Page 4 - Bilateral Ties

Sri Lanka election is the latest sign India is losing its neighbourhood

Dissanayake has worried New Delhi because his party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, made a name for itself in the 1980s with an anti-India terror campaign

Australia's treasurer will visit China in sign that ties are mending

Treasurer Jim Chalmers will this week become the first Australian government minister in that key economic role to visit China in seven years, in the latest sign that strained bilateral relations are mending. Chalmers flies to Beijing on Thursday for a two-day visit. The last Australian treasurer to visit China was Scott Morrison in 2017. Morrison rose to become prime minister a year later and bilateral relations further soured under his rule until his conservative government was replaced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labour Party after the 2022 general election. Chalmers said Wednesday that the main purpose of his visit was to co-chair the Australia-China Strategic Economic Dialogue on Thursday with He Lifeng, chair of China's National Development and Reform Commission. Discussions will focus on growing trade and investment with China and opportunities for Australian and Chinese businesses to cooperate, government documents say. This is another really important

Share PM Modi's commitment to boost Lanka-India ties: President Dissanayake

Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday said that he shares Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Dissanayake said this in a post on X in response to Prime Minister Modi's post on Sunday in which he congratulated the Marxist leader for his victory in Sri Lanka's presidential election. "Thank you, Prime Minister Modi, for your kind words and support. I share your commitment to strengthening the ties between our nations. Together, we can work towards enhancing cooperation for the benefit of our peoples and the entire region," Dissanayake said. Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's new president on Monday after his victory in Saturday's election. Dissanayake, 56, the leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party's broader front National People's Power (NPP), defeated his closest rival Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB). Modi in his post said he looks forward to working closely with him to further strengthen the

PM Modi meets Kishida, Albanese; discusses ways to deepen bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held "very good" meetings with his Japanese and Australian counterparts on the sidelines of the Quad Summit here and exchanged views to deepen bilateral cooperation further for mutual benefits and the 'peace, stability, and prosperity' of the Indo-Pacific region. Modi met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Wilmington on Saturday. The three leaders met at the sidelines of the Quad Leaders' Summit, hosted by US President Joe Biden. Modi and Albanese reaffirmed their commitment to "further deepen" bilateral ties, with the Indian leader saying that he "cherishes the time-tested friendship" with Australia. "Held extensive discussions with PM Albanese. We seek to add even more momentum in areas like trade, security, space and culture. India greatly cherishes the time-tested friendship with Australia," Modi said in a post on X. "Great to talk with Prime Minister @narendramodi today at the Quad Leaders Summi

India, Germany conclude development policy negotiations successfully

The talks, held in New Delhi, were led by the Department for Economic Affairs (Indian Ministry of Finance)

EAM Jaishankar discusses trade, global issues with Swiss counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his Swiss counterpart Ignazio Daniele Giovanni Cassis on bilateral ties, with a focus on leveraging the trade agreement between India and four-nation European bloc EFTA, which includes Switzerland, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday. Jaishankar was here on a two-day visit which concluded on Friday. In a special gesture, Cassis hosted Jaishankar in Geneva, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral ties, with a special focus on leveraging the Free Trade Agreement between India and EFTA States (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Principality of Liechtenstein) to boost trade and investments," the statement said. India in March signed a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) under which New Delhi received a USD 100 billion investment commitment from these four Europea

UAE, Germany discuss boosting cooperation ties, strategic partnership

They also exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments, particularly the situation in the Middle East

Wang, Doval agree to work for improvement of ties: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval have agreed to work together to create conditions for the improvement of bilateral relations during their meeting in Russia, the Foreign Ministry here said on Friday. During their talks on the sidelines of a meeting in St Petersburg of the BRICS high-ranking officials responsible for security matters, Wang and Doval discussed the progress made in the recent consultations on border issues, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release. Both Doval and Wang are the Special Representatives for the India-China border talks mechanism. Both parties expressed the belief that the stability of the China-India relations is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples and conducive to regional peace and development. China and India agreed to implement the consensus reached by the heads of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding and trust, maintain continuous communication, and create ...

India has consistently championed cause of Global South: UN Representative

Harish stated that South-South Cooperation offers the potential to build stronger ties among countries of the Global South

US invested in expanding strategic partnership with India: Official

The United States has invested significantly in expanding its strategic partnership with India and is pursuing a robust agenda to deepen the bilateral cooperation, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has said. Addressing the ongoing India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit in California on Monday, Campbell said successive administrations in Washington and New Delhi have invested time and political capital to bring the partnership to greater heights. But in the last year, I like to say, our partnership has reached 'escape velocity'," he said. The United States has invested significantly in expanding our strategic partnership with India, and we are pursuing a robust agenda to deepen cooperation for the rest of the year not only diplomatically, but also through iCET ( initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology), Campbell said. The third edition of the two-day INDUS-X summit began on Monday. It is organised by the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum ...

EAM S Jaishankar meets counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar today

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met his counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, taking stock of the progress of bilateral relations and discussing ways to further deepen them. Jaishankar arrived here in the Saudi capital on Sunday on a two-day visit to attend the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers' meeting. He met Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and discussed the "progress" in the bilateral relations. "Delighted to meet FM @FaisalbinFarhan of Saudi Arabia today in Riyadh. Took stock of the progress in our bilateral relationship and shared perspectives on global and regional issues. Look forward to welcoming him in India," he said in a post on X. Jaishankar also met Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who also holds the portfolio of the foreign minister. "Began the day with a good meeting with (the) PM & FM of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_. Discussed taking India-Qatar bilateral ties ...

