'Another blow to Indian diplomacy': Congress flays Centre amid ASEAN 'displeasure' over Goyal's remarks
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday slammed the government over the reported displeasure expressed by the ASEAN co-chair for the review of India FTA following Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal's 'B-Team of China' remark, and said it was "another blow" to Indian diplomacy.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that the ASEAN co-chair for the review of India FTA has expressed displeasure over Goyal's recent remarks, describing several countries in the region as a "B team of China."
In his post on X, Ramesh said, "India has very close civilizational, cultural, economic, and political ties with the 10-nation ASEAN Group--Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. ASEAN, that came into being almost six decades back, has a combined GDP just slightly lower than that of India."
The Union Commerce and Industry Minister dismisses them as the "B team of China", he said.
"ASEAN now ticks him off. Indian diplomacy suffers yet another blow. This was needless," Ramesh added.
Last week, speaking at the India Global Forum (IGF) session on UK-India Science, Technology and Innovation Collaboration at the Science Museum in London, Goyal had said, "There was a point of time 15 years ago when we were more focused on doing FTAs with countries who were our competitors. So if I am doing an ASEAN agreement, it really is silly because (that is) opening up my market to my competitors, many of whom have now become the B team of China."
The Congress had slammed Goyal for his remarks against the India-ASEAN trade agreements, saying labelling these countries as "B team of China" is "irresponsible and insulting."
In a statement, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma had said Goyal's statement "belittling India ASEAN Trade Agreements is unwarranted, ill advised and unfortunate."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
26 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mark Zuckerberg is writing to top AI talent, offering ₹860 crore pay packages: report
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has spent the last few months personally reaching out to the smartest AI minds and offering them as much as $100 million or ₹ 860 crore, in an attempt to catch up in the artificial intelligence race, a report by the Wall Street Journal said. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally reaching out to hundreds of researchers, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.(AFP) The tech leader is personally reaching out to hundreds of researchers, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs to convince them to join his new Superintelligence lab. Zuckerberg is willing to shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to onboard these people, making them some of the most expensive hires in the industry. Apart from offering $100 million packages to some people, he has also spent $14 billion for a stake in AI startup Scale and its CEO Alexandr Wang, who is slated to run his new AI team. The 28-year-old is now one of the most lucrative hires in history of the tech industry. The report claimed that Zuckerberg has also connected with Aravind Srinivas, a co-founder of Indian origin, and offered to buy Perplexity, an AI search startup. The Meta CEO has also reached out to OpenAI employees, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever, but Sam Altman claims that none of his best people have decided to go with him. Zuckerberg's hands on approach The messages directly from Zuckerberg have surprised people, some of whom did not believe it was really the Meta CEO reaching out to them and ended up not responding to the emails they considered hoaxes. Those who have turned him down have claimed his vague concept of a "superintelligence" achieving a team of 50 lacks a specific enough execution plan. However, Zuckerberg has taken a hands-on approach to recruiting top AI researchers, believing it's where he can have the greatest impact at Meta. After convincing candidates that the outreach is genuinely from him, he often hosts them at his homes in Palo Alto or Lake Tahoe. He stays involved throughout the hiring process, even planning where they'll sit.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Evacuated from our dormitory: Indian students share what it took to escape Iran
Evacuated students express gratitude to Indian government amid Iran-Israel conflict. (PTI Photo) Amid the conflict between Iran and Israel, thousands of Indian and Sri Lankan nationals — many of them students — have been successfully evacuated under the Indian government's Operation Sindhu. The operation was initiated after Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' on June 13, 2025, targeting Iranian military and nuclear installations, heightening fears of widespread regional instability. Operation Sindhu, which began on June 18, 2025, has so far facilitated the return of 2,295 Indians from Iran. A day earlier, on June 17, another flight brought back 290 Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan national from Mashhad. With Iran's airspace initially closed, the evacuation was first carried out via land routes to Armenia and Turkmenistan. Iran later reopened its skies exclusively for Indian rescue flights, enabling direct airlifts starting June 20. Similarly, evacuations from Israel were coordinated through Jordan and Kuwait, demonstrating India's wide diplomatic engagement in the region. Gratitude expressed by Indian students returning home Numerous returning students have shared heartfelt messages, thanking the Indian government for its swift and comprehensive rescue efforts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo A video posted by @mygovindia features