia to Western and Asian markets.”

The report adds, “The new venture will ship liquefied natural gas from central northern Siberia’s gargantuan Yamal LNG project to a laundry list of destinations including Northern Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China. The initiative will begin with a fleet of a dozen ice-breaking tankers, and Cosco’s China Shipping LNG Investment Co. will reportedly operate another nine tankers.”

Foreign Secretary Gokhale disclosed at his media briefing in Bishkek that Modi has decided that India should engage with Russia in the Arctic region oil & gas “and we have already began that engagement. A delegation from Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas has already had discussion with the Russian side last month and this is something that the leaders felt we should take forward.” The Russian Deputy Prime Minister and the Special Representative of President Putin for the Arctic region, Yury Trutnev is arriving in India on June 18 for talks in this regard. The Indian-Russian Strategic Economic Dialogue, which from our side is headed by the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, will take place in July.

Suffice to say, the big picture that emerges out of all this is that Modi is connecting the dots and creating synergy between India’s strategic communication with China and Russia respectively. It is an audacious strategy but holds infinite possibilities. Consider the following.

China-Russian entente is rapidly developing into a quasi-alliance. On the other hand, India’s relations with Russia have not only recovered from the neglect of the UPA era but are blossoming into a truly strategic partnership attuned to the 21st century, thanks to the warm friendship between Modi and Putin. Succinctly put, Russia is uniquely placed to help strengthen the incipient signs of the Wuhan Spirit maturing into an enduring strategic understanding between India and China as two emerging powers with great many common interests.

The fact that Modi and Xi exuded confidence to accelerate the negotiations for a border settlement alone underscores that the Russia-India-China triangle has become very dynamic. Truly, the RIC summit in Osaka provides underpinning for the concert of the three Asian powers. To be sure, the West won’t like what is happening.

 

Related Posts

Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage
Around The World

Finnish PM Sanna Marin facing backlash over leaked party footage

August 19, 2022
Emirates
Around The World

Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria

August 19, 2022
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un . Image credits - REUTERS/Jorge Silva/Pool/File Photo
Around The World

North Korea tells South Korea president to ‘shut his mouth’ after offer of aid

August 19, 2022
Weather. Image credits - Wolfgang Hasselmann @wolfgang_hasselmann / Unsplash
Around The World

Extreme heat is slamming the world’s three biggest economies all at once

August 19, 2022
Hadi Matar appears in court on charges of attempted murder and assault on author Salman Rushdie, in Mayville, New York, US, August 18, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)
Around The World

Salman Rushdie attack suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murder, assault

August 19, 2022
Apple
Around The World

iOS 15.6.1—Update now warning issued to all iPhone users

August 19, 2022
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule today in Sri Lanka: 19th August

    49573 shares
    Share 19842 Tweet 12388
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6551 shares
    Share 2658 Tweet 1622
  • Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    1413 shares
    Share 572 Tweet 351
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    785 shares
    Share 327 Tweet 191
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    734 shares
    Share 312 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

mersin eskort - eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - istanbul avukat