India is expected to strongly push for a bilateral totalisation agreement with the US during President Barack Obama's visit later this month.
'Tehran,' Foreign Minister Zarif said, 'had expected the Modi government to be "more resilient" in the face of Washington's bullying,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
"CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) territorial aggression is also apparent on its Indian border where China has attempted to seize control of the Line of Actual Control by force," US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said in a remark on China early this week in Utah.
Canada will supply uranium to energy-starved India beginning this year over a period of five years, a decision which was termed as a launch of a new era of bilateral cooperation and mutual trust by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The two sides inked nearly two dozen pacts in key areas of defence and civil nuclear cooperation after "productive" talks between Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the nation's capital.
PM Modi addressed the Sri Lanka Parliament on Friday.
The two countries also asked all nations to stop cross-border movement of terrorists and asserted that a decisive collective response from the international community without 'double standards and selectivity' was required to combat the threat of terrorism.
China on Wednesday said it attaches 'great importance' to Sushma Swaraj's visit to Beijing.
Reacting to the recent supersonic interceptor missile test by India, Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on Foreign Affairs, has said that Islamabad will acquire advanced technology to improve its defence and will also raise the matter at the international arena.
India and the United States have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on counter-terrorism and five other pacts as they ventured to chart their ties as "one of the defining relations" in the 21st century in which India will have a leadership role in the region and the world.
"Saluting your valour, 130 crore countrymen of India are standing firm with you today. Today every Indian is proud of the strength and bravery of his soldiers. They are proud of your invincibility," said PM Modi.
"Whatever we are doing is in close coordination and synergy with the army and the Indian Air Force to produce desired results," he said.
The year ended with the launch of the PSLV's 50th mission.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said even though India's options have increased, Russia will remain the country's "most important" defence partner as Moscow offered to fully manufacture in this country one of its most advanced helicopters.
China's white paper on Asia-Pacific security cooperation extends an olive branch to India. It mentions India 15 times -- a record in all Chinese white papers issued so far. New Delhi's response will need to be carefully calibrated, says China expert Srikanth Kondapalli.
With their landmark 2005 civil nuclear deal still in limbo, India and the United States have established an inter-agency contact group to sort out outstanding liability and technical issues to fast-track its full implementation.
General McMaster reffirms India's Major Defence Partner status.
'This novel format of diplomacy -- the informal summit -- will not only facilitate bilateral communication and reduce miscalculations at the very top level of the two governments, but possibly open the space for China and India to speak in one voice on various issues of mutual concern,' note Feng Renjie and Ding Kun Lei
India and Brazil on Wednesday called for urgent progress in reforms of the UN Security Council, as they agreed to scale up bilateral ties and deepen cooperation in international fora.
Apart from key bilateral issues, the two leaders also discussed situation in the region, particularly in wake of the increasing threat of terrorism and extremism from various sources including the Islamic State militant group.
'India appears to have stood its ground on strategic autonomy by resisting US pressure on Russia, China and Iran, but succumbed to the temptation to walk into a tighter embrace in defence cooperation, a high priority of the Trump administration,' notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
The United States has started deploying the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system at the Osan Air Base in South Korea after North Korea conducted test of four ballistic missiles which broke international sanctions.
The US' strong assertion comes days after President Donald Trump pledged to answer further aggression from North Korea with "fire and fury".
The prime minister, accompanied by senior officials including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, met the Chinese leader just before his travel to Myanmar from this port city.
Unless the Taliban goofs up in a big way, which seems highly unlikely, we are looking at a regime that will be around for quite a long while and present a level of governance that the puppets of the richest and most advanced countries failed to provide, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
This visit has ended on a vastly different note in comparison with Modi's previous visits. Call it a rebuke, call it a censure, call it a distancing from Modi, the sharp message would have gone home, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Berlin for an overnight stopover on his way to Brazil for the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit meeting that will address regional crises and security threats to restore a climate of peace while advancing global economic stability.
India and the United States must use energy and persistence to overcome the "obstacles" towards achieving the shared objectives agreed during the "transformative" visit of American President Barack Obama to New Delhi, US Ambassador Richard Verma said in New Delhi on Thursday.
Rhodes remarks on India came in response to a question about why some countries like China are opposing India's membership in the 48-member NSG.
Prime Minister Modi told President Xi that he has made efforts to improve ties with Islamabad but these efforts have been "derailed".
Jaishankar said that the resolution on Kashmir introduced by Jayapal in the House is not a fair characterisation of the situation in J-K. And also said that he has no interest in meeting the Congresswoman.
Carter has said India's designation as a 'major defence partner' would allow the US to cooperate with it --
Around 200 military personnel from the two sides would take part in the joint military exercises.
Against the backdrop of growing Chinese assertion in the Asia-Pacific region, India on Thursday said it supports the "freedom of navigation" in international waters noting that any disputes or differences in the region must be resolved diplomatically.
In his departure statement ahead of his week-long visit, Modi referred to Indo-US relations and said working together, the two nations can contribute to building a more peaceful, stable, secure, sustainable and prosperous world.
There's still little indication of forward movement in Indo-US defence relations.
Only when the RBI inspection started on September 19 did they realise that their game was up and one of them had sent a letter to the central bank, leading to the RBI crackdown, report Anup Roy and Subrata Panda.
'China's action towards India really gives you a good insight into how the Communist Party of China is thinking these days'
It will not be to India's advantage to create misperceptions that it is bandwagoning with some Anglo-American project for regime change in Myanmar, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Highlighting that India's strong economy with a growth rate of 7.6 per cent per annum is creating 'new opportunities for mutual prosperity', Modi said transformative American technologies in India and growing investment by Indian companies in the US both have a positive impact on the lives of citizens of both countries.
