[NEWS OF THE DAY]

India opts out of IPEF’s trade pillar; to wait for final contours

India has as of now opted out of the trade pillar of the 14-member Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) but has decided to join the remaining 3 subjects: supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy. Briefing media after the conclusion of the 2-day IPEF ministerial meeting here, Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal said that India would continue to engage with the trade track in the IPEF and will wait for the final contours to be decided on the trade pillar before it formally joins that pillar. On one pillar which deals primarily with trade, the contours of the framework particularly, any commitments required on the environment, labor, digital trade, and public procurement are certain areas in which a broader consensus has yet to emerge amongst all the nations. All the other 13 IPEF for prosperity countries have joined the 4 pillars — trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and anti-corruption). The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40% of global GDP and 28% of global goods and services trade. When asked about the key areas of concern, he said digital trade, linkage of environment and labor to trade, and possible binding commitments of any nature juxtaposed with the benefits that India will receive as a developing economy. When asked why India opted out of the trade pillar, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that “I would not characterize it as opting out, India is not in the trade pillar right now”. (here) New Delhi needs to exercise caution while negotiating the three other pillars — supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy: India’s decision, for now, is a well thought out one, as the country is not yet ready to negotiate on digital commerce or link trade with environment and labor, say experts. (here)

Jaishankar calls upon Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sun met with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Jeddah and apprised him of the bilateral ties between the two countries. Earlier, in the day, Jaishankar met with the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and co-chaired the Political, Security, Social and Cultural (PSSC) committee of the India-Saudi Partnership Council. Jaishankar arrived on a 2-day visit to Saudi Arabia starting Sat, his first trip to Saudi as India’s EAM. The meetings of these 4 Groups PSSC and Senior Officials (at the Secretary level) have been held over the past few months, the release added. During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet other Saudi dignitaries as well as the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf. Both sides will review the bilateral relations and discuss ways to enhance them. The minister will also interact with the Indian community in Saudi Arabia. India-Saudi Arabia relations have strengthened considerably over the past few years including in political, security, energy, trade, investment, health, food security, cultural, and defense fields. The top leadership of both countries remained in close touch even during the Covid-19 pandemic. (here) India has a powerful case to be a permanent member of UNSC: EAM: India has a powerful case to be a permanent member of the UNSC and the principal UN organ must adapt to the evolving global conditions, not only to fulfill its objectives of maintaining international security but also to remain relevant, said Jaishankar told the Saudi Gazette newspaper in an interview. (here)

SCO Summit 2022: PM Modi to Attend Regional Security Bloc Meeting in Uzbekistan on Sept 15-16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uzbekistan on Sept 15-16 to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (SCO) where leaders are expected to review the grouping’s activities over the past 2 decades and discuss the prospects of multilateral cooperation. The summit will be attended by leaders of SCO member states, observer states, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), President of Turkmenistan, and other guests, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said. At the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, PM Modi will be visiting Samarkand on Sept 15-16 to attend the 22^nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, it said. During the summit, the leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past 2 decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation in the future, the statement said. The PM is also likely to hold a few bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. (here) Xi will meet Putin at the SCO’s summit-Xi Jinping will leave China on Wed this week for the first time in more than two years since the pandemic for a trip to Central Asia where he will meet Vladimir Putin just a month before Xi is poised to cement his place as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. The trip, just how confident Xi is about his grip on power in China and just how perilous the global situation has become: Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine, the crisis over Taiwan, and a stuttering global economy. (here) The organization is due to admit Iran.

