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10 captives, Over 20 soldiers, including Commanding Officer killed at Galwan border clash with China

India-China LAC violence fallout: State-run DFCCIL terminates contract with Chinese construction company
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ET Now Digital

Updated Jun 18, 2020 | 16:04 IST



DFCCIL terminated its contract with Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group as fallout of China's bullying tactics on LAC in Ladakh continue

Ladakh-Army_IANS_1.jpg

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • DFCCIL terminated contract with Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication citing poor progress
  • The project was supposed to be completed by 2019 but only 20 percent of the work has been completed so far
New Delhi: Economic isolation of China continues as yet another public sector unit severed ties from a Chinese company.

"In view of poor progress, it is decided by Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) to terminate the contract with Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group Co Ltd," DFCCIL said in a statement on Thursday.

DFCCIL's statement comes after 20 Indian Army soldiers were martyred at Galwan Valley in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in a barbaric attack by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops Monday night.

DFCCIL, which falls under the Ministry of Railways, said the contract was being terminated with the Chinese company due to 'poor progress' on the signalling and telecommunication work on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor's 417-km section between Kanpur and Mughalsarai.

The contract worth Rs 471 crore was given to Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group in 2016 by the Railways.

The project was supposed to be completed by 2019 but only 20 percent of the work has been completed so far, the Railways said.

The action comes within 24 hours of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) saying it will rework the Rs 8,640 tender for upgrading the network of the state-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to exclude Chinese companies.



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ET also learnt on Wednesday that the government plans to actively regulate Chinese investments in India through the Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) route. Such investments from China in the strategic sectors such as finance, banking, defence and telecom are on government's radar, sources said.


It was also learnt that the Ministry of Finance and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) are also working on a new definition of 'beneficial ownership'. New registrations of FPIs with ownership linking them to geographies such as China, Hong Kong and Macau stand to be affected. The vetting body will be the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Clamour grew for economic retaliation against China after the unprovoked attack on Indian soldiers by PLA on encroached Indian territory in Ladakh.




https://www.timesnownews.com/busine...ract-with-chinese-construction-company/608370
 
Germany's Maas urges India, China to 'de-escalate' border tensions
In a wide-ranging interview with DW, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged India and China to "de-escalate" their deadly border spat. He also said NATO would endure despite Trump's plan to trim US troop numbers in Germany.







German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday called on both China and India to de-escalate tensions and peacefully resolve their Himalayan border dispute. "These are two large countries and I don't want to begin to think about the conflict that could happen if this results in a real military escalation," Maas told DW. "That's why we are trying at all levels on both sides to bring about deescalation."

Maas said Germany was unlikely to directly involve itself, but added that it was using its influence to dissuade a military clash.

"I don't think that Germany needs to get involved everywhere as a mediator. But we are sitting on the UN Security Council and we will take on the presidency in July," he said. "I believe the expectation in the international community is that countries like India and China should not get embroiled in a conflict that would not only affect those two nations, but also the entire region.

"And that's why we are doing what we can to influence both sides with the clear message to deescalate this conflict and avoid a further escalation, especially a military one."

Read more: How Chinese and Indian media reacted to border clashes














Watch video01:10
China-India border dispute: Maas urges de-escalation
Over the past few weeks, Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in aggressive posturing at multiple locations along the two nations' de facto border, known as Line of Actual Control (LAC), raising tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

While a skirmish this week left 20 Indian soldiers dead, China has refused to confirm if it suffered any casualties. The incident, the first deadly clash at the border in decades, dominated Indian news channels and inflamed social media in both countries.














Watch video02:07
Tensions simmer in India-China border dispute
On EU presidency

Germany is due to take over the rotating presidency of the European Council from July 2020. When asked about Germany's plans for the EU, Maas said Berlin wanted to make sure that member states severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic were "helped to recover quickly."

"A large export nation like Germany profits when people prosper in Europe. That's why we want to make sure the countries that have been hit hard by the coronavirus, like Italy and Spain, will be helped to recover quickly from the crisis," the minister said, adding: "That's not only good for those countries and Europe. It's also good for Germany."

