Page 9 - Bilateral Ties

India and China discuss Ladakh border during foreign secretary visit

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was on a two-day visit to Beijing to improve India-China bilateral ties

Govt examines Trump's trade memo to assess impact on bilateral trade

India is examining the Trump's memorandum - America First Trade Policy - to assess its impact on the bilateral trade with the US, which is its largest trading partner, sources said on Wednesday. They also said that the White House directive to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to identify countries with which the US can negotiate agreements on a bilateral or sector-specific basis is a positive development for countries like India. "We are studying and examining the memo. We have to evaluate things before framing any strategy...As of now from a plain reading of that, I do not see something we need to be worried about. Everything that we examine does not translate into action," one of the sources added. The government is also awaiting confirmation of appointment of key trade officials in the US. "Confirmations will take a bit of time. Once confirmations happen there will be discussion. India and the US are good trading partners," the source said. According to the memoran

India, Singapore to celebrate 60 yrs of diplomatic ties with film festival

The High Commission of India in Singapore will organise the Indian Film Festival 2025 (IFF 2025) in collaboration with the Singapore Film Society and screen 18 films for the Singapore public as part of the celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. High Commissioner Dr Shilpak Ambule said efforts would be made to make the festival, which begins on January 24 this year and runs until March 2, an annual affair. "A mixed range of movies have been selected from classics made decades ago to regional language hits. It is being organised on a non-commercial basis with support from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the National Film Development Corporation of India," Ambule said on Wednesday. The festival will showcase three movies every weekend at Golden Village Cinema in Suntec City, a sprawling shopping and recreational complex in the Central Business District. In total, the festival brings 18 movies from across different genres in seven ..

US state secy Rubio to hold 1st bilateral meet with Jaishankar after Quad

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold his first bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar here later Tuesday. Jaishankar is here at the invitation of the US Government to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. Trump on Monday took oath as the president of the US. "Secretary Rubio meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar at the Department of State," the State Department said, releasing the schedule of the new Secretary of State on the first day as the top American diplomat. The meeting between the two top diplomats representing the world's oldest and largest democracies would take place at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, soon after the first QUAD ministerial in the same building. "Secretary Rubio meets with Indo-Pacific Quad Foreign Ministers at the Department of State," said the advisory. QUAD is an informal group of countries representing Australia, India, Japan and th

Improving connectivity to boost India-New Zealand trade ties: GTRI

India and New Zealand should address market access issues for goods, promote collaborations in key sectors, and work on improving connectivity with an aim to boost bilateral trade, which is just USD 1.5 billion, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. Both countries should set a target to double two-way trade within five years by identifying products for early tariff relief and organizing business delegations and roadshows in India, it said. It also said that India's proposed free trade agreement with New Zealand would have limited benefit to domestic companies as they are already enjoying duty free access to a significant number of goods in that market. New Zealand's average import tariff is just 2.3 per cent, compared to India's 17.8 per cent. Besides, 58.3 per cent of New Zealand's tariff lines (or product categories) are duty-free, meaning Indian products already enjoy significant access without a trade pact in the New Zealand market, the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said.

Will collaborate with depts to reassess India-US ties: Pete Hegseth

Hegseth highlighted the importance of joint military exercises, defence sales, and strategic talks which have bolstered India-US ties significantly

India, Spain to mark 2026 as 'dual year' to celebrate culture: Jaishankar

He was confident in the trade ties and said that the ten billion business that is taking place today will see a rise in the coming days

India, Maldives to hold high-level defence talks to boost ties on Wednesday

Maldivian Defence Minister Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon will pay a three-day visit to India from Wednesday to deepen bilateral engagement ties amid a thaw in relations between the two countries. Maumoon will hold wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh besides meeting several senior officials in the national capital. The visit by the Maldivian minister comes over eight months after India withdrew its military personnel from the island nation following a demand by its pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with Maumoon in New Delhi on January 8, the defence ministry said. It said the two ministers will review the various facets of bilateral defence cooperation, including training, exercises and defence projects to enhance the capability of the Maldives National Defence Forces as well as supply of defence equipment. "The Maldives occupies a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, which aims to bring .

India protests China's new counties in Hotan, cites Ladakh overlap: MEA

MEA also stated it will closely monitor the situation and take necessary steps to protect India's interests in response to China's plan to build a mega dam on the Brahmaputra river

EAM Jaishankar to pay 3-day visit to Qatar to review overall bilateral ties

The visit also aims to review various aspects of bilateral relations between India and Qatar with discussion on key areas

Japan's foreign minister seeks to improve bilateral ties during China visit

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with top Chinese leaders Wednesday during his visit to Beijing, the first since the heads of the two countries met at a summit in Peru last month, in an effort to make positive inroads in the bilateral relationship. The two neighbours have had a tense relationship in recent years. At the top of Iwaya's agenda is China's ban on Japanese seafood in response to the release of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as well as China's increasingly assertive military activity in the East and South China Seas. Iwaya met with China's premier Li Qiang Wednesday as well as Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart. "Currently the China-Japan relations are at a critical period of improvement and development, said Li, in his remarks. China is willing to work together with Japan to move towards the important direction proposed by the leaders of the two countries. "I want to build a relationship where the peo