PM Modi to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders on sidelines of SCO summit: Indian envoy to Uzbekistan

Indian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Manish Prabhat said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the summit and hold bilateral meetings with several leaders.“..Some bilateral meetings will take place on the sidelines of the SCO but the program of the meetings will be finalized in due course,” Prabhat told ANI. Responding to a question on whether the PM will be holding meetings with the heads of nations like Pakistan, China, and Russia, the envoy said, “I’m not able to comment on that at this moment but you would soon come to know.” (here)

After Tawang, Infra buildup gathers pace in Eastern Arunachal as army puts Full Focus on LAC

The Army is reorienting itself to increasingly pull out of counterinsurgency (CI) roles in the Northeast so that it can put its entire focus on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China—as part of which there is now an emphasis on building and strengthening infrastructure across eastern Arunachal Pradesh districts, News18 reported citing top Army officers on Wed. Efforts are underway to ramp up infrastructure in these border districts with the construction of habitat and helipads at forwarding locations, strengthening operational logistics such as building better ammunition storage facilities, constructing roads and mule and foot tracks, and other security infrastructure to aid faster mobilization of troops to the borders and for enhanced patrolling of the LAC by them. ‘Combat Readiness of High Order’: Maj Gen MS Bains, Commanding Officer (GOC) of the Army’s 2 Mountain Division headquartered at Dinjan, in Assam said the focus of the Army in the region has fully shifted to the northern borders (LAC) and the Assam Rifles has largely taken over CI duties. The north-eastern state of AP comes under 2 different corps of the Army. While the 4 Corps takes care of the sensitive Tawang sector and the Kameng area, the 3 Corps takes care of the rest of AP, also referred to as RALP. (here)

[NATIONAL]

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to visit India from Sept 14

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will be visiting India from Sept 14-15 on her first official trip to India and her first bilateral visit to Asia. During her stay in New Delhi, Colonna will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sept 14, on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest, read the Ministry of External Affairs press release. As part of the visit, Colonna will travel to Mumbai for engagements with industry leaders and site visits on Sept 15. India and France have a longstanding strategic partnership, strengthened by regular high-level consultations and growing convergences in various areas. Colonna’s visit will pave the way for further strengthening the partnership across trade, defense, climate, migration and mobility, education, and health sectors, added the release. There are over 1,000 French businesses in India in variegated sectors such as defense, ITES, consulting, engineering services, and heavy industry. France is the 7^th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative FDI stock of $9 bn from Apr 2, 2000, to Dec 2020, which represents 2% of the total FDI inflows into India. In the period Apr 2018-Mar 2019, bilateral trade stood at €11.59 bn, and India’s exports were valued at €6.23 bn. Meanwhile, French exports to India stood at €5.35 bn. The 18^th Joint Economic Committee meeting held virtually between the two countries on Nov 27, 2020, led to the signing of a bilateral ‘Fast Track Mechanism’ for investors. (here)

‘Follow Russia model, resume oil purchases’ — Iran asks India to ignore US sanctions

ThePrint- India has been asked by Iran to resume oil purchases from the country, “ignoring unilateral” sanctions imposed by the US, similar to what New Delhi has done with Russian oil by skirting western sanctions in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. The matter is expected to be raised by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during an in-person meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of the Heads of State meeting in Uzbekistan. India has stopped buying oil from Iran since May 2019 after the former Donald Trump administration put stringent sanctions on that country. This was an unprecedented move. Before the sanctions were imposed, India was the second-largest buyer of Iranian oil after China. According to officials, India had to take this step at the time owing to pressure from the US as Washington had put a series of tough sanctions on Iran even as the Trump administration walked out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). (here)

Mastermind of China-linked shell companies arrested while attempting to flee India

The govt has arrested on Sat one individual named Dortse having links with China and is responsible for the whole racket of incorporating a large number of shell companies in India and appointing dummy Directors on their Boards. Dorte has “clearly emerged as the mastermind” of the whole racket, a Ministry of Corporate Affairs statement said on Sun morning. “After the simultaneous search and seizure operations conducted by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Sept 8^th, 2022, on the offices of Jillian Consultants India Private Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jilian Hong Kong Ltd, at Gurgaon, Fininty Pvt Ltd at Bangalore and Husys Consulting Ltd, an erstwhile listed company at Hyderabad, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) has arrested Dortse yesterday,” it added. Dortse and 1 Chinese national are the 2 directors of Jilian Consultants India Private Limited. (here)

