[NEWS OF THE DAY]

SCO Presidency handed over to India in Samarkand, Uzbekistan: PM Modi Addresses Meet on ‘Region’s Importance’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Fri attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping. It is for the first time that Xi and Modi came face-to-face since the border standoff between India and China escalated following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in June 2020.

Highlights of meet:

• Modi Skips Official Dinner, Pre-Summit Events; So Does Xi Jinping
• PM Modi: SCO Very Important as 40% World Population in Region; Must Improve Connectivity.
  • India’s economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5% this year:
  • India will take an initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicines.
  • One of the largest economies with 70,000 start-ups and over 100 unicorns
  • raised the issue of food security at the SCO Samarkand Summit, emphasizing on the use of millets.
• Xi met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Fri, urging “political mutual trust” between the two sides during a regional security meeting in Central Asia.
• Taiwan on Fri condemned growing ties between Russia and China as a threat to global peace and stability after the leaders of the two authoritarian nations met face to face.
• PM Modi’s Meetings with Sharif and Xi are keenly awaited but for India, energy security tops the SCO Summit Agenda
  • India is looking for an alternate source of import to feed the rising demand for energy for its 130 crore population back home.
• In a message to Islamabad, PM Modi raises the issue of “transit rights” need to be given to countries. It took many months for India to get transit rights to send supplies to Afghanistan via Pakistan.
  • If we move towards connectivity “full transit rights will automatically come“, says Pak PM minutes after the issue of transit rights.
• Russia can supply gas to Pakistan as necessary infrastructures are already in place, Putin said on Thu during his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan.
  • Sharif said Pakistan looked like “a sea of water” after unprecedented floods hit his country and called for immediate action to tackle climate change during his address at the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan.
  • Pakistan’s PM gets emotional and almost breaks down moment as he talks about floods in his country. His speech focus on the situation in Afghanistan, and calls for unfreezing of its accounts. On terror says, ‘we have been victims of terrorism’
  • “Azerbaijan also supports the just position of Pakistan on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and stands in solidarity with Pakistan in this regard,” said President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev at the meeting with Sharif in Samarkand.
  • Sharif held a bilateral meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the SCO Council.
  • Sharif said that it would be a “big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around”, highlighting that peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan was interlinked.
• India on Thu said there is a “deeply held” understanding in the grouping about the nature of menace and the source of the problem, in an oblique reference to Pakistan.
• In what is seen as the first sign of China’s frustration over Russia’s Ukraine war, Xi on Thu raised “questions and concerns” over the conflict in his meeting here with Putin who thanked Beijing for its “balanced position” on the crisis.
  • ‘Striking’ that Putin admits Xi’s concerns about Russia’s war in Ukraine: US State Department (see in neighborhood section)
  • SCO summit: ‘China’s Xi skips dinner with Putin, allies as Covid precaution’
• Xi, Putin Congratulate India for SCO Presidency: Earlier congratulating India, Xi said ‘Will support India during its presidency’ of SCO. Putin congrats India for SCO Presidency. Wishes, “every success to friends from India who will take the baton of SCO”.
• PM Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors.
• Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the SCO said, that thwarting “draconian” US sanctions required new solutions and called for an expansion of free trade among the SCO’s member countries, alongside financial and banking cooperation. 

Uzbekistan President

• Congratulates Iran for becoming a member

• Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt to become Dialogue partners
• Process of Belarus to become a full member to be started
• Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, Maldives, and UAE to become Dialogue partners and the process to be started

India-US Strategic Partnership Grounded in Shared Commitment, Says White House

The strategic partnership between India and the US is grounded in a shared commitment to advance a free, open Indo-Pacific region and promotion of rule of law and dignity, the White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during her daily news conference on Thu. India, the US, and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s rising military maneuvering in the region. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. We consult closely with India on regional developments, but I’m just not going to comment on any diplomatic discussions, she said in response to a question. (here) [Timeing is important]

Sri Lanka to upgrade trade agreement with India – president

Sri Lanka will turn a free trade agreement with India into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Fri, according to a govt statement. The president said an international trade office will be established to deal with all international trade negotiations. (here)

[NATIONAL]

US companies must focus on forming JVs, tech transfers: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Indo-US cooperation will go a long way in restoring normalcy and boosting the economy in the post-pandemic world, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said, inviting technology collaboration and transfer through joint ventures with Indian companies. He also said that steps like doing away with retrospective taxation have boosted industry confidence. at the 18^th India-US Economic Summit organized by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce ahead of a planned visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US, the minister said, speaking. Making a case for JVs and tech transfer, the minister said that there is a lot of scope for American and Indian defense industries for co-production and co-development, with components being built locally as well. The minister said that the defense sector is an integral factor in the overall growth of the country and invited US companies to focus on creating manufacturing facilities in India. “We are also establishing an aero engine complex in India. You can become a part of our defense ecosystem through the strategic partnership model or with JVs,” the minister said. Noting the presence of global leaders like Boeing and Lockheed Martin in India, Singh said that the time has come to take partnerships to the next level. (here)

Is the Centre Quietly Trying to do Away with the Post of Chief of Defence Staff?

