Tag: China

Li Qiang Will Attend G20

Not Xi, Li Qiang Will Attend G20 In India, Confirms Beijing

By LokMarg

Setting at rest all speculations around Chinese President Xi Jinping’s participation at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has announced that Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India on September 9 and 10. 

Quoting foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, the statement read, “At the invitation of the government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10.”

However, no reason was given in the statement about Xi’s absence from the summit.

Earlier, Reuters had reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip the G20 Summit to be held in India.

Sources in China, two of whom said they were informed by Chinese officials, added they were not aware of the reason for Xi’s expected absence, according to Reuters.

The Chinese President has made few overseas trips since China abruptly dropped its Covid restrictions. He, however, attended the BRICS Summit in South Africa last week.

Several G20 ministerial meetings in India ahead of the summit have been contentious as Russia and China together opposed joint statements which included paragraphs condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine last year, according to Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit during which he highlighted India’s concerns over the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh.

The two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials “to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation”.

Along with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not attend the summit in India.

According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov is expected to attend two plenary sessions on September 9 and 10. Lavrov is scheduled to hold several bilateral talks and contacts on the sidelines of the summit. (ANI)

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Devendra Fadnavis Sanjay Raut

Discuss China In Special Session: Raut Takes Dig At Modi

By LokMarg

Shiv Sena (UBT-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader on Sunday took a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the alleged Chinese intrusion in Ladakh. 

Raut said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should discuss China in the special session of the parliament without any fear. 

Taking to ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter), Raut said, “It has been learned that PM Modi has called for a special session of the parliament in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ to discuss China’s occupation of India’s land and the publication of the map of the newly occupied part”. 

“Discuss China in the special session without any fear. We will support the government in this discussion”, Raut added. 

Earlier, Congress MP Raul Gandhi, during his visit to Ladakh hit out at the Centre saying that its claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) troops “is not true”.

The Congress MP claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, adding that it was a matter of concern.

“The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here,” Rahul had said.

Responding to Rahul’s remark, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, earlier, took a jibe at the former stating that nobody takes his statements seriously. 

“I think Rahul Gandhi should delve into the history of land losses during his grandfather’s, grandmother’s, and father’s tenures. And all the land that was lost was during that time. No one takes Rahul Gandhi’s statements seriously,” Shekhawat had said.

Meanwhile, the Modi government called for a special session between September 18 to 20. 

The monsoon session of parliament, which concluded last month, was held in the old Parliament building.

The announcement of the Special Session came as a surprise in political circles with the parties gearing up for assembly polls in five states later this year.

The winter session of Parliament usually begins in the last week of November. (ANI)

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Arunachal in China Map

China Releases Standard Map 2023, Shows Arunachal In Its Territory

By LokMarg

China has officially released the 2023 edition of its “standard map,” which shows the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region as part of its territory.

The map released on August 28 shows Arunachal Pradesh which China claims as South Tibet and Aksai Chin occupied by it in the 1962 war as part of its territory. Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea are also included within the Chinese territory in the new map.

The map also incorporates China’s claims over the nine-dash line thus laying claim to a large part of the South China Sea.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have all claims over the South China Sea areas.

The map was released by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources during the celebration of Surveying and Mapping Publicity Day and the National Mapping Awareness Publicity Week on Monday in Deqing county, Zhejiang province, as per China Daily newspaper.

Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had said in his conversation with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s concerns on unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas.

“The Prime Minister underlined that maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the border areas and observing and respecting the LAC are essential for the normalisation of the India-China relationship. In this regard, two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation,” Kwatra had said.

According to China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the

The chief planner of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Wu Wenzhong, said surveying, mapping and geographic information play an important role in boosting the development of the nation, meeting the needs of all walks of life, supporting the management of natural resources, and helping the construction of ecology and civilization.

“The next step will be to accelerate the application of geographic information data such as digital maps and navigation and positioning in the development of the digital economy, such as location-based services, precision agriculture, platform economy and intelligent connected vehicles,” Wu said, as per China Daily.

Zhejiang has in recent years focused on the deep integration of the digital and real economies and has continued to promote the development of the digital economy, according to Li Yaowu, deputy secretary-general of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government.

China has territorial disputes with more countries than it shares its borders with. The Chinese Communist Party, the CCP, with Xi Jinping at the helm, has used deceitful tactics and manipulation in order to attempt to assert territorial control over other sovereign territories. Beijing has flouted all international norms in its expansionist bid to control more territory.

China has now staked claims on parts of India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, arguing that these locations were part of greater Tibet.

A desperate Beijing had in April this year unilaterally “renamed” as many as 11 Indian locations, which included names of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas.