UP Police unearths Rs 4,200 cr frauds linked to Chinese operators

The Uttar Pradesh Police’s cyber crime wing has unearthed pan-India frauds to the tune of Rs 4,200 crore linked to criminals based in China, a senior official said on Fri. Police have tracked connections in frauds related to crypto trading, instant loan lending apps and fake job advertisements through bulk SMSes to China, UP Cyber Crime Superintendent of Police said. Police had earlier this year found a link of China-based operators in cheating crores of rupees from people across India through instant loan lending apps and part-time job offers in leading companies, he said. “We had earlier detected a scam worth around Rs 3,000 crore linked to China,” he told PTI. On how the money reaches the foreigners running such frauds, Singh said the funds first go to local Indian bank accounts and digital wallets of those associated with the scam. Singh said this is a huge racket and some of the operators are located in Nepal also but are ultimately being controlled by China. He said the Reserve Bank of India has also taken cognizance of such frauds and directed agencies concerned for measures to check them. (here) [On July 26, Nepal police arrested 35 people from a call center in Tinkune, Kathmandu on suspicion of illegal activities and transactions in connection including a Chinese national]

ED raids Kolkata premises in fraud mobile gaming app case, crores seized in cash

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sat raided 6 premises in Kolkata in connection with an investigation relating to mobile gaming applications and seized cash worth ₹6 crores. The ongoing searches were conducted under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Counting of cash and search operations are underway. A statement issued from the ED said that a first information report (FIR) was registered in this regard at the Park Street Police Station based on Federal Bank authorities. 1 person, identified as Amir Khan, who had launched a mobile gaming application E-Nuggets, has been named accused in the case. According to reports, officials from the Reserve Bank of India and State Bank of India, carrying 8 cash counting machines, have reached the residence of a businessman in Garden Reach. An ANI input said central forces have been deployed outside Nisar Ahmed Khan’s residence from where the ED recovered huge amounts of cash. (here)

NIA raids at 50 locations in north India against ‘organized terror gangs’

The National Investigation Agency carried out raids at around 50 locations in north India on Mon morning against “organized terror gangs”, involved in narco-terrorism, smuggling of arms, inter-gang rivalry, and other illegal activities, officials said. The search operations aim to investigate the larger conspiracy linked to organized gangs involved in illegal activities. Raids were reported to have been launched in Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab among other parts of north India. In the last few months, incidents of drone intrusions and cases related to inter-gang rivalries have been in the focus. More than two dozen Pakistani drones have been sighted in J&K this year, which made sorties to drop weapons and explosives in a bid to carry out terror strikes – and the NIA has been looking into the role of terror groups operating from PoK. Last month, the anti-terror agency raided several locations in Srinagar, Jammu, Kathua, Samba, and Doda in a case it recently took over to probe the delivery of arms, ammunition, and explosives payload by a module of The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. (here)

Azad: J&K won’t get special status back, deception to make such promises

Political parties claiming to be fighting for the restoration of J&K’s special status are chasing votes rather than an achievable goal, former CM Ghulam Nabi Azad declared in north Kashmir’s Baramulla on Sun to set the tone for his second coming in the Valley’s politics within weeks of quitting Congress. “I openly voted against the bill (to nullify articles 370 and 35A) in Parliament, but some people are creating a false narrative for vote politics,” Azad said. “This is a deception designed to provoke people into agitation and get them killed. So long as I am alive, I will fight against falsehood. You will have to kill me if you want to silence me.” “I will only talk about things that are possible and achievable,” said the ex-Congress member of 5 decades, who arrived in J&K last week to start what many see as the emergence of a potential satrap going into elections in the Valley. (here)

