Mediation is needed before India and Pakistan cross the nuclear line
India and Pakistan's unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes on Wednesday marked their most serious escalation since their 1998 nuclear tests, and they raise fears of a broader threat to global security well beyond their shared border.
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The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
India's Modi to meet China's top diplomat as Asian powers rebuild ties
NEW DELHI (AP) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet with China's top diplomat on Tuesday in a sign of easing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors after a yearslong standoff between the Asian powers. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in India on Monday, is scheduled to hold talks with Modi and other leaders about the disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Reducing the number of troops on the border and possibly resuming trade in the contested region are expected to be on the agenda. The rebuilding of ties coincides with friction between New Delhi and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on India, a longtime ally seen as a counterbalance against China's influence in Asia. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the U.S., along with Australia and Japan. 'Compromise at the highest political level' India and China's decades-old border dispute worsened in 2020 after a deadly clash between their troops in the Ladakh region. The chill in relations affected trade, diplomacy and air travel as both sides deployed tens of thousands of security forces in border areas. Some progress has been made since then. Last year, India and China agreed to a pact on border patrols and withdrew additional forces along some border areas. Both countries continue to fortify their border by building roads and rail networks. In recent months, the countries have increased official visits and discussed easing some trade restrictions, movement of citizens and visas for businesspeople. In June, Beijing allowed pilgrims from India to visit holy sites in Tibet. Both sides are working to restore direct flights. Last week, the spokesman for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said India and China were in discussions to restart trade through three points along their 3,488-kilometer (2,167-mile) border. Manoj Joshi, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, said relations are still at an uneasy level of normalization. "Settling the boundary issue between the two countries requires political compromise at the highest political level," said Joshi, who also served as a member of the advisory board for India's National Security Council. He asserted that the countries are "still talking past each other when it comes to the border dispute and issues surrounding it." Ahead of his meeting with Modi, Wang met India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and discussed the way forward to bolster the relationship. "The setbacks we experienced in the past few years were not in the interest of the people of our two countries. We are heartened to see the stability that is now restored in the borders," Wang said. On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing is willing to take Wang's India visit as an opportunity to work with the Indian side to "properly handle differences and promote the sustained, sound and stable development of China-India relations." Mao said Wang's meeting with Modi's national security adviser will "continue in-depth communication to jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas." Modi plans to visit China soon The thaw between Beijing and New Delhi began last October when Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at a summit of emerging economies in Russia. It was the first time the leaders had spoken in person since 2019. Modi is set to meet Xi when he travels to China late this month -- his first visit in seven years -- to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional grouping formed by China, Russia and others to counter U.S. influence in Asia. Earlier this year, Xi called for India and China's relations to take the form of a "dragon-elephant tango" -- a dance between the emblematic animals of the countries. Last month, India's external affairs minister visited Beijing in his first trip to China since 2020. The US and Pakistan play roles in the thaw The renewed engagement comes as New Delhi's ties with Trump are fraying. Washington has imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, which includes a penalty of 25% for purchasing Russian crude oil. The tariffs take effect Aug. 27. India has shown no sign of backing down, instead signing more agreements with Russia to deepen economic cooperation. Trump's renewed engagement with India's arch rival, Pakistan, has also encouraged New Delhi's overtures to China, said Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who led the Indian military's Northern Command from 2014 to 2016. In June, Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief for a White House lunch and later announced an energy deal with Islamabad to jointly develop the country's oil reserves. Both followed Trump's claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the two sides traded military strikes in May. That clash saw Pakistan use Chinese-made military jets and missiles against India. "China is heavily invested in Pakistan and, practically speaking, you can't have any expectation that Beijing will hold back support to Islamabad," Hooda said. "But you can't have two hostile neighbors on your borders and simultaneously deal with them also."
Nikkei Asia
a day ago
- Nikkei Asia
India and Japan can go from quiet partners to Asia's power couple
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the Vande Bharat Express, inaugurating the Katra-Srinagar train service, at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Station in Katra, India, on June 6. © Reuters Chitrali Parashar is a New Delhi-based associate with The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Japan Today
Air Canada suspends plan to resume flights as union vows to continue strike
Air Canada on Sunday suspended its plan to resume flights over a strike by flight attendants that has effectively shut down the airline and snarled summer travel for its passengers around the world. The announcement came despite the country's industrial relations board ordering an end to the strike by around 10,000 flight attendants, which had prompted the airline to say it would resume flying on Sunday. "Air Canada... has suspended its plan to resume limited flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge," citing a decision by the union representing the workers to continue with striking, despite the government directive. "The airline will resume flights as of tomorrow evening," the flag carrier said in a statement. Earlier, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) "directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to resume their duties by 14:00 EDT on August 17, 2025," the airline said. Air Canada cabin crew walked off the job early Saturday after rejecting an updated contract proposal. Hours later, Canada's labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu, invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. "The directive, under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, and the CIRB's order, ends the strike at Air Canada that resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights," the Montreal-based carrier said. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which is representing the workers, sought wage increases as well as to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process. In a statement on Sunday, CUPE's Air Canada unit said the strike would continue. "CUPE National President Mark Hancock made it loud and clear that our members will NOT be returning to work until such time as the government orders Air Canada back to the bargaining table where we can reach an attempted agreement that our members can vote on," it said. "We will not have our rights and protections removed." The union urged passengers not to go to the airport if they had a ticket for Air Canada or its lower-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. CUPE earlier slammed the Canadian government's intervention as "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted." "This sets a terrible precedent," it said. The union also pointed out that the chairwoman of CIRB, Maryse Tremblay, previously worked as legal counsel for Air Canada. Tremblay's ruling on whether to end the strike was "an almost unthinkable display of conflict-of-interest," the union posted on Facebook. On Thursday, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027. CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as "below inflation (and) below market value." In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage would exacerbate the economic pinch already being felt from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Canada's flag carrier counts around 130,000 daily passengers and flies directly to 180 cities worldwide. © 2025 AFP