young evacuees expressing their appreciation. Sheikh Afsa, who arrived in New Delhi aboard a special flight carrying 110 evacuees from northern Iran, told ANI that the evacuation team 'literally took us from our dormitory, from our doors… we didn't even expect this much help. We are grateful to the central government for the role they played.' One student is quoted by ANI saying, 'We used to hear that Modi Ji considers all Indians as his own family. Today we have felt the same way.' Another added, 'I am very thankful for my government because of which our problems are solved.' A researcher's account from Jerusalem Arvind Shukla, an Indian postdoctoral researcher who was evacuated from Jerusalem, shared his experience after reaching India. Speaking to ANI at the airport, Shukla described the terrifying atmosphere in Israel: 'Missiles were flying over our heads… we used to stay in the hostel and rush to the bunker when sirens went off.' He added that the evacuation was well-managed with the help of officials in Jordan and Kuwait. ANI quoted Shukla saying, 'They took out 160 people from there. We received proper food, water and everything… the India Embassy staff were really kind. We are grateful.' Concerns about disrupted studies but hopes for return While students were relieved to be home, some voiced concern about the impact on their academic futures. A girl from Jammu and Kashmir, currently in her fourth year of studies in Iran, told ANI that while she was thankful for the safe evacuation, she hoped the war would soon end so that students could return to finish their education. ANI quoted her saying, 'We didn't expect to be back, but such is the condition there… The evacuation process was smooth. I request our CM to help us reach home quickly.' India continues to prioritise citizens' safety abroad In a post shared on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed the continued commitment of the Indian government: 'India evacuated 110 students from northern Iran, who crossed into Armenia under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia… India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of her nationals abroad.' Sri Lankan student praises India's 'Neighbourhood First' approach India's assistance extended beyond its own citizens. Fatima Iman, a Sri Lankan national who was also rescued from Iran, expressed her thanks for the support. ANI quoted her saying that the worsening conditions in Iran made the Indian evacuation effort all the more crucial. She appreciated India's commitment to regional stability, referencing past operations like the 1990 evacuation from Kuwait and the 2015 Yemen crisis. With Operation Sindhu still underway, many more citizens are expected to be brought home in the coming days.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
PhonePe prepares for $1.5 billion IPO: All you need to know
Digital payments and financial services platform PhonePe is gearing up for a $1.5-billion initial public offering (IPO) later this year. The Walmart-backed company has tapped Kotak Mahindra Capital, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley to arrange the offering. Key details: Draft paper filing: The company may file its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) by August. Target raise: It plans to raise around $1.5 billion through the listing, which is approximately Rs 13,000 crore, as per a Bloomberg report. Valuation: This would value the company at $15 billion, a significant jump over its last private valuation of $12 billion, in 2023. Live Events Key developments Flipback to India: In 2022, PhonePe, which was domiciled in Singapore, redomiciled to India. This is an important legal step for companies planning to list on Indian stock exchanges. The fintech firm was the first of many startups that returned to India driven by better listing prospects and regulatory ease. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories The fintech firm added that it had also moved the ownership of its recently acquired IndusOS Appstore (OSLabs Pte Ltd) from Singapore to India. Fundraise: In May 2023, PhonePe completed raising $850 million in multiple rounds from General Atlantic, Ribbit Capital, Tiger Global and Walmart. It was valued at over $12 billion after these funding rounds. Between 2020 and 2023, the company's valuation more than doubled from $5.5 billion to $12 billion. Financials: PhonePe narrowed its net loss by 29% in financial year 2024 to Rs 1,996 crore, from Rs 2,795 crore in FY23. The improved financial performance was backed by 74% growth in its operating revenue to Rs 5,064 crore, from Rs 2,914 crore a year before. February 2025: The company publicly stated its intention to list on Indian bourses. The fintech startup did not give a timeframe for the IPO, saying the plans were initiated after considering revenue growth and improvement in its path towards profitability. April 2025: The digital payments firm transitioned from a private entity to a public company in April, according to filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The conversion was approved by the company's shareholders through a special resolution passed at an extraordinary general meeting held on April 16. Diversification woes PhonePe is the market leader in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) space, and even though it has diversified to become a full-stack financial services platform, offering credit, insurance, and stockbroking over the past three years, UPI remains its core business. In FY24, PhonePe's financial services business brought in Rs 207.4 crore—a mere 4% of its Rs 5,064 crore total revenue. While the company has multiplied its revenue over the last few years, crossing the Rs 5,000-crore mark in overall income last year, diversifying its income streams is proving harder than expected.
