INDIA-US TIES: The New Frenemy Nothing But The Truth S2
UPDATED: Aug 8, 2025 19:38 IST
How Modi can counter the Aggro Trump Trade Offensive
Produced by Garvit Srivastava
Sound Mix by Aman Pal
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
India, China likely to resume direct flights
New Delhi India and China are in advanced negotiations on resuming direct flights and trade through selected border posts as part of efforts to normalise their relations after the end of the four-year military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The latest indications of the thaw in bilateral relations come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31. (REUTERS) There has also been 'forward movement' on restrictions imposed by China on fertiliser exports to India, the people said on condition of anonymity. The latest indications of the thaw in bilateral relations come ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on August 31. The resumption of direct flights and border trade – both suspended since 2020 – figured in several meetings held since Modi and President Xi Jinping met in the Russian city of Kazan on October 23, 2024, two days after an understanding to end the faceoff on the LAC, and decided to revive several mechanisms to normalise relations and address the border dispute. External affairs minister S Jaishankar raised China's restrictions on fertiliser exports when he met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing last month, the people said. At the time, Jaishankar said the two sides should build on 'good progress' in normalising ties by avoiding 'restrictive trade measures' and addressing issues related to the border. The modalities for resuming direct flights, including the finalisation of an updated air services agreement, are yet to be completed, though Indian carriers have been asked by authorities to begin preparing to fly to China as early as next month, the people said. One option being considered is the resumption of flights without updating the air services agreement, they said. Authorities have asked IndiGo to start preparing for flights, hinting at the resumption of air connectivity with China, at least two officials with knowledge of the development said. 'In an internal communication, the ministry of civil aviation asked IndiGo to start making arrangements for resuming India-China flights,' one of the officials said. However, the people acknowledged that lack of adequate aircraft is a factor that is being considered by Indian authorities. Non-stop flights to China stopped during the Covid-19 pandemic and this continued after border skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops in April-May 2020 took bilateral ties to a six-decade low. Both sides arrayed close to 50,000 troops each in Ladakh sector of the LAC before the understanding last October on disengagement of forces at the two remaining 'friction points' of Demchok and Depsang. Before this, Air India, IndiGo, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern operated direct flights. IndiGo and Air India didn't comment on the development, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) didn't respond to a request for comment. The resumption of border trade through the designated points of Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand, Shipki La in Himachal Pradesh and Nathu La in Sikkim figured in recent meetings between the two sides, the people said. Trade through these routes was stopped in 2020. Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question last week that India has 'engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade through all these trade routes'. On the issue of China's restriction on fertiliser exports, the people said there had been 'forward movement' since the matter was raised by Jaishankar with his Chinese counterpart in mid-July. Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that India, the world's top importer of fertilisers, could take as much as 300,000 tons of urea. Almost half of China's fertiliser exports in 2023 headed to India, but it halted sales to all countries last year. Beijing relaxed the ban in June but kept its restrictions on India until now. India's imports of urea from China fell to about 100,000 tonnes in 2024-25, compared to 1.87 million tonnes a year ago, according to the Fertiliser Association of India. Last month, India finalised long-term agreements with Saudi Arabia for 3.1 million metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser per annum for five years to cope with the restrictions imposed by China. Di-ammonium phosphate or DAP is the second most widely used crop nutrient in India. There was no official word from the Indian and Chinese side on these developments, which coincided with substantial strain in India's relations with the US after President Donald Trump imposed a reciprocal tariff of 25% on Indian goods and a punitive tariff of 25% for purchases of Russian crude. The Indian side has proceeded cautiously in normalising relations with China, with the two sides agreeing in April to resume the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra to the Tibet region for the first time since 2020, and India resuming tourist visas for Chinese nationals in July after a five-year gap. Efforts to normalise relations, however, hit a bump over China's support to Pakistan during four days of hostilities with India in May after New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor to target terrorist infrastructure across the border in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians in April.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Modi likely to be in US next month for UNGA meet, bilateral talks with Trump
