US President Barack Obama Monday criticised India for shying away from condemning rights abuses in repressive states, saying those states with global aspirations should not remain silent and ignore "gross violations" in other countries. "If I can be frank, in international fora, India has often shied away from these issues," Mr. Obama said. “Speaking up for those who cannot do so for themselves is not interfering in the affairs of other countries. It is not violating the rights of sovereign nations, it is staying true to our democratic principles."
Israel has cancelled its special strategic dialogue with London to protest a law that enables Britain to arrest visiting foreign officials for alleged war crimes, press reports in both countries said Wednesday. This week Israel's deputy prime minister Dan Meridor was forced to cancel a visit to London following warnings he could be arrested for alleged war crimes, the Daily Mail reported. He did so after Britain’s Foreign Office and Ministry of Justice warned him he could face an arrest warrant from pro-Palestinian activists.
New Delhi has an 'overriding strategic interest' in developing better relations with China, Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said this week. As we face the big issues, we do this in a cooperative manner so that we can negotiate solutions to the problems. We have an overriding strategic interest in letting relations grow in a healthy manner,” Menon was quoted as saying by IANS . He said it was impossible to believe that the two countries were unable to manage their ties, adding, that there is 'no zero sum game' among all major powers. Menon's comments follow a statement by...
Ahead of Tuesday’s mid-term elections in the United States, the question of what the outcome might mean for US foreign policy seems to have a consensus answer: no change. An analysis in the GlobalPost website says most political analysts believe there will likely be no significant change in the direction of the Obama administration’s foreign policy. Indeed, some analysts predict that if the Republicans take control of Congress, President Obama, just as President Clinton did, will place greater emphasis on foreign policy. Ms. Anne-Marie Slaughter, the director of policy planning for the US...
A Chinese company, Shanghai Electric Co Ltd, has secured a $10bn contract to supply coal-fired generators to India’s Reliance Power Ltd, in a deal financed by Chinese banks, business press reports said. Shanghai Electric is China’s biggest power-equipment maker by market value, and Reliance Power’s order may be the world’s largest for generators, Bloomberg reported .
Trade between China and India is expected to touch $60 billion this year. It has already crossed over $30 billion, with China having a slightly greater than 60% share of the trade. China has promised to increase imports from India in order to address the trade imbalance beteen the two countries, the Press Trust of India reported . Beijing is calling for Indian companies to invest in China and for the two countries to "develop more convergence of interests and mutual trust".
Noting that the question of what is - now - driving China’s seemingly relentless economic growth is one of significance to international policy makers and business executives alike, a leading business journal has conducted new research. Arguing that conventional wisdom of export-led growth is wrong, the McKinsey Quarterly report says : “We found that exports have been a major driver, but not one as dominant as commonly believed. Indeed, there are clear signs that a shift toward domestically driven economic growth is well under way.” The picture of the Chinese economy that emerges from this...