Diplomacy

Taiwan's Pacific influence dwindles as China gains ground in island nations

From six diplomatic alliances in the region in 2019, Taiwan now only has three: The Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and Tuvalu

No change in our position on Taiwan: India rebuts China's Jaishankar claim

India clarifies that its Taiwan ties remain economic, technological and cultural, rebutting China's claim that Jaishankar reaffirmed Taiwan as part of China during talks with Wang Yi

India's diplomacy needs to move from demonstrative style to hard substance

We don't have to produce another Henry Kissinger, but we must go beyond making statements on the wars now threatening world peace

No passports, no study abroad: China limits public employees' travel

Across China, similar warnings are spreading as the authorities tighten control over state employees' contacts with foreigners

Back in the sun: Patient and constructive diplomacy pays off in Maldives

As the recent reset with Sri Lanka has demonstrated, mature responses to geopolitical pressures can be as effective as the exercise of hard power

Trump promises West African leaders pivot to trade after US aid cut impacts

President Donald Trump promised West African leaders a pivot from aid to trade during a White House meeting on Wednesday as the region reels from the impact of sweeping US aid cuts. Trump said he sees great economic potential in Africa as the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau boasted of their countries' natural resources and heaped praise on the US president, including their thanks for his help in settling a long-running conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Trump described the nations represented at the meeting as all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people a definite shift from his first term, when he used a vulgar term to describe African nations. The meeting comes amid a shift in US global and domestic priorities under Trump's leadership. Earlier this month, US authorities dissolved the US Agency for International Development and said it was no longer followi

Diminish, deter, de-hyphenate: The 3D solution for India's Pakistan problem

China and Pakistan are in a tight strategic alliance. India must deal with them one at a time, but be prepared in case they decide to collude

Cong takes a swipe at PM Modi, says Indian diplomacy is being shattered

The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Modi government over reports that Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir would be having lunch with US President Donald Trump, and said Indian diplomacy is being "shattered" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "totally silent". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also said President Trump himself has "trumpeted" 14 times that he brought about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, meaning he ended Operation Sindoor. "Field Marshal Asim Munir, the man whose inflammatory, incendiary and provocative remarks were linked directly to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attacks, is having lunch today with President Trump in the White House," Ramesh said. Is this why President Trump abandoned the G7 Summit a day early denying Mr. Narendra Modi a "huge hug", he asked. "Gen. Michael Kurilla, the US Central Command Chief calls Pakistan a 'phenomenal' partner in counter-terrorism operations. This is triple jhatka to Howdy Modi

Op Sindoor delegation scheduled to brief PM Modi on diplomatic outreach

Seven multi-party delegations that were sent to 33 nations as part of India's diplomatic outreach effort will brief PM Modi about the outcome of the various meetings held overseas

India resumes issuing visas to Afghan nationals after 5-year freeze

New visa portal open for Afghan businesspeople, artists, and dependents; move follows diplomatic engagement with the Taliban

India puts up united front abroad, Congress shows its cracks at home

Tharoor's role in bipartisan diplomatic outreach in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack has raised eyebrows in the country's main Opposition party

What are SEAD, loitering munitions? Key terms to decode India-Pak standoff

India launches Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror camps in PoK. Here's a breakdown of key military terms shaping the India-Pakistan conflict narrative

Operation Sindoor: Jaishankar engages allies after missile strikes in Pak

After India's strikes on terror camps under Operation Sindoor, EAM S Jaishankar spoke with foreign ministers of Japan, France, Germany, Spain, and Qatar, stressing zero tolerance for terrorism

Beijing increases diplomatic pressure on Africa as US influence wanes

Chinese diplomats threatened to cancel a summit and called top officials in two African countries to pressure lawmakers to quit an international parliamentary group critical of China, officials from the group told The Associated Press. It's an example of how far China will go to influence politicians overseas, and how that pressure can succeed behind closed doors. In the past year, lawmakers from Malawi and Gambia withdrew from the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 38 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing, according to letters, messages and voice recordings obtained by The Associated Press. Founded in 2020, the group has coordinated sanctions on China over rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and rallied support for Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island Beijing claims as its territory. African politicians and experts say it's an escalation of Chinese diplomatic pressure in Africa, where Beijing's influence

India, China share congratulatory messages on 75th diplomatic anniversary

Leaders of India and China exchanged congratulatory messages on Tuesday marking the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations amid the efforts to reset the ties after over four years of freeze due to the eastern Ladakh military standoff. Today marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here answering a question. President Xi Jinping and his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu besides Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged congratulatory messages respectively, he said. Both countries are ancient civilisations, major developing countries and important members of the Global South and both are in a crucial stage of modernisation, Guo said.

Vance, wife to visit US military post in Greenland amid diplomatic row

US Vice President JD Vance and his wife are due to visit an American military base in Greenland on Friday in a trip that was scaled back after an uproar by Greenlanders and Danes who were irked that the original itinerary was planned without consulting them. The couple's revised trip to the semi-autonomous Danish territory comes as relations between the US and the Nordic country have soured after U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested that the United States should in some form control the mineral-rich territory of Denmark a traditional US ally and NATO member. Friday's one-day visit to the US Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland, has removed the risk of violating potential diplomatic taboos by sending a delegation to another country without an official invitation. It will also reduce the likelihood that the Vance and his wife will cross paths with residents angered by Trump's annexation announcements. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen

India must develop broad, diverse set of energy relationships: Jaishankar

As the world's fifth-largest economy, India must necessarily develop a broad and diverse set of energy relationships, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. Speaking at a Business Today event here, Jaishankar also said that after decades of hearing the virtues of globalisation, the world today is grappling with the reality of industrial policies, export controls and tariff wars. He said that ensuring a favourable energy environment for coming decades is understandably one of India's key diplomatic objectives. Beyond fossil fuels, it extends to developing and deploying renewables on a large scale as well as exploring the potential of small modular reactors, he said. The fifth biggest economy of the world must necessarily develop a broad and diverse set of energy relationships, Jaishankar said. The Indian embassies now are far more active than before in the pursuit of the country's commercial interests. They inform, advise and facilitate wherever possible to ensure

UK expels Russian diplomat in tit-for-tat response to expulsions in Moscow

Britain's government said Wednesday it has expelled a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of two British embassy staff in Moscow earlier this week. In a statement Wednesday, the Foreign Office said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, following an increasingly aggressive and coordinated campaign of harassment against British diplomats. It said Kelin was told that the UK will not stand for intimidation of British embassy staff and their families." As a result, the Foreign Office was taking immediate reciprocal action, revoking accreditation for a Russian diplomat and a diplomatic spouse.

MoS Margherita represents India in swearing-in ceremony of Uruguay's Prez

Margherita said he conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the new government of Uruguay

OCAC highlights overseas outreach success for Taiwan amid policy shifts

The council emphasised that shifting global policies have created new opportunities for Taiwan to expand its international presence