Preparations are underway to schedule a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in the last week of September, The Indian Express has learnt. The ostensible reason is to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but a key objective will be to meet US President Donald Trump, iron out the issues on trade and arrive at a common ground on tariffs. This will also give an opportunity for the two leaders to announce a trade deal. However, for this to fructify, a lot of moving parts have to fall in place. There has to be movement on two fronts — the Russia-Ukraine war and the Indo-US trade deal. Negotiations are underway on both fronts, and the stakes for Delhi are high since it has been slapped with 50 per cent tariffs by the US — 25 per cent for its high tariffs and 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil. On the Russia-Ukraine war front, Delhi is closely following the meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Modi has already spoken to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the last few days. A resolution to the conflict is in India's interest, sources said, and this has been conveyed to both leaders. On the trade deal front, Indian and American negotiators had been close to sealing a deal, but the US President was not happy about the deal that was agreed between the interlocutors. So, the negotiators have to discuss the terms of the deal further, and they have to offer new terms, as red lines have been drawn. But the two sides are focused on the new goal for bilateral trade — 'Mission 500' — aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. This was decided during Modi's visit to the White House where he met Trump in February this year. They had also agreed that to realise this ambition, they would require new, fair-trade terms, and they had announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall this year. And to conclude a wide-ranging BTA, the US and India had agreed to take an integrated approach to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade across the goods and services sector, and work towards increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepening supply chain integration. But that has run into rough weather. And the officials and negotiators have to unlock the issues and negotiate a deal by September last week – the Prime Minister's visit to the US is expected to 'dot the i's and cross the t's', sources said. Now, to schedule the visit, as a first step, the Indian side has reached out to the UN headquarters for a speaking slot for the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. As of now, that has been scheduled for September 26 morning. Trump is slated to speak on September 23. At the UNGA, permanent missions to the UN have to indicate the level of representation from each country, and the speaking slot of 15-minutes is granted accordingly. If the PM's visit takes place, it will give an opportunity to speak at the UNGA and hold bilateral meetings with Trump and other world leaders. Zelenskyy also indicated Monday, after his phone call with Modi, that they 'agreed to plan a personal meeting in September during the UN General Assembly'. Sources said plans are underway since the entire process of accreditation and travel arrangements to the UN needs to be completed in August. Ties between India and the US have been impacted in recent months after Trump claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan — a claim denied by Delhi. He followed it with diatribes against India on tariffs, and imposed 50 per cent tariffs. Sources said that since the two countries are strategic partners, they have to sort out the issues, and the PM's visit will be to smoothen the issues, so that a visit by the US President to India can take place in October for the summit of Quad leaders.
United News of India
5 hours ago
- United News of India
Lok Sabha passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill by voice vote
New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) The Lok Sabha today passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 by voice vote. The Bill aims to ensure the benefits of the mining sector reach the common people, introduce transparency in the allocation of mines and promote development in the sector. While presenting the bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy, said the proposed amendments aim to boost employment opportunities and ensure that tribals and those linked to the mining sector directly benefit from the reforms. He pointed out that prior to the Modi government, mine allocations were done with minimal oversight, allowing mafia groups to dominate the sector. This led to the Supreme Court cancelling 104 mine allocations due to corruption. He emphasised that the scenario has now significantly improved. Reddy also mentioned that the mining sector was once controlled by politically influential individuals and marred by exploitation. In contrast, he said, the current environment fosters development, with common citizens now seeing real benefits. Taking a dig at the Opposition members who were protesting the bill, he said that their opposition stems from a lack of faith in the people. Earlier, during the debate, BJP MP Malavika Devi highlighted that mine allocations were previously handled in an unethical manner, but reforms have changed that. She said the bill would help uplift the poor and improve the nation's global standing by ensuring transparency in mining. BJP's Brijmohan Agrawal called the legislation a key step towards the development of tribal regions, stating that it would benefit marginalized communities. CM Gurumoorthy Maddila of the YSR Congress and G Lakshminarayan from the Telugu Desam Party also took part in the discussion. UNI RBE SSP Various schemes to financially support divyang's healthcare: Govt 12 Aug 2025 | 8:28 PM New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) The Government today told Parliament that a slew of schemes aimed at improving healthcare access and financial support for persons with disabilities (PwD) has been launched for the welfare of the sector in the past few years. see more.. Parliament adjourns till Aug 18 amid Opposition ruckus over Bihar's SIR 12 Aug 2025 | 8:21 PM New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Both Houses of Parlaiment --Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - adjourned today till August 18 after wrapping up key legislative business amid vocal protests by the Opposition over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. see more.. Over 1 75 cr diagnoised with diabetes & hypertension in last 6 months: Govt 12 Aug 2025 | 6:51 PM New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Over 1.11 crore and 64 lakhs people respectively have been diagnosed for hypertension and diabetes under the central health programme in the last six months till June this year, the government told Rajya Sabha today. see more.. LS Speaker forms 3-member panel to probe charges against Justice Yashwant Varma 12 Aug 2025 | 4:41 PM New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today constituted a three-member committee to probe the charges against Allahabad High Court Judge Yashwant Varma. This follows the alleged discovery of burnt cash at his official Delhi residence after a fire in March 2025, when he was a Delhi High Court Judge The committee would comprise Justice Arvind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, and Senior Advocate at the Karnataka High Court BV Acharya. see more..