This is not the first time that Beijing has employed such tactics. Previously in 2017 and 2021, China’s Civil Affair Ministry had renamed other Indian locations triggering another political confrontation. New Delhi called out China’s expansionist plans then.

Previously, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi, while commenting on China’s attempt to show its domination in places belonging to India’s Arunachal Pradesh said: “This is not the first time that China has attempted something like this (changing the names of areas in Arunachal Pradesh) and we have already condemned any such attempts. Regarding Arunachal Pradesh, we had also said that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India) and imposing invented names like these will not at all change the reality.” (ANI)

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Ravi Shankar Prasad

Don’t Try To Lower Morale Of India’s Security Forces, Ravi Shankar Slams Rahul

By LokMarg

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravishankar Prasad hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remark that China has taken India’s land.

“Do anything, but why do you try to lower the morale of India’s security forces”? the BJP MP asked.

Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that Centre’s claim that not an inch of Indian land was taken by China’s People Liberation Army (PLA) troops “is not true”.

Prasad while reacting to the Congress president’s statement has said, “They (Congress) ask for proof of the Balakot & Uri attacks. What can we even expect from them? Today, when Rahul Gandhi talks about Ladakh, I want to ask him if he remembers how much of India’s land was captured by China before and after the 1962 war.”

Rahul Gandhi claimed the locals, too, contend that Indian territory was intruded upon and taken by the Chinese troops, which was a matter of concern.

Speaking to reporters, the Congress leader said, “The locals here are concerned about China taking our land. They have said that the Chinese troops took away their grazing land. However, the PM says not an inch of land was taken away. This is not true, you can ask anyone here,” said Rahul.

Prasad also mentioned former Defence Minister AK Antony over his past speech in the Parliament on China.

“The then Defence Minister AK Antony in the Parliament had said that ‘We don’t want to irritate China by erecting infrastructure’, this is your (Congress party) past,” Prasad added.

Further, highlighting the condition under the Modi government, Prasad said that “Look today, under Modi government roads and bridges from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, are building up helping army vehicles to react fast on different situations.” (ANI)

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Biden Biden Military Package for taiwan

Biden Announces Military Package Of USD 345 MN For Taiwan

By LokMarg

Using an authority from the US Congress that draws weapons directly from American stockpiles, President Joe Biden has announced USD 345 million in military package for Taiwan, The Hill reported.

Using a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that Congress granted last year, Biden authorised the shipment of weapons to Taiwan on Friday.
Quoting a congressional employee who is familiar with the package, The Hill reported that it includes man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS), weapons, and missiles in addition to intelligence and surveillance capabilities.

China Tightens The Noose Around Taiwan

The announcement was first made public as a memorandum to the secretary of state, directing the withdrawal of “defence articles and services of the Department of Defence, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.”

“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(3) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to $345 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the memorandum read, according to the White House.

Taiwan Tracks 91 Chinese Craft, 12 Naval Ships

Taiwan, an island with a democratically elected government, is seen by China as an integral part of it, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that Taipei should be united with Beijing.

The 2023 US budget included USD 1 billion for weapons shipments to Taiwan, and Congress had asked the administration to complete the backlog of military supplies to the self-governed island.

Taiwan is encouraged by the US to have the defensive capabilities and diplomatic power to oppose a forced takeover by Beijing, whether through military war or economic pressure, as per The Hill. (ANI)

Putin BRICS

Putin Not To Attend BRICS Summit To Be Held In SA

By LokMarg

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS nations summit to be held in South Africa, announced the office of the South African President.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed South Africa’s readiness to host the historic 15th Summit of BRICS nations- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in August.
It will be the first summit hosted in person since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions. The Summit will be attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

The BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will attend the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent global restrictions.

The Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, as per the Presidency’s press statement.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Wednesday, “By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.”

President Ramaphosa has in recent months and weeks held a number of consultations on the hosting of the Summit. The President’s most recent consultation in this regard took place last night, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at the BRICS Political Party Dialogue in Gauteng.

In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the Summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued.

President Ramaphosa is confident that the Summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe.

“President Ramaphosa has in recent months and weeks held a number of consultations on the hosting of the summit. The president’s most recent consultation in this regard took place last night, Tuesday, July 18, at the BRICS political party dialogue in Gauteng.

“The summit will be attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued.

“President Ramaphosa is confident the summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe,” as per the South African Presidency.

Earlier, the South African government granted diplomatic immunity to all international participants, including Russian President Vladamir Putin and other Russian officials, at BRICS-related events to be held in the country, as per local media.

“Immunity from personal arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal baggage, and, in respect of words spoken or written and all acts done by them in their capacity as representatives, immunity from legal process of every kind,” the document reads.

