China's top diplomat Wang arrives in India
Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his three-day visit to New Delhi.
Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China this month.
India's foreign ministry said in a social media post that 'important engagements of the India-China Special Representatives and on bilateral relations' were scheduled over the next two days.
The world's two most populous nations are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia, and fought a deadly border clash in 2020.
But caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff war, the countries have moved to mend ties.
Restarting border trade across their icy and high-altitude Himalayan border is expected to feature high on Wang's agenda.
Its resumption would be significant for its symbolism, and follows agreements to return direct flights and issue tourist visas.
India is also part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, Australia and Japan, which is seen as a counter to China.
Warming ties between China and India come as relations between New Delhi and Washington are strained.
Trump has issued an ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil — a key revenue source for Moscow's war in Ukraine — or Washington will double new import tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent.
Modi said Monday he spoke to 'my friend' Vladimir Putin, with the Russian president 'sharing insights' on his Alaska summit with Trump last week.
'India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard,' the Indian premier wrote on social media.
Indian hopes that the Alaska meeting would ease US tariff pressure were tempered earlier Monday by US trade adviser Peter Navarro.
'If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one,' he wrote in a sharply-worded column in the Financial Times.
'India acts as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs,' he wrote.
'The proceeds flow to India's politically connected energy titans, and in turn, into Vladimir Putin's war chest,' he added, in an apparent swipe at India's big refiners, which include tycoon Mukesh Ambani.
Navarro said the 50 percent tariff — due to begin on August 27 — will 'hit India where it hurts.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
What to Know About Zelenskyy's Meeting with Trump
US President Donald Trump is set to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss how to end Russia's three-year war in Ukraine. Months of US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting haven't made headway, but the stakes have risen since Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. After that summit, Trump abandoned the requirement of reaching a ceasefire in order to hold further talks and aligned with Putin's position that negotiations should focus on a long-term settlement instead. The presence of several European leaders at the talks in Washington shows how central the conflict — and any settlement — is to wider security questions on the continent. They are looking to safeguard Ukraine and Europe more broadly from any further aggression from Moscow, but also are providing a show of support for Zelenskyy after his last visit to the White House led to an angry confrontation. The American and Ukrainian leaders are scheduled to first meet privately, without the Europeans. On 'Trump's ultimate policy towards the Russia-Ukraine war hangs not just the future of Ukraine security, but Europe's as well,' said Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 'The stakes could not be higher for the continent.'' Here's what to know about the Washington meeting. The talks could be a pivotal moment in the war After meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump is making a big push for a breakthrough. A lot of issues need to be resolved, however, and the two sides have previously established red lines that are incompatible, including questions of whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine's army and whether the country will have any guarantee against further Russian aggression. In a post on social media Sunday night, Trump appeared to shift the burden for ending the war to Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded in February 2022. 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,' he wrote. A comprehensive peace deal could still be a long way off. Putin wants the Donbas As a condition for peace, the Russian leader wants Kyiv to give up the Donbas, the industrial region in eastern Ukraine that has seen some of the most intense fighting but that Russian forces have failed to capture completely. In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia's illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. As part of a deal, Putin has said the United States and its European allies can provide Ukraine with a security guarantee resembling NATO's collective defense pledge, according to a senior US official. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff called that a 'game-changing' step though he offered few details on how it would work. Ukraine has long pressed for some kind of guarantee that would prevent Russia from invading again. Ukraine won't surrender land to Russia Zelenskyy has rejected Putin's demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can't cede Crimea either. Instead, freezing the front line, which snakes roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from northeastern to southeastern Ukraine, seems to be the most the Ukrainian people might accept. Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Europe's security is also at stake European leaders see Ukraine's fight as a bulwark against any Kremlin ambitions to threaten other countries in eastern Europe and beyond. French President Emmanuel Macron described Ukraine as an 'outpost of our collective defense if Russia wanted to advance again.' 'If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too.' Macron said Sunday. The European political heavyweights expected in Washington are Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Civilians are killed as the fighting continues Ukraine has in recent months been losing more territory against Russia's bigger army, and Moscow's forces breached Ukrainian lines in a series of minor infiltrations in the Donetsk region ahead of the Alaska summit. But there is no sign of a looming, major Russian breakthrough on the front line. Both sides have also kept up their daily long-range strikes behind the front line. A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killed six people late Sunday, including an 18-month-old and a 16-year-old, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov. The attack on the northeastern city injured 20 others, including six children, he said. Russia's Defense Ministry on Monday reported intercepting 23 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimean peninsula overnight.
