All stories by K J M Varma
Taliban 2.0 is 'clear-eyed and rational': China in 2nd endorsement in two days
Rediff.com19 Aug 2021China on Thursday said it is in talks with the Taliban and called for an "objective judgement" on their actions after it seized power in Afghanistan, saying the militant group appears to be more "cleareyed and rational" and hoped that it will deliver on its promises, including protection of women's rights.
Diplomatic recognition for Taliban only after government formation: China
Rediff.com18 Aug 2021"If we have to recognise a government, the first thing is that we will need to wait until the government is formed," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
Hope for 'open, inclusive' Islamic govt in Afghanistan: China
Rediff.com16 Aug 2021China on Monday expressed the hope that the Taliban will stand by its commitment of establishing an "open and inclusive" Islamic government in Afghanistan and will ensure a peaceful transition of power without violence and terrorism.
China seizes maps showing Arunachal in India
Rediff.com30 Jul 2021China claims the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet, which is firmly rejected by India.
Blinken's meeting with Dalai Lama representatives irks China
Rediff.com29 Jul 2021China firmly opposes all forms of contacts between foreign officials and the Dalai Lama, he said.
China pledges support to Taliban, asks them not to back Uyghur fighters
Rediff.com28 Jul 2021Amid deepening concerns in China over the regrouping of the ETIM, blamed by Beijing for all the violent attacks in its volatile Xinjiang province and elsewhere in the country, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Mullah Baradar at Tianjin and sought to prevail on him to build a 'positive image and establish a broad and inclusive political structure that suits Afghanistan's national realities'.
China, Pak agree to launch 'joint actions' in Afghanistan
Rediff.com26 Jul 2021The decision was taken during a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the southwestern the Chinese city of Chengdu on Saturday.
China goes on offensive against US at bilateral talks
Rediff.com26 Jul 2021Talks between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to improve the relations got off on a rough note at the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, with Xie launching a blistering attack on Washington, accusing it of being the "owner of coercive diplomacy".
Xi makes first visit to Tibetan town bordering Arunachal Pradesh
Rediff.com23 Jul 2021Xi arrived at the Nyingchi Mainling Airport on Wednesday and was warmly welcomed by local people and officials of various ethnic groups, Xinhua news agency reported.
China's economic growth slows to 7.9% in Q2
Rediff.com15 Jul 2021China's post COVID-19 pandemic economic rebound showed signs of slowdown as the economy grew at 7.9 per cent in the second quarter compared to a record 18.3 per cent in Q1, while the GDP expanded 12.7 per cent year on year in the first half amid the continued global spread of the coronavirus and unbalanced domestic recovery. In the second quarter, the GDP of the second largest economy in the world grew 7.9 per cent year on year, the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) on Thursday showed. On a quarterly basis, the economy expanded 1.3 per cent in Q2.
Ladakh row: China 'ready to seek mutually acceptable solution'
Rediff.com15 Jul 2021During their hour-long in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave in Dushanbe on Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also told his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi that any unilateral change in the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was 'not acceptable' to India and that the overall ties can only develop after full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh.
Make 'clean break' from all terrorist forces, China tells Taliban
Rediff.com14 Jul 2021In a significant policy statement on the Taliban which is making big gains in its offensive in Afghanistan, China has asked it to make a "clean break" from all terrorist forces, especially the Al Qaida-backed Uyghur Muslim militant group ETIM fighting for the volatile Xinjiang province's independence.
Man in China reunites with son 24 years after abduction
Rediff.com14 Jul 2021Guo Xinzhen went missing in September 1997, at age two-and-a-half years abducted by human traffickers while he was playing near the family home in Liaocheng.
India, China trade crosses $57 billion in H1
Rediff.com13 Jul 2021The China-India bilateral trade in the first half of the year totalled $57.48 billion, up 62.7 per cent year on year, perhaps the highest in recent years amid the Ladakh impasse and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released by China's Customs. Though Indian exports to China picked up with 69.6 per cent year on year increase, the trade deficit, a structural problem for India for long, climbed to 55.6 per cent. According to data released by China's Customs, India's exports to China reached $14.724 billion, up 69.6 per cent year on year in the first six months and India's imports from China amounted to $42.755 billion, up 60.4 per cent.
Taliban calls China as a 'friend', welcomes investment
Rediff.com10 Jul 2021'China is a friendly country and we welcome it for reconstruction and developing Afghanistan'
Xi warns against anyone 'bullying' and 'oppressing' China
Rediff.com1 Jul 2021Addressing the centenary celebrations of the Communist Party of China at the historic Tiananmen Square, Xi in over an hour-long address also said that integrating Taiwan with the Chinese mainland is a historic mission of the ruling party.
China's Communist Party celebrates its 100th anniversary
Rediff.com1 Jul 2021The celebrations began with a fly past and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who heads the Communist Party of China, arrived at the function dressed in the Mao suit.
China gears up for Communist Party's 100th birthday
Rediff.com30 Jun 2021The highlight of the occasion, according to officials, is an address to a special gathering in the morning by President Xi Jinping, who cast himself in the mould of Mao Zedong, the founder of the Communist Party of China as it is officially called.
Situation at border with India generally stable: China
Rediff.com28 Jun 2021"Against such background, the words and deeds of relevant important military and government officials and military deployments should be conducive to deescalating and cooling down the situation, and to enhancing mutual trust, rather than the opposite", the spokesman said.
China's 2nd railway line to Tibet comes close to Arunachal Pradesh
Rediff.com26 Jun 2021China on Friday operationalised its first fully electrified bullet train in the remote Himalayan region of Tibet, connecting the provincial capital Lhasa and Nyingchi, a strategically located Tibetan border town close to Arunachal Pradesh.