A warrant for Putin’s arrest was issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in March, and since South Africa is a member of the formation, it is obliged to arrest Putin when he is in the country.

Despite this, South Africa, as the current chair of the BRICS alliance, has officially invited Putin to the summit in August. (ANI)

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India's counter-drone market

India To Acquire Drones For Over Rs 10,000 Cr To Keep An Eye On China, Pak Borders

By LokMarg

Indian Defence forces are set to acquire 97 ‘Made-in-India’ drones for surveillance purposes along China and Pakistan borders, government sources on Monday said.

After the decision to buy 31 Predator drones from US, India is now moving towards acquiring 97 highly capable drones under the ‘Make-in-India’ project.
“A scientific study was carried out by the defence forces jointly and it has been decided that to meet the Medium Altitude Long Endurance requirements, Indian forces would require 97 such drones for keeping an eye on both land and sea,” government sources told ANI.

According to government sources the lead service for Thai over Rs 10,000 crore procurement of these drones would be the Indian Air Force as they also be getting the highest number of these unmanned aerial vehicles which would be able to fly for close to 30 hours at a stretch.

The drones to be acquired by the forces would be in addition to the exiting fleet of over 46 Heron UAVs acquired by the three forces over the years in their respective fleets.

The drones which are already in service are going to be upgraded by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in partnership with the original equipment manufacturers through the ‘Make-in-India’ route where they will have to upgrade their capabilities within the country using over 60 percent Indian content.

India recently decided to acquire the 31 Predator drones which are in the High Altitude Long Endurance category and would be used for surveillance of vast areas of Indian interest. (ANI)

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Chandrayaan-3 launch

Chandrayaan-3: Spacecraft Lifts Off Successfully From Sriharikota

By LokMarg

The wait is over as Chandrayaan-3 was launched on GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota as per scheduled launch time.

The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month and the landing is expected on August 23. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth.
Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar exploration mission, will make India the fourth country after US, China, and Russia, to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country’s abilities for safe and soft landing on lunar surface.

Chandrayaan-3 is the ISRO’s follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing on the lunar surface in 2019 and was eventually deemed to have failed its core mission objectives.

Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising maneuvers. Covering a distance of over 300,000 km, it will reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific instruments onboard will study the Moon’s surface and enhance our knowledge.

Chandrayaan-3 is equipped with a lander, a rover and a propulsion module. It weighs around 3,900 kilograms.

Moon serves as a repository of the Earth’s past and a successful lunar mission by India will help enhance life on Earth while also enabling it explore the rest of the solar system and beyond.

July 14, 2023 will always be etched in golden letters in the annals of India’s space sector history, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the launch of much-awaited Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission.

“This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation,” PM Modi had tweeted earlier.

“Thanks to our scientists, India has a very rich history in the space sector. Chandrayaan-1 is considered to be a path breaker among global lunar missions as it confirmed the presence of water molecules on the moon. It featured in over 200 scientific publications around the world,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.

“Till Chandrayaan-1, the moon was believed to be a bone-dry, geologically inactive and uninhabitable celestial body. Now, it is seen as a dynamic and geologically active body with the presence of water and sub-surface ice,” he added, asserting it might be potentially inhabited in the future.

Chandrayaan-2 was equally pathbreaking because data from the Orbiter associated with it detected the presence of chromium, manganese and sodium for the first time through remote sensing. This will also provide more insights into the moon’s magmatic evolution, PM Modi stated.

The key scientific outcomes from Chandrayaan-2 include the first ever global map for lunar sodium, enhancing knowledge on crater size distribution, unambiguous detection of lunar surface water ice with IIRS instrument and more. The mission has featured in almost 50 publications.

Extending best wishes for the Chandrayaan-3 mission, PM Modi urged people to know more about this lunar mission and the strides India has made in space, science and innovation. “It will make you all very proud,” he added.

Chandrayaan-3’s development phase commenced in January 2020 with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission’s progress.

K Sivan, former director of ISRO, told ANI that the success of mission Chandrayan-3 will give a morale boost to programmes like Gaganyan, India’s first manned space mission.

Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who has been instrumental in the country’s space sector innovation, said on Thursday the Chandrayaan-3 mission is going to be successful and a game-changer event for India.

”Chandrayaan-3 will definitely be a game changer for India and I hope it will be successful. India will become an inspiration to the entire world. Let’s wait for the launch and pray for the best,” Nambi Narayanan told ANI.