ArabGT
3 hours ago
- ArabGT
G-Wagon Price In The US Exposes The Global EV Cost Divide
Electric cars aren't just about wild acceleration or futuristic gadgets anymore — these days, the real drama is in the price tag. And nothing illustrates that better than the G-Wagon price story with Mercedes' latest creation, the all-electric G580 EQ. In the US, Mercedes is offering a $9,500 discount (SAR 35,625) on lease deals for the electric G-Wagon. To put that into perspective, that discount alone is almost enough to buy a brand-new BYD Seagull in China. Imagine that — what's just a discount in America could get you a whole car elsewhere. It's the kind of contrast that makes the G-Wagon price a headline all on its own. Now, let's talk numbers. The G-Wagon price in its electric form starts at around $162,650 (SAR 609,937), making it one of the most expensive electric SUVs on the planet. For comparison, the gasoline-powered G550 is roughly $13,000 (SAR 48,750) cheaper. That difference alone is enough to make buyers pause before going electric. To ease the decision, Mercedes recently raised its leasing incentive from $7,500 to $9,500, with interest rates dipping as low as 4.3%. Still, these perks only apply to leasing — not to buying outright. And here's why: the electric G-Wagon is built outside the US, so it doesn't qualify for federal EV purchase credits. Leasing lets Mercedes pass some of those tax breaks along to customers, making the G-Wagon price a little more digestible for those who don't want to pay the full sticker price upfront. Meanwhile, things look completely different in China. Thanks to government subsidies and mass production, electric cars there are shockingly affordable. For the same value as the US discount, you could actually buy an entire entry-level EV. That's how far apart the markets are — the G-Wagon price in the US versus EV prices in China tells the story of two very different worlds. But let's be fair: the G-Wagon isn't trying to compete with budget EVs. This is a luxury icon. It keeps the same boxy silhouette enthusiasts love, but underneath lies a high-tech electric drivetrain delivering powerful yet whisper-quiet performance. Inside, the cabin is pure Mercedes — plush, digital, and packed with cutting-edge driver-assistance features. On top of that, it still has the legendary off-road capabilities that made the G-Class a star. Still, the conversation always circles back to the G-Wagon price. At well over $160,000, it's a symbol of prestige, exclusivity, and just how different the EV market looks depending on where you live.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Indian foreign minister stresses on border peace in talks with China's Wang
NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar began talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi on Monday and stressed that there could be positive momentum in ties between the neighbors only if there was peace on their border. Wang arrived in the Indian capital on Monday for a two-day visit during which he will hold the 24th round of border talks with Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'This (discussing border issues) is very important because the basis for any positive momentum in our ties is the ability to jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas,' Jaishankar told Wang in his opening remarks. It is also important for the two countries to pull back their troops amassed along their disputed border in the western Himalayas since a deadly border clash in 2020, Jaishankar said. Wang's visit comes days before Modi travels to China — his first visit in seven years — to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political and security group which also includes Russia. Relations between the Asian giants began to thaw in October after New Delhi and Beijing reached a milestone pact to lower military tensions on their Himalayan border following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi in Russia. Ties between the two countries had deteriorated sharply following a military clash on their disputed Himalayan border in the summer of 2020 in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