PM Modi's Brunei, Singapore visit significant step in Act East policy: EAM

Notably, PM Modi announced that the ties between India and Brunei have been elevated to level of Enhanced Partnership. This was the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei

PM Modi, Singapore counterpart Wong visit semiconductor firm, discuss ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a productive meeting with his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong during which they elevated the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. Modi is here on a two-day visit at the invitation of Wong. Ahead of the talks with Wong, Modi received a red carpet-welcome at the Singapore Parliament House. He also signed the visitor's book there. "A new chapter in - ties: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established. PM @narendramodi and PM @LawrenceWongST held a productive meeting in Singapore today," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X after the meeting. "The leaders agreed to elevate the - ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They extensively reviewed various facets of the bilateral relationship covering areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Connectivity, Digitalisation, Healthcare & Medicine, Skills Development and Sustainability," he said. The meeting between the two ...

Chinese, African leaders hold summit on deepening bilateral cooperation

Dozens of African leaders have descended on Beijing for a summit that signals China's influence in a continent that it hopes will be a key ally in pushing back against a U.S.-led global order. Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to the assembled leaders Thursday that relations with all African countries that have diplomatic ties with China be elevated to the strategic level. We have always understood and supported each other, setting an example for a new type of international relations," he said at the opening ceremony of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. China has become a major player in Africa since the forum was founded in 2000. Its companies have invested heavily in mining for the resources Chinese industry needs and its development banks have made loans to build railways, roads and other infrastructure under Xi's Belt and Road program. China has become sub-Saharan Africa's largest bilateral trading partner but exports much more to the continent than it imports. In part

India, Brunei stress navigation freedom, discuss defence cooperation

India and Brunei on Wednesday committed themselves to respecting freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law, a joint statement said here after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Prime Minister Modi also expressed deep appreciation to Brunei Darussalam for continuing to host Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Telemetry Tracking and Telecommand (TTC) Station that has helped India's ongoing efforts in the space sector, the statement said. Prime Minister Modi and the Brunei Sultan also discussed enhancing defence and maritime cooperation through joint exercises, it said. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, as well as respecting freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce, consistent with international law, notably the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, it said. During the ..

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Brunei's Sultan on wide-ranging topics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei for a bilateral meeting on wide ranging topics and discussed about further expand trade ties, commercial linkages and people-to-people exchanges. Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to travel to Brunei on a bilateral visit, was welcomed by Sultan Bolkiah and his close family members at the Istana Nurul Iman, which is the official residence of the Sultan, and the seat of the Brunei government. Delighted to meet His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Our talks were wide ranging and included ways to further cement bilateral ties between our nations. We are going to further expand trade ties, commercial linkages and people-to-people exchanges, Modi said in a post on X. Modi's historic visit is an important milestone in the 40-year diplomatic relationship between the two countries that enjoy a friendly relationship marked by mutual respect and understanding on bilateral and multilateral

Time ripe for India-Singapore relations to raise to next level: Jaishankar

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival on an official visit to Singapore, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said the time is ripe for the two countries to take their bilateral relationship to the next level. "Given the transformation underway in India and the changes in the world, they need to become more contemporary. In many ways, that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to visit Singapore so early in his third term, The Straits Times quoted Jaishankar as saying in an interview. He said that India and Singapore's bilateral ties have been extremely strong in the last two decades. Just like Singapore had an opportunity in 1992 and then again in 2006, it should seize the moment and fully utilise the new landscape, the minister said. Sometimes, to be honest, I feel that impressions at your end are somewhat dated, Jaishankar pointed out. In India, we are using the achievements of the last decade as the springboard to accelerate national growth and

PM Modi's Singapore visit important for trade deals, says MEA Secy

Mazumdar said that PM Modi is also likely to exchange MoUs in Singapore

Navies of Singapore and China conduct bilateral maritime exercise

The navies of Singapore and China on Sunday began the third edition of a bilateral maritime exercise, underscoring the "longstanding, warm and friendly" defence ties between the two countries, according to an official statement. The Exercise Maritime Cooperation is being conducted between the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) from September 1 to 5, the Ministry of Defence here said in a statement. Its opening ceremony was held at the Ma Xie Naval Base in Zhanjiang, China, on Sunday, with about 200 personnel from both navies in attendance, The Straits Times newspaper reported. This is the third edition of the maritime exercise since its inauguration in 2015. The exercise underscores the "longstanding, warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between both countries", the statement said. The Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart from Singapore is participating in the exercise. It will observe the conduct of various tasks by the PLA Na

Chile FM Klaveren's visit to India helped advance bilateral ties: MEA

The visit of Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, to India provided an opportunity to review the progress in bilateral cooperation and helped advance the ties between the two countries, the MEA said on Saturday. The Chilean foreign minister paid an official visit to India from August 27-31 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. On August 28, Jaishankar and van Klaveren co-chaired the second India-Chile Joint Commission Meeting (JCM); met with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and inaugurated the Chile-India Business (Agriculture) Summit; and delivered a lecture at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. During the JCM, the ministers reviewed bilateral relations and held wide-ranging discussions for strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, critical minerals, digital public infrastructure, defence, railways, health and pharmaceuticals, science and ...