Army chief flies sortie in IAF’s Apache attack chopper in Ladakh

Indian Army chief General Manoj Pande, who is on a two-day visit to the Ladakh sector, on Sun flew in an Indian Air Force Apache attack helicopter. The request for a sortie from the Ladakh air base was received yesterday and today the Army chief flew in the chopper over the area, IAF officials said. Gen Pande was familiarised with the flying characteristics of the platform and briefed about its capabilities and roles, they said. The Apache has been deployed in the Ladakh sector since the beginning of the military standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Air Force has 22 of these American-origin attack helicopters while the Indian Army is soon going to get six of its own. Moving towards resolving the issues created on the LAC post-May 2020, India and China have agreed to dismantle and verify the temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the Gogra-Hot Springs (PP-15) area of the LAC in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs had said on Fri. (here)

Indian embassy cautions students seeking to study medicine in China

As thousands of students enrolled in Chinese medical universities out of An estimated 2300 are stuck in India due to COVID-19 protocols, the Indian govt has issued an advisory to prospective students, outlining the risks of pursuing their higher education in China. The govt highlighted various risks, among them are—poor pass percentage, mandatory learning of the official spoken language Putonghua and stringent norms to qualify to practice in India. The latest directive comes as most of them have struggled to return to China as the direct flight between the countries has remained inoperative since Nov 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Even though Beijing has lifted the visa ban for Indian students, there has been no word from both governments on the resumption of flight services. The embassy cited a study conducted by India’s National Board of Examination to point out that only 16% of 40,417 students who appeared in the FMG Examination—a licensure examination for Indian students studying medicine in foreign universities—from 2015 to 2021 have cleared it. In the last few weeks, students from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia, and other countries have started returning to China on chartered flights. Beijing is reportedly reviewing the Indian student lists. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives stand neck-deep in Chinese debt: Forbes

Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Maldives are among the biggest debtors of China. Pakistan owes USD 77.3 bn of external debt to China, according to Forbes, while Maldives’ debt to 31% of its Gross National Income (GNI). Maldives’ total debt amounts to MVR 86 bn by the end of 2020, MVR 44 bn of which is external debt, reported The Island Online. Forbes data from The World Bank report as of 2020, said that 97 countries across the globe are under Chinese debt. Countries heavily in debt to China are mostly located in Africa, but can also be found in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. China is reaching most of the countries under the One Belt and Road scheme. The world’s low-income countries owe 37% of their debt to China in 2022, compared to just 24% in bilateral debts to the rest of the world. The Chinese global project to finance the construction of the port, rail, and land infrastructure across the globe, had been a significant source of debt to China for participating countries, reported The Island Online. Sri Lanka May 2022 was the first country in two decades to default on its sovereign debt. Chinese debt to Sri Lanka was the 5^th-highest overall in late 2020 and amounted to 9% of the country’s GNI, reported The Island Online. (here)

Europe’s ‘patronizing’ efforts to counter Russia and China in Africa falling flat

Western nations may have come up with various initiatives to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa, but African leaders have been “disappointed” by the way they go about it. This was evident at the African Adaptation Summit in Rotterdam last week when European leaders failed to turn up for a meeting to fundraise for Africa’s climate adaptation projects. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the only European leader to attend in person, said: “I would have loved to have more of my European colleagues here.” Six African heads of state were present, including the current African Union chairman and Senegal’s President Macky Sall, as well as leaders from Ghana, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia. Sall said: “This leaves a bad taste in our mouths. I am a bit disappointed, to be honest.” (here)

China’s No 3 official Li Zhanshu calls for united front with Russia against Western sanctions

Cooperation between China and Russia should be strengthened in light of Western sanctions on the two countries, China’s No 3 official said before he wrapped up his trip to Russia last week. In a readout by Chinese state news agency Xinhua released on Sat night, Li was quoted as saying the two sides should share more experience in “legislation regarding fighting against external interference, sanctions, and long-arm jurisdiction”. During his meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian State Duma, the country’s lower house, and Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Li said the two sides should strengthen exchanges of experience on domestic governance. Li, the chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, thanked the pair for Moscow’s support of Beijing’s stance on Taiwan, both of whom had slammed a trip to the island by US House Speaker in Aug. (here)

