Latest news with #post-Galwan
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Modi's Foreign Policy Masterclass: Navigating the Chakravyuh with Russia & Europe Chakravyuh
India Today Podcasts Desk UPDATED: Aug 14, 2025 18:35 IST On the 'Chakravyuh' Podcast, we dive deep into India's central role in the swirling vortex of global geopolitics. Ambassador Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Russia and France joins Gaurav Sawant. With over 41 years in diplomacy, Ambassador Sibal breaks down India's strategic positioning amid US tariffs under Trump, warming ties with Pakistan, challenges from China post-Galwan, enduring partnership with Russia, and opportunities in Europe and the Gulf. Produced by Garvit Srivastava Sound Mix by Aman Pal
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Amid US tariff friction, India engages China and Russia in high-stakes diplomacy
NEW DELHI: As geopolitical tensions escalate over India's energy ties with Russia and new US tariffs on Indian goods, New Delhi is set to have high-level engagements with two of Washington's chief strategic rivals, China and Russia, within a single week. These parallel diplomatic efforts highlight India's need for a nuanced foreign policy calculus as it navigates a shifting global order. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is slated to visit India on August 18 for talks under the Special Representatives (SR) mechanism, a bilateral channel primarily aimed at managing and resolving the longstanding border dispute. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will represent India. While the mechanism has been dormant in recent years due to post-Galwan tensions, this meeting is being viewed as a signal of intent from both sides to re-engage cautiously, but constructively. Wang is set to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well. Relations between New Delhi and Beijing have been severely strained since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes in eastern Ladakh. Wang Yi's visit may pave the way for a broader normalisation process and building of mutual trusts. More significantly, it sets the stage for a possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on August 31, Modi's first visit to China in seven years.
Time of India
07-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From Covid to geopolitics: Here's why you'll wait 25 mins on Bengaluru Metro Yellow Line
The Yellow Line of — a much-awaited corridor meant to decongest traffic-clogged routes like Silk Board and Bommasandra — is finally ready to open. But instead of high-frequency relief, commuters will have to contend with 25-minute gaps between trains. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The reason: only three trains are available for operations at launch. That's barely enough to carry 25,000 to 30,000 passengers per day — a fraction of the 2-3 lakh passenger capacity originally promised. This limited service is not the result of last-minute mismanagement, but a long chain of events involving pandemic-era disruptions, bureaucratic delays, and geopolitical roadblocks — all of which derailed the Metro's train procurement plan. TOI gives you a lowdown on how a project costing nearly Rs 400 crore per kilometre ended up starting with just three trains: CRRC contract that started it all In Dec 2019, BMRCL awarded a contract to CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, a Chinese rolling stock manufacturer, for 216 Metro coaches. The deal required 12 trains to be built in China, while the remaining 204 were to be manufactured in India under the Make in India initiative. CRRC India Pvt Ltd, a local arm of the company, even acquired 50 acres in Andhra Pradesh for this purpose. Pandemic & red tape hit production By mid-2021, things started to unravel. CRRC failed to secure the required clearances to begin construction of its manufacturing facility in India. As delays piled up, BMRCL issued a termination notice in Dec 2021, and the dispute landed in court — Delhi and Karnataka high courts. In April 2022, the Karnataka HC allowed the contract to continue, with BMRCL agreeing to give CRRC more time. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now CRRC then tied up with Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd in May 2022 to manufacture 34 trains in India. Geopolitics, visa barriers In May 2022, CRRC entered into a joint production agreement with Titagarh Rail Systems Limited, based in India, to manufacture the 34 CBTC-equipped train sets required for the Yellow Line. However, this solution ran into a new obstacle: CRRC's engineers and technical staff couldn't enter India due to prolonged visa restrictions tied to post-Galwan tensions between India and China. This meant that though production had technically started, key installation, integration, and commissioning tasks remained stalled. It wasn't until Dec 2023 that visas were finally issued to CRRC personnel, allowing them to travel to India and begin working on the trains. Staggered rollout, delays BMRCL received the first prototype train from China in Feb 2024 and began necessary testing. But the Indian-manufactured trains didn't begin rolling out until May 2024, once CRRC and its equipment suppliers were on the ground. As of Aug 2025, only three train sets are in BMRCL's hands. A fourth train is expected