China to host Pacific island countries' envoys amid growing outreach
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with 11 of his counterparts and representatives from Beijing-friendly Pacific countries at the third China-Pacific Island Countries (PICs) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in the southern city of Xiamen.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Modi hails China ties as Washington takes swipe at India's 'richest families'
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed improved ties with China as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent escalated criticism of the South Asian nation over its purchases of Russian oil. Modi said he's looking forward to visiting China later this month — his first trip to the country in seven years — and meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Indian leader met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday in New Delhi. Wang was visiting India for the first time in three years. "India-China relations have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests,' Modi said in a post on X on Tuesday. "Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity.' India has been recalibrating its foreign policy more toward China and other members of the BRICS group after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to boost tariffs unless New Delhi stops importing Russian oil. Trump administration officials have singled out India for the oil purchases, accusing it of aiding Russia's war in Ukraine and undermining U.S. efforts to end the conflict. Bessent on Tuesday intensified the criticism, saying India was "profiteering' off the oil purchases. "We have planned to up the tariffs on India — these are secondary tariffs for buying the sanctioned Russian oil,' Bessent told CNBC. "They are reselling, they made $16 billion on excess profits — some of the richest families in India,' he added. Bessent also defended the administration's lack of secondary tariffs on China, which buys more crude oil from Russia, saying India only ramped up its purchases after Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China was importing 13% of its oil from Russia before the 2022 invasion, and now it's 16%, "so China has a diversified input of their oil,' Bessent said. The comments amount to an indirect swipe against Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest billionaire. Ambani's Reliance Industries, which runs the world's largest petroleum refining complex in western India, has been among the buyers of Russian crude, purchasing cargoes under long-term contracts. Reliance shares fell as much as 0.7% in early trade on Wednesday before reversing losses to trade little changed. Reliance is the nation's most valuable company and an index heavyweight. The benchmark NSE Nifty 50 Index was flat. India's government has repeatedly defended its right to buy oil from the cheapest source, and has called the U.S.'s threat of higher tariffs "unreasonable.' On Monday, Modi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a "friend.' In meetings in New Delhi this week, India and China agreed to facilitate bilateral trade and investment flows, resume direct flights and process more visas to boost exchanges between people in the world's most populous nations, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. China has also assured India of supplies of rare earth minerals, fertilizer and tunnel-boring machines, an official in New Delhi told reporters, asking not to be identified because discussions are private. India said separately that both sides had a "candid' exchange on border issues that led to the deterioration in ties following a deadly 2020 clash. They agreed to "jointly maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas through friendly consultations,' according to a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs. "I am very happy that in the last nine months, there has been an upward trend' in bilateral ties, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who met with Wang, said Tuesday. "Borders have been quiet, and there has been peace and tranquility.' Efforts to improve India-China ties have gained new urgency following Trump's tariff policy. Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S. and threatened to double that to 50% by Aug. 27, to penalize New Delhi for buying oil from Russia. Beijing has loosened curbs on urea exports, India has reinstated tourist visas for Chinese nationals, and a growing number of Indian businesses have been seeking partnerships with Chinese companies for deals including technology transfers. Despite the thaw, however, thorny issues remain, including China's close relationship with Pakistan, India's neighbor and rival. China announced that Wang will be heading to Pakistan on Wednesday. "Our policy is to develop friendly and cooperative relations with both India and Pakistan,' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday at a regular news briefing in Beijing. China hopes the two nations can find a "proper solution' and is "willing to play a positive role,' she added.
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Xi Jinping visits Tibet amid Dalai Lama succession tensions
People take photos in front of a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a government-organized tour in Lhasa, in the Tibet Autonomous Region, in March. The president arrived in the region on Aug. 20, state media reported. © Reuters CK TAN August 20, 2025 19:40 JST TOKYO -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday arrived in Lhasa to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to state media outlet Xinhua.
The Mainichi
3 hours ago
- The Mainichi
White House launches TikTok account amid easing tensions with China
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The White House on Tuesday launched an official TikTok account despite U.S. lawmakers deciding the popular short-form video-sharing app owned by a Chinese company is a national security concern. The launch, seemingly aimed at helping President Donald Trump reach wider and younger audiences, comes amid easing tensions with China and less than a month before a deadline requiring TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. to sell the app or face a federal ban. In April 2024, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden signed a federal law requiring ByteDance to sell the U.S. version of TikTok or face a nationwide ban on national security grounds following its passage with bipartisan congressional support. The ban was supposed to have taken effect in January, but Trump has repeatedly pushed back the deadline since taking office the same month, offering more time for the Chinese company to find a Washinton-approved buyer. In June, Trump signed an executive order for the most recent extension, which ends on Sept. 17.
