All stories by K J M Varma
China confirms Wednesday's border talks, says border 'stable'
Rediff.com11 Jan 2022China said on Tuesday that the current situation on the border areas with India was "stable" as it confirmed that the 14th round of Corps Commander-level talks to discuss the disengagement process in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh will be held on Wednesday.
We will press China for return of stranded Indians: Top diplomat
Rediff.com10 Jan 2022India will continue to take up with China the return of over 23,000 stranded Indian students, besides a large number of Indian workers and their families who are currently stranded back home for the last two years due travel restrictions imposed by Beijing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior diplomat has said.
China says Arunachal 'inherent part' of its territory
Rediff.com31 Dec 2021India on Thursday strongly rejected China renaming 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh and asserted that the state has 'always been' and will 'always be' an integral part of India and that assigning 'invented' names does not alter this fact.
China's 'zero case' policy under stress due to spike in Covid cases
Rediff.com30 Dec 2021China's Zero-COVID-19 case policy is increasingly coming under stress as the country is reporting a spike in the number of coronavirus infections from different provinces ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games with over 2,500 people undergoing treatment.
China says Musk's SpaceX satellites had 2 close encounters with its space station
Rediff.com28 Dec 2021China on Tuesday alleged that US billionaire Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's satellites had two 'close encounters' with its space station in orbit, and has complained to the United Nations about the incidents which endangered the safety of the Chinese astronauts.
2021: An year of record trade amid frozen India-China ties
Rediff.com24 Dec 2021India and China achieved a major milestone this year when their bilateral trade crossed the landmark figure of $100 billion but it did not generate any fanfare in both capitals as the two Asian giants are going through a "particularly bad patch" in their relations due to a set of actions by Beijing in violation of agreements that led to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Starting with a modest $1.83 billion in 2001, the bilateral trade crossed $100 billion-mark in the first 11 months this year, a significant milestone for which the two countries carried out campaigns to boost trade and build it as a major stakeholder to improve the relations between two nations, whose ties otherwise remained frosty over the festering boundary dispute and strategic rivalry. According to last month's data from China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), the India-China bilateral trade totalled $114.263 billion, up 46.4 per cent year-on-year from January to November 2021.
Situation at Sino-India border 'generally stable': China
Rediff.com21 Dec 2021On Monday China said it has "effectively managed and controlled" frictions in certain border areas.
Ahead of Winter Olympics, China sees spurt in Delta cases
Rediff.com13 Dec 2021China has reported a spike in COVID-19 infections in Zhejiang Province which registered 138 locally-transmitted confirmed cases stated to be that of new Delta strain "sub-lineage AY.4", prompting authorities to bar millions of people in the eastern province from travelling.
China accuses US of using democracy as 'WMD' to stoke confrontation
Rediff.com11 Dec 2021While the US omitted China and Russia from the list of invitees, Beijing was furious over the invitation to the self-governing island Taiwan, which China said is a blatant violation of the 'One China' policy that considers Taipei as the integral part of the Chinese mainland.
Opportunities missed, outgoing envoy Vikram Misri tells Chinese FM
Rediff.com6 Dec 2021Outgoing Indian envoy to China Vikram Misri on Monday had a virtual farewell call on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during which he said that "certain challenges" had overpowered the vast opportunities in the bilateral ties last year and hoped that with continued communication the two sides would be able to resolve the current difficulties.
Xi asks military to recruit new talent to gain edge in future wars
Rediff.com29 Nov 2021Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need for the recruitment of new talent to support the rapid modernisation of the armed forces and win future wars amid reports that the military has committed more resources to enrol 3 lakh personnel for frontline positions.
Xi talks tough with Biden, says China can't be stopped; warns him over Taiwan
Rediff.com16 Nov 2021The highly-anticipated summit, which began early Tuesday, is the third engagement between Xi, 68, and Biden, 78, since February.
China 'open' for talks with Dalai Lama to discuss his future
Rediff.com10 Nov 2021Reports from Tokyo said the Dalai Lama while speaking at an online press conference hosted by the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club on Wednesday said, 'I prefer to remain here in India, peacefully', praising the country as a centre of religious harmony.
China to attend Pak's meet over India's NSA summit
Rediff.com10 Nov 2021China said that it would not attend the security dialogue on Afghanistan convened by India due to "scheduling reasons".
Why China won't attend NSA-level meet on Afghanistan hosted by India
Rediff.com9 Nov 2021"Due to scheduling reasons, it is inconvenient for China to attend the meeting," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told mediapersons.
China delivers largest, most advanced warship to Pak
Rediff.com9 Nov 2021Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai, according to Global Times.
China's CPC conclave kicks off to authorise unprecedented 3rd term for Prez Xi
Rediff.com8 Nov 2021Xi, 68, holds China's all three power centres -- General-Secretary of the CPC, Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission which is the overall high command of the military, and the Presidency is set to complete his second five-year tenure next year.
China reports over 100 Covid cases amid virus spike
Rediff.com3 Nov 2021China's National Health Commission said on Wednesday that 93 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 16 new imported cases were reported on Tuesday, the highest in a single day in recent weeks.
China downplays India's concerns over new border law
Rediff.com29 Oct 2021China's national legislature -- the National People's Congress (NPC) -- on October 23 adopted the new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas which drew sharp reaction from India as it was passed amid the protracted military standoff between the two sides in eastern Ladakh region.
Amid Ladakh standoff China passes new land border law
Rediff.com24 Oct 2021Asserting that sovereignty and territorial integrity of China are "sacred and inviolable", the country's national legislature has adopted a new law on the protection and exploitation of the land border areas, which could have bearing on Beijing's border dispute with India.