Dissanayake's presidency opens new chapter in India-Sri Lanka relations

When India invited left-wing leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake for a visit in February, no one anticipated that the political landscape of Sri Lanka would experience a significant transformation, culminating in his surprising rise to the presidency by the end of the year. The development has brought renewed attention to the dynamics between the two neighbouring countries. Dissanayake, 56, popularly known as AKD, was declared the winner of the presidential election in September, marking a complete revolution from his party-led coalition's vote share of three per cent in 2019 to over 60 per cent. Weeks later, Dissanayake's Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People's Power (JVP-NPP) coalition swept the parliamentary elections by winning 159 out of the 225 seats, the first time any party won a two-thirds majority under the proportional representation system introduced in 1978. The NPP also dominated the Jaffna electoral district the heartland of the nation's Tamil minority. India's

Foreign Secy Misri meets top US diplomats, discusses wide range of issues

Ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to the United States, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Monday had meetings with top American diplomats on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the United States from December 24-29, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced a day earlier. During the visit, Jaishankar will meet his American counterparts to discuss key bilateral, regional and global issues, an official statement said. On the eve of Jaishankar's visit, Misri on Monday had meetings with the Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Deputy Secretary for Management Richard Verma at Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department. India's ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, was also present in the meetings. We look forward to continuing to grow #USIndia ties rooted in mutual trust, shared values, and prosperity for all, Verma said. Earlier in the day, Verma hosted a group of eminent India

PM Modi meets President of Kuwait Heritage Society, praises his work

PM Modi appreciated his work in preserving the rare manuscripts related to India and Kuwait

India has signed 31 bilateral pacts on transfer of sentenced persons: Govt

India has signed 31 bilateral agreements on transfer of sentenced persons by virtue of which the Indian prisoners lodged in foreign countries can be transferred to India to serve the remainder of their sentence and vice-versa, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha. He was asked whether the government has put in place a robust mechanism to transfer the Indians languishing in jail in foreign countries to India so that they can serve the remaining sentence in the country. "The government attaches high priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indians in foreign countries, including those in foreign jails," he said. The minister said India has "signed 31 bilateral Agreements on Transfer of Sentenced Persons by virtue of which Indian prisoners lodged in foreign countries can be transferred to India to serve the remainder of their sentence and ...

Dutch PM Schoof discusses strengthening ties with PM Modi over phone call

The Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi where they talked about strengthening relations between the two countries.Schoof said that they also discussed about the Russia-Ukraine conflict.In a post on X, Schoof said, "I just had my first phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. We spoke about further strengthening the good relations between the Netherlands and India and about opportunities to work together more closely through a strategic partnership in areas like security, water, green hydrogen, agriculture, semiconductors and healthcare. We also discussed other matters such as the war in Ukraine."PM Modi called the Netherlands a 'trusted and valued partner'.In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Pleased to speak with PM Dick Schoof. The Netherlands is a trusted & valued partner. We are committed to advance and provide strategic dimension to bilateral ties in diverse sectors including water, ...

India to supply LNG to Sri Lankan power plants, connect power grids

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is on a three-day visit to India for bilateral talks centred around economic cooperation, defence collaboration, and energy connectivity

PM Modi holds talks with Sri Lanka Prez Dissanayake over trade, defence

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday held extensive talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka, focusing on further shoring up India-Sri Lankan cooperation in a range of areas, including defence, trade and investment. The Sri Lankan leader arrived in Delhi on Sunday, his first foreign trip after becoming president in September. Ahead of the talks, Disanayaka was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "An extensive agenda encompassing trade, investment, development and security cooperation will be discussed," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on 'X' ahead of the Modi-Disanayaka talks. On Sunday, the Sri Lankan leader held separate meetings with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. The Sri Lankan leader will also meet President Droupadi Murmu. Disanayaka is scheduled to attend a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka. He is also scheduled to visit

Opening of Moldova's embassy in India will deepen ties: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said the opening of an embassy of Moldova in New Delhi opens a "new chapter" that will further the partnership between the two countries and help in advancing collaboration in key areas. "Let me express the expectation, hope that in the not very distant future, you will see an Indian embassy in Moldova as well," the minister said in his address at an event held here to mark the opening of the embassy. Jaishankar termed the opening of the embassy a "significant milestone" in the relationship between India and Moldova, an east European country. "Every time an embassy opens here, I know we have done something right," he said. The opening of various new embassies or consulates of India abroad in the last few years is "a reflection of India's growing engagement with the world". And in this particular case, a statement of a deeper friendship between the two countries, he said. "This moment reflects the shared commitments of our nations si

Sri Lankan President begins 3-day India visit to boost bilateral ties

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka arrived in India on Sunday on a three-day visit in his first foreign trip after assuming the top office in September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with the Sri Lankan leader on Monday that is expected to focus on trade, investment, energy and maritime security. The Indian side is also likely to convey to the Sri Lankan leader New Delhi's expectations from Colombo to fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil community in the island nation. Disanayaka was received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan. In a post on 'X', External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Disanayaka's visit will be an opportunity to further deepen India-Sri Lankan ties and add momentum to the people-centric partnership. "Warm and special welcome!" he said along with photos of the Union minister receiving Disanayaka. The Sri Lankan leader will also meet President Droupadi