“I’m assuming, and I hope that it will be a successful mission. Because whatever the problem in Chandrayaan-2, actually, we corrected the whole thing. From the failure, we have understood all mistakes (on our part),” Narayanan, the recipient of India’s third highest civilian honour, ‘Padma Bhushan’, told ANI.(ANI)

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Dalai Lama Tibetan Problems

Dalai Lama Says Open To Talks With China Over Tibetan Problems

By LokMarg

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said that he is open for talks with China over the problems of Tibetans and the Chinese, “officially or unofficially” wanted to contact him.

“I am always open to talk. Now China also realises that the spirit of Tibetan people is very strong. So, in order to deal with Tibetan problems they want to contact me. I am also ready”, he said.
The Dalai Lama made the remarks while to speaking to reporters in Dharamshala before embarking on a visit to Delhi and Ladakh.

Responding to a question on whether he wishes to resume talks with China, he said, “We are not seeking independence, we have decided since many years that we remain the part of People’s Republic of China…Now China is changing. The Chinese, officially or unofficially want to contact me”.

On July 6, Dalai Lama celebrated his 88th birthday and visited the Main Tibetan Temple courtyard in Dharamshala, adjacent to his residence. While addressing the gathering during the celebrations the Dalai Lama said that he has not been angry with anyone, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet, according to the official statement released on Dalai Lama’s website.

“I was born in Tibet and I bear this name Dalai Lama, but in addition to working for the cause of Tibet, I’ve been working for the welfare of all sentient beings. I’ve done whatever I could without losing hope or allowing my determination to flag,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said.

“I’m angry with no one, not even those Chinese leaders who have adopted a harsh attitude towards Tibet. Indeed, China has historically been a Buddhist country as witnessed by the many temples and monasteries I saw when I visited that land,” he added.

In his remarks, Dalai Lama said knowledge of Tibetan culture and religion can benefit the world at large. He said, “I believe there is knowledge within Tibetan culture and religion that can benefit the world at large. However, I also respect all other religious traditions because they encourage their followers to cultivate love and compassion.”

He further said, “According to indications in my own dreams and other predictions, I expect to live to be more than 100 years old. I’ve served others until now and I’m determined to continue to do so. Please pray for my long life on that basis.”

Earlier in April, Dalai Lama called for a focus on wisdom and compassion as he highlighted the situation in Tibet by giving his own example and stressed upon looking at the current situation from a broader perspective.

Addressing the gathering on the second day at the Global Buddhist Summit 2023 in New Delhi, the Dalai Lama had said, “I can also share with you that by engaging in this kind of inner development and particularly focusing on Wisdom and compassion. It really can help increase our courage as well. For example: in the case of my dealing with the current struggle and situation of Tibet, if you think just only about it from a narrow-angle, you can lose your hope.”

“But if you look at this crisis and look at this current situation from the broader perspective of the courage that cultivation and compassion give you, then you can have a much more resilient mind. So, even in your daily life, there might be problems which may seem enormous and unbearable. Still, if you have the courage, you will be in a much stronger position to turn adversities into opportunities,” he added.

The Dalai Lama had earlier too said that majority of people in China realise that he is not seeking “independence” within China but meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Last year he had told reporters in Jammu during a visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh that “Not Chinese people, but some Chinese hardliners consider me a separatist. Now, more and more Chinese are realising that Dalai Lama not seeking independence but within China meaningful autonomy and to preserve Tibetan Buddhist culture.” (ANI)

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Pakistan defence minister on Blocking Social Media

Pak Def Min Hints Towards Blocking Social Media If Need Arises

By LokMarg

Stating that the seeds of the violence perpetrated on May 9 were planted on social media, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has hinted at the possibility of blocking social media networks if the need arises, Dawn reported.

Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper.
Asif said that countries such as the US, the UK and China all regulated social networks.

“There are rules and a regulatory framework, it is monitored. In our country, the medium is used to incite people to mutiny against the state,” he told Geo News on Tuesday, the Dawn reported.

“The script of the May 9 violence was prepared via social media,” Asif said, as per the Dawn.

Notably, to stem the riots that broke out in the aftermath of PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest, the government had cut off internet access and blocked social media networks across the country for several days, the Dawn said.

The minister while referring to the action being taken against the perpetrators of the violence that unfolded on May 9, said that after the military has taken actions against their own personnel and their family members, it was the duty of the government to ensure the accountability of the perpetrators behind the riots.

Khawaja Asif appreciated the ‘swift accountability’ carried out by the military but noted that civilian authorities faced many challenges and roadblocks.

“The law [to try civilians under the army act] has been challenged in various courts, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments as well… these hurdles are holding us back,” he said, adding that these obstacles could be overcome.

When asked about the possibility of placing a ban on the PTI — something the government has hinted at in the past as well — the defence minister was of the opinion that unless the perpetrators of the May 9 violence were not punished, imposing any restrictions on the party could prove ‘counterproductive’, as per Dawn. (ANI)

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