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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chinese artist Yue Yu calls for India-China reconnect through civilisational bond
Renowned Chinese Buddhist painter and scholar Yue Yu , whose unique artwork was presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his China visit in 2015, says India and China should rediscover their deep-rooted civilisational friendship. Yue, director, chief artist and curator of Northwest University in China's Xian, the city synonymous with the ancient Silk Road , perceives China-India relations as a tree, which requires constant nurturing with water so that the relationship should be irrigated to keep it alive and growing. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics Data Science Data Science Degree PGDM Operations Management Others Finance healthcare Digital Marketing Technology MCA Project Management Cybersecurity CXO Healthcare others Product Management MBA Leadership Management Artificial Intelligence Design Thinking Public Policy Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details The relationship between the giant neighbours requires careful nurturing with their civilisational values in mind, he told PTI in an off-the-cuff interview at a roadside restaurant here. Yue's informal interview comes amid the expectations of Modi's second visit to China to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 's (SCO) summit to be held in the Chinese city of Tianjin late next month. Yue, who has never met Modi, says he developed respect and admiration for the Indian leader, especially for his devotion to his mother and his dignified style of dress and demeanour. Live Events "When I saw Modi washing his mother's feet, I was genuinely moved. That gesture spoke volumes about his character and values - it reminded me of our own cultural roots ," he says. Modi washed his mother's feet despite being the leader of a nation, which shows that he is a good human being, Yue says. When Modi made his first visit as Prime Minister to China in 2015 amid euphoria of a thaw in the frosty Sino-India ties, Yue had a challenging task. Yue was asked to create an enduring painting, symbolising centuries of India-China relations , to be presented to PM Modi. Yue, 72, who is specialised in Buddhist art , conceived a striking theme: a bust of Buddha from the era of China's only woman emperor, Wu Zetian, who ruled around 690 CE, embossed on a sacred Bodhi leaf symbolising Chinese Buddhism origins in India with a golden background. The painting won him accolades from China and India, besides Modi himself. Besides the powerful visual effect, the painting from Yue's point of view carried a powerful one-line message: "water the friendship between India and China with Oriental wisdom." Also, his choice of theme and effects was intentional, meant to give the artwork a sense of permanence. "The painting to be presented to the Prime Minister should endure forever, untouched by the ups and downs of India-China relations," Yue says in the off-the-cuff interview at a roadside restaurant here, reflecting on the art piece he created a decade ago, with a sense of pride. He chose to mention Oriental Wisdom because "we, the eastern people, are the most intelligent and all the important religions originated from the east". His painting was presented to Modi by the Abbot of the historic Buddhist temple in Xi'an when the Prime Minister visited the temple to offer prayers. The two neighbours with immense ancient civilisational wisdom should rediscover the deep friendship rooted in their ancient ties, says Yue. He says it is time for the two countries to recall the essence of Southern Buddhism, which came to China from India, and adds, "Whosever you meet, you have to respect that person". "This will help the relations between China and India. We have to lower ourselves first and respect each other first so that we can understand each other," he adds. "Wherever you go, you must be modest and polite, " he said, quoting a Chinese idiom. "We are neighbours. If we are both modest, polite and peaceful to each other, then of course we will be friends. Be if we are nit-picking we will have a lot of conflict," he adds. When asked what role Buddhism can play to bring the two countries closer, he said, "I am just a painter, not someone who can comment on such a critical issue." He recalled how Chinese scholars Xuanzang and Faxian were treated with respect and dignity in India. "The key to the relationship is mutual respect," Yue said. The Chinese monks who visited India brought several Buddhist scriptures. "That kind of mutual respect at that time made the two counties have a good relationship. If we can bring that spirit, we can have good relations," Yue said. The way out for enduring normalisation, Yue believes, is perhaps for the two countries to deepen mutual respect and rediscover the trail of age-old friendship left by Buddhist monks and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore during his first visit to China in 1924, which left a lasting impression on the Chinese.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Why China refuses to resolve the border issue