soon, which could reduce the waiting time to 20 minutes. But the full fleet of 15 trains — needed to deliver 5-minute frequencies during peak hours — is expected only by March 2026. Why existing trains can't be shared One oft-asked question is why can't BMRCL use existing trains from other lines it operates to ease the pressure until new trains arrive. Here's why: The Yellow Line uses a different signalling system called CBTC or Communications-Based Train Control — continuous, two-way radio communication between trains and wayside equipment to manage traffic and infrastructure. This modern system on the Yellow Line allows for higher frequencies and better energy efficiency but requires dedicated rolling stock. That means trains from other lines cannot be borrowed without extensive — and costly — retrofitting. Also, Namma Metro's existing lines (Purple & Green) have only 57 train sets, just about sufficient to run those operations. Induction of additional trains there have been delayed too. Expectations Vs operational reality The Yellow Line was billed as a game-changer — a critical Metro spine running through one of Bengaluru's busiest tech and industrial corridors. With IT professionals, industrial workers, and daily commuters relying heavily on overburdened roads and buses, expectations were sky-high. But the decision to launch the line with such limited service has raised eyebrows. While BMRCL is keen to showcase construction completion and infrastructure readiness, critics argue that opening a Metro line without adequate train availability sends the wrong message and risks eroding public trust. The Yellow Line's sluggish start is a result of a procurement process deeply entangled in global supply chain shocks, international diplomacy, and bureaucratic delays, and slow completion of infrastructure work by BMRCL.
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First Post
28-07-2025
- Automotive
- First Post
How EV diplomacy between India and China runs on mistrust and minerals
As India courts foreign automakers like Tesla and VinFast, the uneasy road for BYD exposes deep fault lines between India and China in a post-Galwan world read more BYD is facing challenges in its effort to make inroads into the Indian EV market. Reuters Diplomacy and driving seem to have crossed paths in India — at least where Chinese automaker BYD is concerned. While a thaw appears to be setting in after bilateral ties went into deep freeze following the Galwan clash — which left 20 Indian and unspecified number of Chinese soldiers dead — the trust factor hasn't fully returned. For now, it's a case of classic doublethink, as George Orwell described in his novel 1984: one is compelled to believe that trust both exists and does not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A diplomatic thaw but with limits While India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals starting last week after a five-year gap as the two countries continue to explore ways to mend their strained relationship to improve the 'facilitation of people-to-people exchanges', Bloomberg reported that BYD has been unable to obtain visas for its executives so far. According to the report, the Chinese EV giant has been holding board meetings and high-level business interactions in Colombo in Sri Lanka and Kathmandu in Nepal, and even as far away as Singapore to keep its business running in India. India has already turned down BYD's proposed $1 billion joint venture to set up a manufacturing plant with a local partner. As a result, the Chinese automaker remains ineligible for tariff concessions on imported electric vehicles that are offered in return for significant domestic production commitments. Critical minerals, critical vulnerability Of course, it isn't as one-sided as the Bloomberg report suggests. A report in The Economic Times, citing a State Bank of India study, notes that India's key industrial sectors — ranging from transport equipment to electronics — rely heavily on rare earth imports, with China being the dominant supplier. As a result, the ongoing curbs on Chinese rare earth exports could impact domestic production, weaken export competitiveness, and even affect the financial exposure of banks tied to these industries. Rare earth elements such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium and lutetium are indispensable in the manufacturing of permanent magnet synchronous motors — a core component used in electric vehicles and hybrids. These motors are also integral to electric power steering systems and other auxiliary functions in conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. China, which supplies nearly 80 per cent of the rare earth magnets used by Indian automobile manufacturers, halted export approvals for these critical components in April 2025. The move has triggered concerns across India's automotive sector, which is heavily reliant on uninterrupted access to these materials. India has ambitious plans to shift toward electric mobility, targeting 30 per cent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, recent data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations shows that EV penetration stood at only 7.8 per cent across vehicle segments in FY25, up marginally from 7.1 per cent in FY24. Given the current disruption in rare earth supply chains, India's 2030 EV target suddenly appears much more difficult to achieve. Although trade tensions and retaliation rarely benefit any industry in the long term, China's mixed signals — offering cooperation with one hand and restrictions with the other — do little to foster trust or long-term stability in this critical supply relationship. Tensions between India and China have spilled over beyond critical minerals. In March, China denied visas to several members of an Indian delegation — including local employees of BYD — who were scheduled to attend a major dealer conference in Shenzhen. For BYD, which aims to sell 5.5 million vehicles globally this year, expanding its footprint in international markets is essential. But limited access to the fast-growing Indian market poses a serious obstacle to meeting that goal. