Mountains to the Sea
Mountains to the Sea
Wang Yi: China, India should properly handle differences, develop mutually beneficial cooperation, India 2nd Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine, Australia U.S. boost military and missiles
Wang Yi: China, India should properly handle differences, develop mutually beneficial cooperation
Friends of Socialist China August 8, 2024
During his July visit to Laos, where he attended a number of international meetings held under the aegis of ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts. Among the potentially most significant, on July 25, was that with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
At the meeting, Wang said that, in the face of the current complex international situation and severe global challenges, China and India, as two major developing countries and two major emerging economies living next to each other, should strengthen dialogue and communication, and enhance mutual understanding and trust. They should also work for the improvement, steady and sustainable development of China-India relations with a sense of surmounting differences and frictions.
Wang noted that the two countries’ relationship has an important impact that goes beyond the bilateral scope. An improved relationship should reflect the strategic structure of China and India as two major emerging developing countries. The political wisdom of China and India as two ancient civilisations should be reflected in handling their differences, and the unity and cooperation of countries in the Global South should be reflected in their addressing global challenges. He stressed that the return to the right track of China-India relations not only serves the interests of both sides – it is also the common expectation of countries in the Global South.
Jaishankar said that India and China are the two most populous countries, two major emerging economies and two ancient civilisations with a long history. To maintain the stable and predictable development of bilateral relations fully conforms to the interests of both sides and is of special significance to safeguarding regional peace and promoting multipolarity.
The two sides agreed to work together to maintain peace in the border areas and to push for new progress in consultation on border affairs. They also agreed to strengthen communication within a number of international bodies, among them BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, including to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.
The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.
VIENTIANE, July 25 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar here on Thursday, saying the two countries should properly handle differences, and develop mutually beneficial cooperation.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in the face of the current complex international situation and severe global challenges, China and India, as two major developing countries and two major emerging economies living next to each other, should strengthen dialogue and communication, enhance mutual understanding and trust.
The two sides should work for the improvement, steady and sustainable development of China-India relations with a sense of surmounting differences and frictions, Wang said, adding that the bilateral relationship has an important impact that goes beyond the bilateral scope.
The improvement of bilateral relations should reflect the strategic structure of China and India as two major emerging developing countries, Wang said. The political wisdom of China and India as two ancient civilizations should be reflected in handling their differences, and the unity and cooperation of countries in the Global South should be reflected in addressing global challenges, he added.
It is hoped that the two sides will meet each other halfway, actively explore the right way for the two neighboring major countries to get along, and guide all sectors to build a positive understanding of each other, Wang said.
Wang stressed that the return to the right track of China-India relations serves the interests of both sides and is also the common expectation of countries in the Global South.
Jaishankar said that India and China are the two most populous countries, two major emerging economies and two ancient civilizations with a long history. To maintain the stable and predictable development of bilateral relations fully conforms to the interests of both sides and is of special significance to safeguarding regional peace and promoting multipolarity.
India and China have widely intertwined interests and are also facing the shadow brought by the border situation, but the
Indian side is willing to find a solution to differences with a historical vision, strategic thinking and an open attitude and bring bilateral relations back to the positive and constructive track, he said.
The two sides agreed to work together to maintain peace in the border areas and push for new progress in the consultation on border affairs.
The two sides said that they will strengthen communication within the East Asia Cooperation Platform, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Group of Twenty, BRICS and other frameworks, jointly practice multilateralism, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.
https://socialistchina.org/2024/08/08/wang-yi-china-india-should-properly-handle-differences-develop-mutually-beneficial-cooperation/
India to commission 2nd Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine INS Arighat
#India to commission 2nd Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine INS Arighat it can carry 12 nuclear K-15 missiles with 1500 Km range or 4 K-4 missiles with 3500-5000 Km range. 6,000 tons weight.
NS Arighat, equipped with K-15 missiles, is part of a broader strategic initiative to enhance India's naval capabilities in response to China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
The government is expected to approve the construction of two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines at a cost of Rs. 40,000 crore, with plans to build four more in the future.
The project, which will take about a decade to complete, aims to bolster India's deterrence and offensive capabilities.
Additionally, India is considering leasing a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia to bridge the gap until the indigenous submarines are operational.
This development comes amid concerns over China's military buildup and strategic moves in the region, as highlighted by various sources and discussions on social media platforms.
https://x.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1822613265375207483
Australia and U.S. boost defense ties, push missile collaboration
U.S military to increase rotational presence in Australia
SYDNEY -- The United States will increase its rotational military presence in Australia, while the countries move forward with plans to co-develop guided missiles, top officials said following a high-level meeting in the U.S.
U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken held talks with their Australian counterparts, Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, in Annapolis, Maryland on Tuesday.
The 34th Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations covered defense, clean energy, technology and supply chain cooperation, as well as regional security. A joint statement released after the meeting condemned China's activity in the South China Sea and "unilateral actions to change the status quo by force or coercion."
In response to what they see as China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region, Canberra and Washington have expanded defense cooperation in recent years, notably with the formation of AUKUS in 2021, a security partnership that also includes the U.K. The U.S. is expanding its military presence on the southern continent and helping to upgrade air bases in the Northern Territory, including Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases Darwin and Tindal.
The joint statement said surveys were also being conducted for potential upgrades to RAAF bases Curtin and Learmonth in Western Australia, as well as Scherger in Queensland. A U.S. logistics site has also been established in the southern state of Victoria, with another site planned for operation in Queensland.
At a joint news conference, Austin said the U.S would increase the presence of U.S rotational forces in Australia as the countries "deepened" their "force posture cooperation."
"All this will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia," he said. "It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments."
Marles also pointed to the U.S Marine rotational force in Darwin and plans for a U.S rotational submarine presence in Western Australia as part of the AUKUS partnership, saying the U.S presence would add to "peace and stability" in the region.
"American force posture now in Australia involves every domain, land, sea, air, cyber and space," he said.
Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. formed the tripartite AUKUS alliance to deliver Australia nuclear-powered submarines and increase defense technology sharing.
The countries are also moving ahead with plans to co-develop guided missiles. Australia plans to produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System missiles in Australia next year with U.S contractor Lockheed Martin.
They are also planning the co-development of longer range Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) in Australia. For both these efforts, memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed by December. For the PrSM system, a joint country office will be established next year.
"Together, these efforts will help ensure that we have the capability and the capacity that we'll need for decades to come," said Austin.