India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar visited China recently in connection with the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Beijing later this year, and aimed at preparing the ground for a possible prime ministerial visit that could be the first in seven years. What is striking is the different tones adopted by the two ministers with their counterparts. During his visit in June, Singh created a minor flutter when he told his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, that there was a need 'to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue'. Jaishankar's tone during his meeting with his counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing last week was quite different. He spoke of the 'steadily improving' India-China relations as a result of the 'resolution of the friction along the border and our ability to maintain peace and tranquility there.' Peace on the border, he told Wang, was the fundamental basis of good relations. After the disengagement that had taken place in 2024, the time had come to undertake de-escalation that would see the reduction of the additional forces the two countries had massed in the eastern Ladakh-western Tibet region, he added. The Chinese could not have been too happy about Singh raising the border issue the way he did. As Jaishankar noted, the two sides are in the process of repairing their ties that were shattered by the Chinese 2020 misadventure in Eastern Ladakh. They have barely agreed to restore status quo ante there, and now the Indians appeared to be taking a huge leap forward by suggesting that the two sides move to settle their long-running border dispute that has prevented the demarcation of their border. According to the government press release of June 27, Singh stressed the issue of border management and the need 'to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue'. The Chinese response to Singh came a day later when Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning pointed out that the two sides indeed have such a mechanism, that of the office of Special Representatives who had worked out the 'Agreement on the Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of the India-China Border Question'. When the Press Trust of India reporter pointed out that there had been '20 rounds of special representative talks,' Mao's reply was the standard Chinese retort that 'The boundary question is complicated, and it takes time to settle it'. In the meantime, she hoped that the two countries would maintain communications and keep 'the border areas peaceful and tranquil. The Political Parameters agreement was signed a quarter century ago in 2005, and the two Special Representatives have held 23 rounds of meetings, the last in December 2024. The meeting of the Chinese Special Representative Wang Yi (who is also foreign minister) and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, in Beijing in June, was at the sidelines of an SCO meeting. They did not take the opportunity to meet as the Special Representatives whose stated task is to resolve the border issue. The Political Parameters Agreement was indeed a far-reaching one. It certified that the two sides were seeking to resolve their boundary question not through historical claims and maps, but on 'political' grounds. Article III of the agreement said that both sides should make mutually acceptable adjustments to their respective positions 'to arrive at a package settlement'. Articles IV and VII seemed to suggest that the framework suggested would essentially freeze the border on an 'as is where is' basis — China retaining control of Aksai Chin and India of Arunachal Pradesh. But, almost immediately, China began to walk back from the agreement. In 2006, Chinese ambassador Sun Yuxi declared that China claimed all of Arunachal Pradesh, including Tawang. At the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting in 2007, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi told his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherji that the 'settled populations' part did not apply to the Tawang tract. The Chinese shift seemed to have been occasioned by some internal re-thinking. This is related to the Dalai Lama and Tibet. The monastery in Tawang was founded at the instance of the fifth Dalai Lama, the 'Great Fifth'. The Tawang region was also the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, who was not Tibetan, but a Monpa. The Chinese worry that the next Dalai Lama could well be incarnated in the region. Since that time, the Chinese have stuck to their position that unless Tawang was conceded, there can be no border settlement. Not surprisingly, India has told them that keeping Tawang on the Chinese agenda was the surest way to block a border settlement. Leave alone demarcating a permanent border, China has steadily refused to even clarify the Line of Actual Control that currently marks the border, creating the potential for conflict. It was the Chinese blockade preventing India from exercising its right to patrol several areas where there were overlapping claims that led to the 2020 crisis in eastern Ladakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to persuade the Chinese in 2014 and 2015 to clarify these points on the LAC, but to little avail. The first time was when Xi Jinping visited India in October 2014, and the second was when Modi made a return visit in May 2015. The only conclusion that arises from the Chinese equivocation on permanently settling the border is that they want to keep open a means of stoking conflict with India. The aim is to not only pressure New Delhi to accept a border on Chinese terms, but also use it as leverage against India in relation to Chinese interests in South Asia. Manoj Joshi is a distinguished fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi. The views expressed are personal.