Over 9 months after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash, it’s a near-certainty in military circles presently that the govt is highly unlikely to nominate his successor. Several senior retired and serving service officers, security officials, and analysts reasoned that having not appointed a CDS to follow Gen Rawat till now, the govt has ‘quietly’ decided to do away with the top military post that was aimed principally at streamlining the country’s higher defense management. “It’s quite apparent from its apathy that the government simply does not want a CDS,” said a two-star Indian Army officer. The govt had broadened its selection pool through a Jun 7 notification. This fiat rendered all serving and retired three-star officers, aged 62 years or below and from any of the three services, eligible to become CDS for three years. (here)

Army to deploy two Heron-Mk2 UAVs in Eastern sector by month end

As part of capability enhancement in Arunachal Pradesh beyond the Tawang sector, the Indian Army is set to deploy two Heron-Mk2 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), procured on lease from Israel, along the Line of Actual Control (LCA) in the Eastern sector by end of Sept, The Hindu reported citing sources. The Army is looking to create a separate cadre of UAV operators. The proposal is currently with the Army Headquarters and once cleared, will be sent to the Defence Ministry for approval. Since the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh, the Army Aviation had seen a quantum jump in the employment of helicopters and UAVs along the Northern and Eastern borders. The UAVs are carrying out 24-hour surveillance and can look beyond 300 km. In addition, UAVs are also being used in internal security duties. In Aug 2021, Army Aviation got control of the Army’s UAVs which were earlier under the Artillery. The Army operates over 30 Heron UAVs from Israel. (here)

Raids at Paytm, Cashfree: ED freezes Rs 46 crore kept in payment gateway accounts

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on Wed at 6 business/residential premises of Banks/ Payment Gateways offices in Delhi, UP, Mumbai, Gaya, and 17 other premises. The ED had carried out search operations in connection with its probe into the Chinese loan apps fraud case. The probe is related to the app-based token named HPZ and related entities. The financial probe agency raided the premises associated with Paytm, Razorpay, and Cashfree, all payment gateways which allegedly facilitated transactions on loan apps unauthorisedly run by Chinese-owned firms. Rs 33.36 crore was found with Easebuzz Private Ltd, Pune, Rs 8.21 crore with Razorpay Software Private Ltd., Bangalore, Rs 1.28 crore with Cashfree Payments India Private Ltd, Bangalore, and Rs 1.11 crore with Paytm Payments Services Ltd, New Delhi. The agency commenced the money laundering probe based on an FIR dated Oct 8, 2021, filed under various sections of IPC by Cyber Crime Police Station, Kohima. (here)

India-Bhutan border to be reopened from Sept 23

As the COVID cases have now subsided, the respective governments have decided to reopen the India-Bhutan border from Sept 23. “Government of Bhutan has officially announced that international border with India will be opened on Sept 23 as Covid cases have subsided. We prepare to open the border and give visitors a good experience,” said Tashi Penjore, the Himalayan kingdom’s Director (law and order) of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs. In the regional headquarters of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) located at Chaprakata in the Bongaigaon district of Assam, a general meeting was held between Tashi Panjore, the Director of Law and Order Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, along with the Commandant of the 15^th Battalion of SSB and in-charge of Regional HQ and all the SSB officials. (here)

Indian Diplomats upset with Punjab CM Mann after his BMW Claim Turns Turtle

News18- The diplomats in the external affairs ministry are upset over the gaffe by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann during his Germany visit when he announced that auto giant BMW had decided to set up a new manufacturing plant in his state. (sources) – the incident had left the diplomats “very embarrassed” and had “hurt the credibility” of the country and Indian diplomacy abroad. Mann’s statement was denied by the BMW Group soon after. (here)

Daads’ Army: NIA Arrests 3 more in Mundra Drugs Case, one of them a Permanent Resident of Kabul