Imperial College to shut joint research ventures with Chinese defense firms

Imperial College will shut down two major research centers sponsored by Chinese aerospace and defense companies amid a crackdown on academic collaborations with China, the Guardian has learned. The Avic Centre for Structural Design and Manufacturing is a long-running partnership with China’s leading civilian and military aviation supplier, which has provided more than £6m to research cutting-edge aerospace materials. The second center is run jointly with Biam, a subsidiary of another state-owned aerospace and defense company, which has contributed £4.5m for projects on high-performance batteries, jet engine components, and impact-resistant aircraft windshields. The centers’ stated goals are to advance civilian aerospace technologies, but critics have repeatedly warned that the research could also advance China’s military ambitions. (here)

Pakistan’s ‘deception game’ with FATF exposed

The greylisting by Paris-based international watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has forced Islamabad to take action, albeit in a limited sense, against some of the UN-designated terrorists however with the possibility of getting out from the grey list now, Pakistan seems to be already heading back to its old games. Pakistan’s recent action on Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) operational commander Sajid Mir, which it kept on declaring dead until now, is the result of FATF’s persistent pressure on Pakistan. It also shows duplicity and insincerity on the part of Pakistan to deal effectively against terrorists that reside and operate in the country, reported South Asia Press. It is a well-known fact that LeT has changed its name several times in the last two decades and continues to operate in Pakistan. It was known as Jamat ud Dawa (JuD) for some time now but when that was banned, it reincarnated itself as Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation which also came under scrutiny and is now called Allah u Akbar Tehreek. The persistent question once again arises will FATF’s pressure make Pakistan deliver on other UN-designated terrorists including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar? It seems unlikely. Pakistan maintains that Azhar is not present in Pakistan and likely to be in Afghanistan as per South Asia Press. (here)

Pakistan: Countrywide investigation launched after counterfeit medicines found in Hyderabad, Lahore

An organized gang is producing and supplying spurious and counterfeit medicines from multinational as well as local pharmaceutical companies to different cities of Pakistan, health officials said, adding that counterfeit medicines, including important antibiotics, painkillers, anti-psychotic drugs, and other essential medicines for saving lives, were being supplied to smaller cities and towns from different areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, seriously threatening lives. The illegally-printed packing material of life-saving drugs was being supplied to unauthorized factories in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the gangs behind this organized crime were producing spurious and counterfeit medicines and then supplying them to areas where people have little knowledge of genuine and counterfeit products, they confirmed. (here) The problem of medicine is getting worse in Karachi. Pharmaceutical companies have increased the prices of their products by 40%. According to the details, most of the medicines for fever, cold, stomach pain, cough, and fits are nearly scarce. And if they are available in any store, they are charged exorbitantly. Drugs for heart attack, lung infection, joint pain, asthma, diabetes, and BP are not accessible. (Intekhab Daily)

Nepal to provide relief materials worth Rs 20 million to flood-hit Pakistan

The govt has decided to provide relief materials worth Rs 20 million to flood-ravaged Pakistan, which has been severely affected by floods and landslides which have killed nearly 1,400 people and displaced more than a million, according to media reports. The Nepal govt has decided to provide relief materials to the Pakistani govt following a Cabinet decision on Sept 6 to that effect, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Mon. Hard on the heels of the disaster, the govt of Pakistan has appealed to the international community for an “immense humanitarian response”. According to the initial government estimate, the floods have caused damages worth $10bn. Nepal govt has expressed deep sorrow and sympathy over the loss of lives and properties caused by the floods, the home ministry said in a statement. The government has extended condolences to those who perished in the floods and has wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. (here)