The Print
a day ago
- Business
- The Print
India to resume visas for Chinese nationals as thaw continues ahead of likely Modi-Xi meet
Chinese citizens will have to complete an online application, schedule an appointment and personally submit their passports at Indian visa centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The Indian Embassy in Beijing announced the move on the Chinese social media platform, Sina Weibo, indicating that Chinese citizens can apply for a tourist visa for travel to the South Asian nation from 24 July, 2025. New Delhi: India lifted its nearly 5-year suspension on tourist visas to Chinese nationals Wednesday, amid a continuing thaw in relations between the two countries ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit at the end of next month. The move comes as both New Delhi and Beijing continue to use confidence-building mechanisms to slowly restore ties following a diplomatic pause. The two countries have had a difficult few years following the clashes in Galwan in the summer of 2020. While India had paused visas for Chinese nationals, China issued about 3 lakh, mainly business-related visas, to Indians, last year. The issuance of visas for its tourists and businessmen was one of the Chinese government's main asks. India had paused travel from China and suspended direct air flights from the Asian country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pause was never lifted as diplomatic ties cratered, following the military clashes. However, on 21 October, 2024, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that the two countries had reached an agreement for disengagement at the friction points across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The agreement set the stage for Modi to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan a few days later. India pushed for the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra as a means to build confidence in the ties with Beijing. Earlier this summer, the yatra was resumed with the first batch of pilgrims reaching the site last month. With India lifting the suspension of tourist visas for Chinese nationals, the first of Beijing's requests for restoration of ties has been implemented. The other ask by Beijing has been the resumption of direct flights. Technical teams are currently working out an agreement, which would see the resumption of direct flights between the two countries. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun welcomed the step in comments made to reporters, according to Reuters. 'China is ready to maintain communication and consultation with India and constantly improve the level of personal exchanges between the two countries,' Guo is reported to have said. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with his counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing during his two-day visit to China. Jaishankar pushed for discussions on 'de-escalation' on the borders after noting that friction in the areas has been 'resolved'. In the last month, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to China for meetings under the SCO mechanism. Jaishankar attended the SCO foreign ministers' meeting during his 2-day visit to China. At the height of tensions, India moved 68,000 troops to eastern Ladakh along with military equipment. However, following the Modi-Xi meeting in October 2024, a number of bilateral mechanisms have been engaged at different levels, leading to a reduction in diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours. China is set to host the SCO Heads of State Summit at the end of August in the city of Tianjin, with Modi's attendance expected. However, the Indian PM has in the past given the summit a miss, in particular last year's summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also read: Congress reminds Jaishankar of China's 'support' to Pakistan in Op Sindoor after his talks with Wang Yi
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
After a gap of five years, India resumes issuance of tourist visas to Chinese citizens
India has announced resuming issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals from this week, a move that comes as part of efforts to repair bilateral ties that came under severe strain following the military clashes in Galwan Valley. India had suspended issuance of tourist visas to Chinese nationals in 2020 largely due to Covid-19 pandemic but the restrictions continued in view of the eastern Ladakh border row. The Indian embassy in Beijing said Chinese nationals may apply for tourist visas from Thursday. In a notification, it also explained the required procedures to apply for the visas as well as documents required to be submitted at respective Indian visa application centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The decision by the Indian embassy to resume the tourist visas came nearly a week-and-half after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held extensive talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. Jaishankar visited China on July 14-15 primarily to attend a conclave of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The external affairs minister also held talks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and conveyed to him that continued normalisation of bilateral ties can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. In the last few months, India and China have initiated a number of measures to repair the bilateral ties that had severely nosedived following the deadly clashes between the two militaries in June 2020. The efforts to normalise the relations were initiated after the Indian and Chinese militaries ended their face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in October last year. In his opening remarks at the meeting with Wang, Jaishankar said the bilateral relationship requires both sides taking a 'far-seeing approach'. Last month, the two sides resumed the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra after a gap of nearly five years.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Chinese firms to retain 50% proceeds