News18-Three more arrests have been made by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Delhi and Haryana in connection with the Mundra port heroin haul. One person is a permanent resident of Kabul. They were arrested on Wed for their active involvement in the smuggling of heroin in large consignments camouflaged in containers of talc stones, bituminous coal, etc, through the maritime route. This case pertains to the operations of one of the largest international drug smuggling syndicates, run by brothers Hassan Daad and Hussain Daad, said officials. The Daad brothers are Afghan nationals who are already wanted by the NIA in the Mundra case. The investigation has revealed a vast and widespread network of drug traffickers, international facilitators/conduits, importers using fake/shell companies, distributors, and local wholesalers and retailers, who are operating a huge international drug smuggling racket from many countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and the UAE. (here)

Can’t take Ukraine returnees in Indian colleges, Centre tells Supreme Court

Undergraduate medical students evacuated from war-torn Ukraine cannot be accommodated in Indian colleges since there is no regulation allowing such transfers, apart from these being unfair to local candidates who could not make it to these colleges due to poor scores, the Union government told the Supreme Court on Thu. (here)

Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh to join BJP next week

Former chief minister and Punjab Lok Congress chief Amarinder Singh will join the BJP next week, a party spokesperson said on Fri. Singh will also merge his newly formed party with the BJP. Singh (80) had floated the Punjab Lok Congress last year after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. (here)

Domestic pax traffic doubles this Aug vs Aug `21: DGCA

Up to Aug, this calendar year, airlines carried a total of 770.70 lakh passengers as against the 460.45 lakhs during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering an annual growth of about 67 %. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

‘Striking’ that Putin admits Xi’s concerns about Russia’s war in Ukraine: US State Department

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s acknowledgment of Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s “concerns” about the war in Ukraine was “striking”, the US State Department said, reiterating American concerns about the two countries’ deepening relationship. US State Department spokesman Ned Price made the comment hours after the Chinese and Russian leaders met in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. “I suppose at this early hour [since the meeting], what is striking is President Putin’s apparent admission, at least as stated in the media, that President Xi has concerns about Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Price said at a briefing on Thu. On Thursday during his meeting with Xi in Uzbekistan, Putin said he understood China had “questions and concerns” about Moscow’s position, an indirect acknowledgment of Beijing’s potential disquiet. Russia has suffered a series of military setbacks in Ukraine in recent days, ceding territory it previously held. “It’s not surprising that the PRC apparently has such concerns. It is somewhat curious that President Putin would be the one to admit it and to admit it so openly,” Price added, referring to China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China. It was also “not surprising”, he said, because China in recent months had been playing “geopolitical gymnastics” trying to avoid openly criticizing Russia’s invasion. (here)

China plans to impose sanctions on CEOs of US companies over arms sales to Taiwan

Due to their participation in Washington’s most recent military sales to Taiwan, the CEOs of Boeing Defense and Raytheon will face sanctions from China, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry announced on Fri. Ted Colbert, CEO of Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, and Gregory Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies Corp. have been subject to penalties as a result of the US State Department’s approval of the sale of military hardware to Taiwan on Sept 2. These deliveries include 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, with Raytheon and Boeing Defense serving as the prime contractors for each. According to a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Colbert and Hayes will face sanctions “in order to protect China’s sovereignty and security interests” due to “their involvement in these arms sales“. (here)

EU’s move to decouple from China’s minerals supply may aggravate its economic woes

Despite the ongoing energy crunch across Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently proposed new legislation to reduce the European Union’s (EU)’s on supply of critical minerals including rare earth metals and lithium from China. “We will identify strategic projects throughout the supply chain, from extraction to refining, from processing to recycling. And we will build up strategic reserves where supply is at risk. This is why today I am announcing a European Critical Raw Materials Act,” said Von der Leyen in the annual State of the Union address, said Ursula von der Leyen, Global Times reported. However, industry experts have opposed the move by Von der and said that restructuring will take time and raise costs which will aggravate the ongoing inflation in Europe amid the ongoing energy crisis. The industry experts also believe that the move by the EU may also increase the cost of achieving Europe’s green targets amid the deepening energy crunch. As per a report from the European Raw Materials Alliance, China exports about 16,000 rare-earth permanent magnets to Europe each year, representing approximately 98% of the EU market. Notably, the bilateral trade between China and the EU exceeded a record high of $820 billion in 2021 and in the first half of this year, trade between the 27 EU members and China was 413.9 billion euros, according to Global Times. (here)

Major fire breaks out at skyscraper in Changsha, China

A major fire has broken out in a skyscraper in the central Chinese city of Changsha, state media have reported, adding that the number of casualties is currently unknown. “Thick smoke is spewing from the site, and several dozen floors are burning ferociously,” the state broadcaster CCTV reported. “Firefighters have begun work to extinguish the flames and conduct rescues at the scene,” it added. The blaze engulfed a tall building that housed an office of state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom, the report said. Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, has a population of about 10 million. (here)