During its presidency in the second half of the year, Germany would also seek to rein in conflicts "between north and south" in the 27-nation bloc, Maas said. "We want to find a solution to that. We've made a proposal with France, and I believe it will be the basis for consensus within the European Union."

When asked about the intra-EU disagreements between "east and west," Maas said countries in Central and Eastern Europe such as Poland and Baltic nations, had "different political and security concerns" compared to Western Europe. "So yes, Germany can be a bridge in Europe between east and west," said Maas in support of a strategy to dispel "any impression that they're second-class members."

Regarding two EU rule-of-law proceedings against Hungary and Poland, Maas said these would be on the six-month German presidency agenda. "The rule of law is one of our core values and must not become a point of contention in the European Union," he asserted.














Watch video02:24
Merkel in the spotlight as Germany takes on EU presidency
Trans-Atlantic ties 'complicated'

Maas also touched on the subject of NATO and the state of trans-Atlantic ties. US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a major reduction in American troop strength in Germany, from around 34,500 personnel down to 25,000.

Germany, Trump said, is not meeting its commitment to spend 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense as required by the NATO alliance. Member nations had pledged to reach the 2% threshold by 2024. Germany has said it hopes to reach the target by 2031.

Trump has long complained that host nations have not been paying their fair share for the US troops and has repeatedly singled out Germany as a major offender. Until Berlin meets the spending target, he said, the US will reduce its deployment in the country.

Read more: US military in Germany: What you need to know

Trump's move to reduce US troop numbers in Germany would not leave Europe managing on its own, Maas said. He stressed that Europeans and Americans are united by shared values, namely liberal democracy and freedom, "even if relations are complicated at the moment."

It was in the United States' interest to remain closely tied to Europe in terms of foreign and security policy, Maas said, but conceded that "maybe the US will not be the protective shield that it once was for Europe."

"That will lead to us having to do more for our own security," he underlined, adding that Europe was "having that discussion" but not to the extent of uncoupling security. "I don't want Europe to become militarily independent. I want us to realize our security interests as an ally in NATO — with the United States," Maas said.

"We've already taken on a lot of responsibilities, in Africa, for example, both Europe, and Germany and France," he said, referring to Sahel nations such as Mali. Germany was also playing a role in the "intra-Afghan peace process," said Maas. "It's always about security, but also diplomacy… because in the end, wars need peace treaties and they need political and not military solutions," he stressed.





https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-maas-urges-india-china-to-de-escalate-border-tensions/a-53852433

India - China Tensions Could Damage Economic Outlook

Mike O'Sullivan
Senior Contributor
Hedge Funds & Private Equity
I cover the economic and financial world outside the USA, for the USA.
  • Hedge Funds & Private EquityIn that sense China’s more aggressive stance is a shot across the bows of the Modi government in India. It fits a pattern where countries like China and Russia ‘agitate’ borders with Western or Western friendly countries in lieu of outright conflict. China in recent months has taken a much tougher stance with Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam and of course Hong Kong.

    It now looks likely that in the very near term neither India nor China will escalate matters militarily, though a great deal of damage has been done diplomatically and in terms of public sentiment in India. In extremis, an escalation would be difficult given the terrain and altitude along the Ladakh area and would possibly involve heavy gunnery and air forces. It is worth noting that India and China are nuclear powers and China is close to Pakistan, India’s long time regional rival. All in, India’s leader, Narendra Modi, already beset by the coronavirus crisis, is in a difficult position.

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    The medium term risk is that we see more economic nationalism, each country officially or unofficially boycott’s the other’s goods, and there have already been calls for a boycott in India of Chinese social media apps. In the context of trade wars, this all points to less globalization, more friction and risks to global growth. A situation where China and India sanction each other would see a sharp hit to emerging world growth rates and this would decisively take the wind out of any recovery.