Pakistan is exploring concrete steps to ensure Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's upcoming visit to China yields tangible results, with cabinet members urging resolution of longstanding issues hampering Chinese investment instead of merely signing more MoUs. To remove a major obstacle in relocating Chinese industries to the Gwadar Free Zone, the government has decided to allow Chinese firms operating there to retain 50% of their export earnings to settle dues, according to government sources. To ensure a productive visit, a ministerial committee has been formed to oversee planning, and called Pakistan's ambassador to Beijing, Khalil Hashmi, for further consultations. The committee has held several meetings thus far. Discussions are being held to assess whether hosting a Business Conference in Tianjin would help attract investment or if efforts should instead focus on addressing deeper concerns that have discouraged Chinese private sector participation over the past decade. PM Sharif will be visiting China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of State Council meeting at the end of August. Pakistan's embassy has proposed a Business Conference on September 2, but some officials believe it may not help achieve the desired results. One of the main hurdles in populating the Gwadar Free Zone has been facilitation of foreign currency operations. The issue has been discussed at various levels, including twice in the Cabinet Committee on Chinese Investment in Pakistan (CCoCIP). In March, the CCoCIP directed the finance, commerce, industries ministries, the Board of Investment, and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to implement a foreign currency facilitation pilot in Gwadar. Sources confirmed that the short-term solution now agreed upon is to let companies retain half of their export proceeds. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal confirmed this to The Express Tribune. "For the short term, companies in Gwadar Free Zone can retain up to 50% of their export proceeds in Special Foreign Currency Accounts," said Iqbal. "These funds can be freely used for payments abroad of a current account nature, without prior SBP approval." However, Iqbal stressed that for long-term facilitation, the Gwadar Port Authority law will have to be aligned with other laws. As per sources, the SBP has maintained that legal changes are necessary for broader foreign currency use. It has recommended bringing Gwadar Free Zone in line with Export Processing Zones by amending the Gwadar Port Authority Act to waive relevant sections of the 1947 Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. Until then, the 50% retention policy will remain in place. Another issue highlighted by the sources remains the consistent provision of electricity and water to Gwadar, which has lingered for nearly a decade. Pakistan aims to attract Chinese industries seeking to relocate amid the China-US trade war, officials said. To address power issues, the cabinet committee directed the energy ministry to coordinate with the Pakistan Navy to ensure interim electricity supply to Gwadar's desalination plant from the naval grid. It also instructed the Power Division to fast-track revisions in electricity supply for Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and submit a progress report to the CCoCIP. The ministerial committee's discussions have revolved around facilitating industrial relocation and evaluating the value of the proposed business conference. Another meeting of the committee was held Monday. The committee is co-chaired by SAPM on Industry Haroon Akhtar Khan and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and the national coordinator of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) also on board. Its mandate includes reviewing progress on agreements and MoUs signed during Sharif's 2023 China visit and subsequent roadshows. Sources said that during one of the meetings, Pakistan's ambassador briefed members on the rationale behind the proposed business conference. He shared that in the previous event, about 150 MoUs were signed and 1,000 B2B meetings took place. However, some committee members expressed concern that the MoUs never materialised into real investments. According to sources, one co-convener told the committee that the prime minister is just not interested in signing more MoUs. Cabinet members also discussed ongoing real investor concerns, including inconsistent policies, difficulty in profit repatriation, exchange rate volatility, and security issues. To address these, it was suggested that Pakistan offer China ready-to-operate industrial zones and SEZs with long-term land leases. It was also recommended that electricity be provided at regionally competitive rates. The SIFC has requested concrete suggestions from the Pakistani embassy in Beijing to make the business conference more impactful. The embassy has proposed exploring cooperation under government-to-government, government-to-business, and B2B models. The committee will also engage with Chinese business representatives to understand their needs and expectations, and identify ways to facilitate project-based investment, new industry development, and the relocation of Chinese production units. In coordination with provincial authorities, the committee will recommend legal facilitation measures and identify steps to remove bottlenecks to Chinese investment. The committee will also monitor the finalisation of a sector-specific investment "pitch book." Key sectors where Pakistan is seeking Chinese investment include chemicals, petrochemicals, iron and steel, copper, electric vehicles, auto parts, solar panel manufacturing, power storage, software development, ICT, and food processing.