Beijing may collect millions of DNA samples in Tibet

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) “The Citizen Lab” (The Citizen Lab) under the Munch Center for International Studies at the University of Toronto in Canada released a new report on Tue (Sept 13), pointing out that the Chinese police may Between January and July 2022, about 910,000 to 1.2 million DNA samples were collected, accounting for about one-quarter to one-third of the total population of Tibet. The reporting team sampled a total of 100 sources and found, among 44 sources, the number of DNA samples collected by the Chinese police in specific areas of Tibet. “In addition to ongoing criminal investigations, police have targeted local Tibetan men, women, and children for DNA sampling. In some cases, police have even targeted Tibetan monks,” the report read. Chinese authorities say the mass collection of DNA samples is to fight crime, find the missing, or maintain social stability but warns: “Without proper inspection of police powers, police in Tibet will be free to use established DNA databases to achieve their goals as they see fit.” DW reported that what struck him most about the findings was the scale of DNA collection by the Chinese police in Tibet, as they of men, women, and children have been targeted for DNA collection, but there is no evidence that they were collected by police because they were seen as suspects or as suspect-related targets. “It shows that the police are treating hundreds of thousands to millions of Tibetans as potential future criminal suspects,” he said. (here)

Chinese companies continue fraudulent activities of tax evasion in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is suffering from the unethical behavior of Chinese companies as the country authorities have found many cases of tax evasion by Beijing-based firms or their subsidiaries in Dhaka. The Chinese companies trading in Bangladesh have been continuously engaging in tax evasion and smuggling of items ranging from cigarettes, and alcohol, among other items. The unscrupulous behavior of Chinese companies is causing heavy loss to the exchequer of Bangladesh, reported Bangladesh Live News. There is always a question mark on their integrity. The multilateral financial institutions, especially the World Bank, are also keeping an eye on their functioning. Though Beijing projects itself as a reliable economic partner, its activities are fraught with corruption and criminality. The saga of fraudulent activities of Chinese companies in Bangladesh does not seem to cease. In the latest incident, the BD authorities seized a container imported by the Chinese company ‘Zong Sine Textile Industries Ltd’. The declared item in the container was supposed to be textile dyestuff; however, when the container was opened, it was found to be filled with around 900 packages of foreign cigarettes, which could be caused a loss to Govt around Taka 7 crore Live News reported. (here)

Big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around, says PM Shehbaz at SCO summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Fri that it would be a “big mistake to ignore Afghanistan this time around”, highlighting that peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan was interlinked.

Calls on SCO state to ‘build a wall’ against climate change: PM Shehbaz also highlighted the devastation Pakistan had witnessed due to the recent catastrophic floods. “I have never before seen this kind of devastation.”

‘Successful talks’ with Xi, Putin: Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted about the bilateral meeting between PM Shehbaz and the Chinese president, saying the latter described the prime minister as “a person of pragmatism and efficiency” and a leader with “a longstanding commitment to China-Pakistan friendship”.

Pakistan, Azerbaijan express resolve to enhance bilateral cooperation: Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and discussed issues of bilateral interest. The meeting, held on the sidelines of SCO, focused on ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in diverse fields. (here)

Pakistan faces TTP, JeM hurdle in exiting FATF grey list

The UN’s anti-terrorism watchdog – the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – will meet next month to evaluate not just enacting of laws and their enforcement, but also individuals and terror groups suspected to be the beneficiaries in Pakistan reported local media. Meanwhile, Pakistan is scrambling to play down the rebellious Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s marauding of innocent civilians in the Swat Valley, but also convince the FATF that Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief, Masood Azhar, [on Thu, Pak said he is in Afghanistan, which Taliban govt rejected] is absconding and is not being sheltered on Pakistan territory, reported Islam Khabar. Pakistan’s record on the flow of funds into terrorist activities has been under sustained scrutiny by FATF which has placed it on the ‘grey’ list since 2018. Pakistan has to explain not only Azhar but also the role of his chief aide, Sajid Mir, besides others who conduct their activities in and out of Pakistan in a shadowy manner. Indeed, the entire Afghan-Pak region is a hotbed of terrorist activity and its massive financing, partly from the huge quantities of narcotics that Afghanistan produces year after year, irrespective of who rules in Kabul. (here)

MQM has threatened to separate from the federal govt

MQM has threatened to separate from the federal government against the killing of missing MQM workers. The senior MQM leader and former mayor Waseem Akhtar has said that what is the use of remaining part of a government that does not solve any of their problems? On the other hand, MQM convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Thursday, in which he vociferously told the Prime Minister that if the situation is not clarified in a week, they may leave the government. (Jang)