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tesla testing Indian waters Meanwhile, Tesla recently inaugurated a showroom in Mumbai, yet it has not committed to local manufacturing. As a result, it faces import duties as high as 110 per cent on fully assembled vehicles. Although most of Tesla's cars sold in India are imported, the steep tariffs — designed to protect domestic automakers — nearly double the cost for consumers. In addition, India caps sales volumes unless a model is certified as roadworthy under local standards, further complicating entry for foreign manufacturers. Tesla is now looking to expand its presence in India with plans to open a second showroom in Delhi. According to reports, the company has secured a 4,000-square-foot space in Aerocity near Indira Gandhi International Airport, with the monthly lease estimated at around Rs25 lakh. VinFast enters quietly, but boldly While Tesla and BYD continue to face regulatory and strategic challenges that are slowing their expansion in India, another foreign electric vehicle manufacturer has quietly entered the scene. As reported by Mint, Vietnamese automaker VinFast has launched its first showroom in Surat, Gujarat — marking its formal debut in the Indian market. This move comes ahead of the launch of its upcoming manufacturing facility in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, reflecting VinFast's intent to establish a strong and sustained presence in India's growing EV sector.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Evening news wrap: Rajya Sabha to debate Pahalgam attack in 16 hour session; India ends 5-year freeze on visas for China & more
. The Rajya Sabha will hold a 16-hour debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor next week after persistent Opposition demands. In a significant diplomatic move, India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals from July 24, easing post-Galwan tensions. Meanwhile, In cricket, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal held steady against England, despite pressure from Brydon Carse's tight bowling, with more updates to follow. Rajya Sabha to hold 16-hour debate on Pahalgam Attack, Operation Sindoor next week The Rajya Sabha is scheduled to hold a 16-hour discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor next Tuesday, after repeated adjournments over the issue. The Upper House witnessed continuous disruptions as Opposition MPs insisted on an immediate debate, ultimately leading to an early adjournment of the day's proceedings. Read full story India to resume tourist visas for Chinese citizens after 5-year pause, easing post-Galwan tensions India will resume issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals starting July 24, the Indian embassy in Beijing announced. This marks the first time in five years that such visas will be granted, signaling a thaw in relations strained by the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes and ongoing trade tensions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo Read full story Ghaziabad man arrested for operating fake foreign embassy, promising jobs abroad A man from Ghaziabad has been arrested for running a fake embassy and posing as a diplomat from the fictitious country of 'West Arctica.' The accused, Harsh Vardhan Jain, a resident of Kavi Nagar, was taken into custody on Tuesday by Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF). According to officials, Jain was allegedly operating as a broker, deceiving individuals and companies with false promises of overseas job placements. Read full story Gujarat ATS nabs 4 suspected AQIS terrorists; details awaited The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested four suspected terrorists with alleged ties to al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said. ATS DIG Sunil Joshi confirmed the arrests, adding that more details regarding the module and its operations will be disclosed in an upcoming press conference. Read full story IND vs ENG: Rahul, Jaiswal steady as Carse applies pressure with varied pace Brydon Carse gives away just 5 runs in the 20th over. KL Rahul, batting fluently, collects three runs with a flick through midwicket, prompting a sharp diving effort from Jofra Archer near the boundary. Yashasvi Jaiswal, on 19 from 56 balls, has a close call when a top-edged pull lands short of fine leg. Carse varies his lengths well, using short balls and surface movement to trouble the batters, but Rahul and Jaiswal maintain composure to build a solid opening stand. Follow live updates
