Page 5 - Indo Pacific

Indian, Australian High Commission to UK co-host Indo-Pacific conference

The unique collaboration brought together leading experts from Australia, India, and the United Kingdom to address threats to regional security and enhance strategic stability

14-nation agreement on supply chain resilience opens doors for India

IPEF aims to reduce dependence on China and strengthen manufacturing of essential goods in member nations

S Korea's prez to talk trade, technology and defence on state visit to UK

The leaders of Britain and South Korea will seek to strengthen trade and defense ties between their countries during a state visit to the UK by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon landed at Stansted Airport near London on Monday. Britain hopes his formal three-day visit will help cement an "Indo-Pacific tilt" in its foreign and trade policy. During that time, the president will be treated to both royal and diplomatic pomp, including a ceremonial welcome with military honour guards, an opportunity to address Parliament and a state banquet hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. He's also scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak focused on trade, technology and defense. The two countries will officially launch talks on an "upgraded" free trade agreement to replace their current deal, which largely replicates the arrangements the UK had before it left the European Union. Britain has launched trade talks with several countries since leaving the EU in 2020, though it h

Deep fake is a big concern: Prime Minister asks ChatGPT to give warning

India will be organising the 'Artificial Global Partnership Summit' next month to discuss the need for responsible use of technology, particularly in the realm of AI

Global South existed geographically, getting voice for first time: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the remarks while addressing the inaugural session of the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit held virtually on Friday.

IPEF member countries conclude negotiations for two more pillars

Under the proposed Agreement, the IPEF partners also would establish a new CBF to enhance each other's capabilities to effectively implement all aspects of the proposed Agreement

India, US, 12 other IPEF members conclude talks on fair economy agreements

After signing the supply chain resilience pact, India, the US, and 12 other members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) have announced the conclusion of negotiations on fair and clean economy agreements. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was here for the IPEF ministerial meeting. According to a joint statement from IPEF partner nations, the member countries will now undertake the necessary steps, including further domestic consultations and a legal review, to prepare the final texts of the agreements. Once finalised, the proposed agreements will be subject to IPEF partners' domestic processes for signature, followed by ratification, acceptance, or approval. "Today, the 14 IPEF partners announced the substantial conclusion of the negotiations of the IPEF Clean Economy Agreement, the IPEF Fair Economy Agreement, and the Agreement on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity at the IPEF Ministerial Meeting in San Francisco, California," the

Cambodia inaugurates new Chinese-funded airport serving Angkor Wat

Cambodia on Thursday inaugurated its newest and biggest airport, a Chinese-financed project meant to serve as an upgraded gateway to the country's major tourist attraction, the centuries-old Angkor Wat temple complex in the northwestern province of Siem Reap. The Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is located on 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of land about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Angkor Wat and boasts a 3,600-metre long runway. It can handle 7 million passengers a year, with plans to augment it to handle 12 million passengers annually from 2040. The airport began operations October 16, with the first flight to land coming from neighbouring Thailand. The old airport it replaces was about 5 kilometres from the famous tourist site. Thursday's inauguration was presided over by Prime Minister Hun Manet, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian, the governor of China's Yunnan province, Wang Yubo, and other officials. Speaking at the ceremony, Hun Manet said the old airport was

APEC Summit: Biden seeks to assert US' grip on Pacific amid global turmoil

President Joe Biden is looking to use this week's summit of Asia-Pacific leaders to show world leaders the United States has the gumption, attention span and money to focus on the region even as it grapples with a multitude of foreign and domestic policy crises. Biden's highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday is the main event of his four-day visit to San Francisco, where leaders from the 21 economies that make up the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum are gathering for their annual summit. The talks with Xi are of enormous importance as the leaders of the world's two biggest economies try to find a measure of stability after what's been a difficult year for U.S.-China relations. But the White House also wants to demonstrate to APEC's leaders that Biden can remain focused on the Pacific while also trying to keep the Israel-Hamas war from exploding into a broader regional conflict and to persuade Republican lawmakers to continue to spend .

