Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon arrived in Beijing on Sunday to attend a meeting of G-8 'outreach countries', becoming the first top Indian diplomat to visit China since the outbreak of the Tibet unrest. The G-5 meeting in Bejing is a multilateral consultation exercise on economic and trade issues and climate change, among others, that major developing nations wish to take up with G-8. Menon is expected to meet Chinese officials and discuss the of bilateral issues.
With the continuing stand-off in Ladakh casting a shadow over the Sino-India talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday raised 'serious concerns' over the repeated incidents along the border and sought an early settlement of the boundary question.
'This is the only place on earth where Elephas maximus climbs to these heights.'
"I will be running as a sportsman," said Ravi Shastri, cricketer and former manager of the Indian team, while talking to rediff.com about his low-key participation in the Olympic torch relay ceremony in Muscat, Oman on April 14. He refused to speak on the controversial issue of the Chinese crackdown in Tibet and the protests that have marred the Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco.
Large sections of the Tibetan youth felt that even while pretending to keep the door open for a dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the Chinese were undermining his political and spiritual authority, encouraged by the silence of the Indian authorities.
Ahead of the opening of the Nathu La pass later this month, the government has finalised the list of items for trade with China from the border point between Sikkim and Tibet.
Rawat had said there was a major reduction of Chinese troops in the Doklam area.
This was the first round of talks for Wang after he succeeded State Councillor Yang Jiechi earlier this year.
'An opportunity is at hand to think big and recast the India-China relationship on a new template, which would help the pursuit of our country's dream of major power status,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, while reacting to Japan's plans to step up investments in the northeastern states, told the media that China is opposed to any foreign investment in the areas where it has disputes with India.
'Their air force is no match to ours!'
50 years after the 1965 War, India still thinks we can have a 'limited war' when our opponent has time and again shown it does not believe in a limited war, says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Only when China treats India as an equal can we consider them real friends.'
Fast cars, marathons, golfing and shooting - nothing stops these high-power tycoons from pursuing their passion.
'In the case of an India-Pakistan confrontation, the Chinese may undertake more than just posturing, thereby constraining us from deploying adequate forces for decisive results,' warns Brigadier S K Chatterji (retd).
From sports to history, Rediff reader Sabyasachi Dutta shares a selection of books for you to add to your reading list in 2020.
