He was once tipped to be one of China's NextGen leaders, someone who would guide the Middle Kingdom's future for the next decade, once the present leadership retired. In a dramatic saga, unparalleled in contemporary China, Bo Xilai suddenly fell from grace these past weeks, his wife now accused of murder. Nikhil Lakshman, who met Bo a few times, recounts those encounters with a Chinese politician like none other.
As exit polls pointed to the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the general elections, a leading Chinese daily on Wednesday expressed hope that the new government likely to be headed by Narendra Modi will be 'pragmatic' towards China while adopting a tougher line on the border dispute and Tibet.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who made a rare visit this week to the restive Xinjiang region which borders Ladakh, met the troops and officers stationed there and praised their "outstanding contributions" to the border defence and stabilisation of the volatile province.
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi left for New Delhi on Saturday evening after attending the Olympics opening ceremony.
The Chief of Army Staff is scheduled to hold extensive talks with the top civilian and military brass of Nepal including his counterpart General Purna Chandra Thapa on a range of key issues such as further boosting the management of the nearly 1,800 km-long border between the two countries.
'If the Chinese military gets hold of some western sectors on the India-China boundary, it will give them added military advantage.'
India lost fastest growing major economy tag to China in the March quarter with a GDP growth of 6.1%
Grieving relatives of those on board the ill-fated cruise ship that capsized in the mighty Yangtze were on Thursday barred from reaching the site as rescuers pulled out more bodies, taking the death toll to 77 amid assurances from China of "no cover up" in the probe into the tragedy.
Prime Minister Sharif will be visiting Beijing with a high-powered delegation from November 1, 2022, where minutes of the joint coordination committee meeting will be signed.
The Fujian was launched at a brief ceremony held at the Shanghai shipyard, the official media reported from the eastern metropolis.
China's top graft buster followed up a series of inspections of elite sports training centres by reiterating its warning against corruption in the run-up to the Rio Olympics on Monday.
'This reluctance to respond forcefully to Chinese PLA provocations and outright aggression has as much to do with Prime Minister Modi personally, as with the institutional mindset of the MEA or even the Indian Army.' 'They are scarred by the 1962 War and are still cowed by China.'
While the official media is silent on the issue, Chinese blogs and websites are much kinder to the banned Maoist rebels, writes China expert D S Rajan.
'We must be careful because China has not given its design in Eastern Ladakh.'
The situation in the Chinese-controlled Xinjiang region of China and in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region continues to haunt the leadership of the Communist Party of China, which has been observing the 90th anniversary of its formation this month, and the People's Liberation Army, which has been observing the 60th anniversary of its occupation of Tibet, says senior analyst B Raman.
To rise quickly in the PLA's hierarchy, you need to be close to Xi Jinping. Retired RA&W officer Jayadeva Ranade on the changes in China's military leadership.
Jack Ma, China's billionaire and founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has travelled to Europe for an agriculture study tour, his first trip abroad since he ran into trouble with the Chinese government last year over violating anti-monopoly regulations.
The recent action comes amid the ongoing tension between India and China after the violent standoff on June 15 in Galwan Valley area in eastern Ladakh in which both sides suffered casualties.
Xi does not want to risk any political or economic crisis complicating his bid to remain in office, observes Ambassador Shyam Saran, the former foreign secretary.
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh briefed the leaders on the high-profile visits at an hour-long meeting.
Xi commended the battalion members for their remarkable efforts in guarding China's border region, noting that they have dedicated their youth to securing the country's territorial integrity and have accomplished their missions well, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
'The question remains: Was the Obama visit truly a success? Only the future will tell us if the "breakthrough" in the nuclear liability issue will concretise into electricity.' 'As importantly, it will be interesting to watch how India's relations with China will evolve in the months to come.'
India must be aware that there is no question of the US fighting the Chinese on land. We have to fight our own battles, points out Virendra Kapoor.
'Intrusions by PLA troops in the Ladakh sector are more in number than elsewhere and this region is now likely to remain an area of enhanced Chinese interest,' warns China expert Jayadeva Ranade.
China's invitation to Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for a visit is 'unrelated' to India allowing the Dalai Lama to tour Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese scholars said on Monday, as they asserted that Beijing was 'not that petty-minded to take revenge'.Chinese experts, quoted by People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, claimed that China is not interfering in the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan despite Beijing's invitation to the Mirwaiz.
'The Congress party hated him because he had not gone to jail, he was not lathi charged, he had not gone on hunger strike.' 'They felt he had lived in London all his life and then he came to India and became an MP and a minister.'
'No Cold War should be reignited and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia'
It is not without significance that the vigorous campaign of the leftist parties has coincided with the beginning of the Chinese campaign against the so-called quadrilateral strategic interaction involving India, Japan, the US and Australia
Criticising the strong reactions from India over China blocking its bid to enter NSG, a state-run daily on Monday said India is "still stuck" in the 1962 war mindset as it called for a more objective evaluation of Beijing's stand.
Hu Jintao was chosen for a second-five year term by the Communist Party of China in October as its General Secretary, a position that automatically takes the incumbent to the Presidency. Saturday's election only cements the formality. The Chinese Parliament also sealed the appointment of his likely successor Xi Jinping as Vice President.
India's stiff labour laws were one key issue that Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed with Prime Minister Modi on his recent visit.
Purged Chinese leader Bo Xilai ran a sophisticated bugging system that did not even spare his party boss and President Hu Jintao and this led to his downfall, the New York Times reported on Thursday.
President Xi Jinping on Monday vowed to build China's military into a "Great Wall of steel" to protect its sovereignty and developmental interests as he sought a bigger role for Beijing in global affairs, days after brokering a Saudi Arabia-Iran detente, regarded as a diplomatic coup.
Three Chinese journalists based in India representing the state-run Xinhua news agency were denied permission for extended stay in the country.
Piqued over Japan's warm ties with India, an influential Chinese daily on Tuesday said New Delhi's wisdom lies in dealing with its disputes with Beijing calmly undisturbed by "internal and international provocateurs".
Xi said he hopes that the two sides will uphold the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, focus on cooperation, manage differences, advance the healthy and stable development of China-US ties, and join hands with other countries and the international community to promote the noble cause of world peace and development.
'When you look at the border -- from Ladakh to Arunachal -- which is called the Sino-Indian border, but in effect it is actually the Indo-Tibet border.' 'Since the borders are still not secure, it has resulted in transgressions in Galwan, Dokalam etc.'
'Although Hong Kong weathered many a storm and displayed a remarkable resilience to bounce back, the developments in the territory have raised question marks with regard to its future stability and prosperity.' A revealing excerpt from Rup Narayan Das's Hong Kong Conundrum: Pangs of Transition.
Voicing serious concern over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nitin Gadkari asked China to step up pressure on its 'all-weather' friend Islamabad to stop "exporting terror machine" to India and act against perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need for the recruitment of new talent to support the rapid modernisation of the armed forces and win future wars amid reports that the military has committed more resources to enrol 3 lakh personnel for frontline positions.