    Economic war

    Investors will need to build this into growth and earnings assumptions and will be more wary when buying emerging market technology companies, currencies and debt. Any sign that the conflict between India and China deepens will likely produce a risk off period in markets and could come to impact US tech indices like the Nasdaq NDAQ, many of whose constituents have consumers and supply chain components in India and China.

    Though far away, mounting tensions between the two most populous countries in the world need watching carefully.


    Follow me on twitter @levellingbook


    Mike O'Sullivan



    I am the author of a book called The Levelling which points to what's next after globalization and puts forward constructive ideas as to how an increasingly fractured



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Politicians and analysts in Nepal await developments as India-China clash threatens regional security
Lodged between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and with thousands of Nepalis serving in the Indian Army, Nepal has much at stake in any conflict involving India, analysts say.
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Demonstrators burn a flag resembling a Chinese national flag during a protest against China in Jammu, June 17, 2020. Reuters

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Anil Giri
Published at : June 18, 2020
Updated at : June 18, 2020 00:28
Kathmandu
A violent clash on Monday between Indian and Chinese armies in the disputed Galwan Valley resulted in the death of at least 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number on the Chinese side has sent shock waves across the globe. All of South Asia, and Nepal especially, is watching with bated breath for developments regarding the first casualties on the India-China border in 45 years.

At a time when Nepal and India are engaged in their own boundary row in the Kalapani region, which includes the tri-juncture between India, China and Nepal, government officials, politicians and analysts are all carefully watching how things will evolve.

Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told the Post that Nepal, as a country situated between the two nuclear-armed nations, is very much concerned about the violent confrontation between India and China.

“The events should not have a spillover effect on the region,” said Gyawali. “We are following the situation very closely.”

Though the Nepal government will not yet take a public position over the unfolding events, Gyawali said that Nepal believes in de-escalation and is concerned about Gorkha soldiers serving in the Indian Army.

The Indian Army has seven Gorkha regiments with over 30,000 members. Many Indian Gorkhas are deployed along India’s fractious borders, including at the Line of Control with Pakistan.

Politicians too have taken note of the clash, expressing concern.

The serious military clashes between India and China and the resulting casualties are a matter of great concern, former foreign minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said on Twitter.

“If it escalates further [it] pose [a] threat to regional peace,” he said. “[For] Nepal, as a friendly neighbour, it is a matter of great concern. Let us hope for peaceful resolution of the crisis.”

After the incident on Monday night, India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said that the violent face-off was the result of an attempt by the Chinese side to “unilaterally change the status quo in the region”.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Wednesday, saying that it was Indian troops who illegally crossed the border and attacked the Chinese.

This led to “a serious physical confrontation between both sides that caused deaths and injuries”, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian during a regular press briefing in Beijing. Zhao did not provide any details on Chinese casualties, which Indian sources speculate as numbering around 40.

Later on Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the first time, publicly acknowledged the clash, saying that India will “defend every stone, every inch of its territory.”

“I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our jawans will not be in vain,” Modi said at a televised meeting of Indian chief ministers.


https://kathmandupost.com/national/...india-china-clash-threatens-regional-security
 
You know what. India should be grateful that these 10 were made captives and provided medical aid which they needed badly. Had they been left there in the open, they too would have died like 20 others owing to India's inability to evacuate its injured in a timely manner. Heck they were not even aware of what had transpired in Galwan valley and were alerted to the situation next morning by the Chinese. Had there been prompt medevac, the death toll on Indian side would have been far less.
 
I am a huge fan of history. Anyone that reads history knows in hand to hand combat, casualties are light, relatively when in the fighting phase. It is the routing phase that has that deals the most damage.

So if China captured men, and India didn't from what we know so far, that means China did not route. How did China lose 40 men?

I'm not saying no casualties, but it's highly unlikely to be that much.
 
Breaking news :


China release ten Indian soldiers .


according to BBC this puts government in a very awkwardposition as both Modi and his army denied missing any soldiers .


It’s getting worse and worse for the Indians .... now they are saying they were armed ... so they watched as 20 of their comrades were killed and not a single bullet fired...
 

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