Rajnath Singh discusses defence ties, Indo-Pacific with UK counterpart

Singh also congratulated Shapps on his appointment as the Secretary of State for Defence

We support India's emergence as global power, vital for stability: US

The country said the US-India relationship is one of the most strategic and consequential of the 21st century, as per a fact sheet released by the US State Department

India likely to close discussions on 2 more IPEF pillars in US next week

According to government officials, the process for domestic approval for signing the supply chain resilience agreement is underway

Italy, EU's interest in Indo-Pacific is stabilising factor: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday welcomed Italy's and the European Union's "greater interest" in the Indo-Pacific region, terming it as a "stabilising factor" and underlining that in a globalised world, it is important for all to take an interest in every corner of the world. Addressing the Joint Session of the Senate's External Affairs and Defence Commission here, Jaishankar talked about how India sees the world today. "We see, very frankly, very difficult times ahead, very turbulent times ahead," said Jaishankar, who is here on a two-day official visit to Italy, his fourth as Foreign Minister to Italy in the last four and a half years. He said India was watching with increasing concern the evolving situation in the Middle East. "Obviously, all of us will have an interest in ensuring that there is no escalation. But it is definitely an issue of concern," Jaishankar said. In his address, Jaishankar also welcomed the greater interest shown by Italy and the European .

Russia-Ukraine war showed we can't rely on defence imports: Army chief

General Manoj Pande also said that India is putting significant focus on leveraging the infusion of modern technology in the Army

No decision yet on India joining trade pillar of IPEF, says official

The government has not yet taken any decision on the issue of India joining the trade pillar of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a 14-member grouping, a senior official said. The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and 28 per cent of global goods and services trade. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and anti-corruption). India has joined the three pillars except the trade part. The member countries are holding negotiations to sign separate agreements on these subjects. Talks are already concluded on the supply chain resilience and the process for domestic approval in India for this agreement is underway. The member nations are holding talks on clean economy, and fair economy pillars under the sixth negotiating round, which is undergoing in Kuala

Pentagon releases footage of 180 aircraft intercepts by Chinese planes

The Pentagon has released footage of some of the more than 180 intercepts of US warplanes by Chinese aircraft that have occurred in the last two years more than the total amount over the previous decade and part of a trend US military officials called concerning. The photos and video were released in advance of a soon-to-be issued annual report by the Pentagon on the China's military power and the security threats it may pose to partners in the Indo-Pacific. The Pentagon has tried for years to posture itself to be ready for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan even as it now finds itself supporting allies in two hot wars, Ukraine in Europe and Israel in the Middle East. Admiral John Acquilino, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at a Pentagon press briefing Tuesday that despite the US surging carrier strike groups and amphibious ships to support Israel, and now almost 20 months of war in Ukraine, I haven't had one piece of equipment or force structure depart" his command

Cooperation in Indo-Pacific in interests of India and Vietnam: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region is in the shared interests of India and Vietnam as he underlined the significance of ASEAN centrality and highlighted the contribution of the Quad grouping. Jaishankar, who arrived in Vietnam on Sunday on a four-day official visit, made the remarks during his address to the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on India in the Indo-Pacific. "Discussed why cooperating in the Indo-Pacific construct is in our shared interests. Underlined the significance of ASEAN centrality and highlighted the contribution of the Quad, the minister said in a post on platform X. Brought out how India and Vietnam, with their independent mindset, can promote a multipolar and rules-based global order, he added. The US, India, Japan and Australia compose the Quad, a four-way grouping. They have been stepping up cooperation in various fields such as defence and energy amid China's increasing military and economic .

Bengal CoC launches Indo-Pacific Chamber of Commerce with MEA in Kolkata

The conclave was organized in Kolkata considering the strategic position of the city, a press release from the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry read

Rajnath calls for collective efforts to address Indo-Pacific complexities

Rajnath Singh postulated that Indo-Pacific is no longer a maritime construct, but a full-fledged geo-strategic construct that faces complex security challenges, including boundary disputes and piracy

PM Modi gave mantra for Indo-Pacific, says Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

In his address, Rajnath Singh highlighted that climate change-related concerns of small nations in the Indo-Pacific region should get due importance