Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met formally after five years in Russia’s Kazan on the margins of the BRICS+ meeting, suggesting a positive momentum in relations after the confrontations of 2020. But as Shyam Saran points out, the situation prevailing before the 2020 clash at Galwan has not been restored. At the same time, the readouts of the meeting by the countries suggest that “with China one cannot divorce the political and security dimensions from the economic and commercial relationship. China consciously follows a strategy of asymmetric interdependence.” So though the prospect of improved Sino-Indian relations must be welcome, overall relations must remain in step with improvements in the security domain, he points out. Read it here
In other views:
Aditi Phadnis weighs the prospects for beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the upcoming by-polls. Read it here
Sandeep Goyal says Diwali ads without bindis are not inherently non-Hindu but they do reflect a certain kind of elitism. Read it here
In the Eye Culture column I argue that the Commonwealth organisation and the Games have long outlived their utility. Read it here

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