VIF Information Alerts - 14 Mar 2018

China has arrived before time: Rawat calls for military modernisation
Published: The Asian Age
14 Mar 2018

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded China's military prowess, saying the neighbouring country, along with its economic rise, also focused on military modernisation. "They have arrived well before the intended time than we had thought they would arrive," Rawat said at an event organised by the Vivekanand India Foundation. Click here to read... [2]

China to set up new mechanism to push Belt and Road Initiative
Published: The Hindu
14 Mar 2018

China is setting up a new agency that will channel foreign aid and plan strategic projects related to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - President Xi Jinping’s signature connectivity initiative to industrialise Eurasia.

The formation of the State International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDCA) is part of a massive institutional revamp, to steer China’s ongoing transition, marked by domestic reform and deeper engagement with the rest of the world, led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). Click here to read... [3]

In Replacing Tillerson With Pompeo, Trump Turns to Loyalists Who Reflect ‘America First’ Views

Published: The New York Times
13 Mar 2018

President Trump ousted on Tuesday his secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, the most dramatic in a cascade of personnel moves that suggest Mr. Trump is determined to surround himself with loyalists more willing to reflect his “America First” views.

Mr. Trump announced he would replace Mr. Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director and former Tea Party congressman, who has cultivated a close relationship with the president and has taken a harder line than Mr. Tillerson on critical issues like Iran and North Korea. Click here to read... [4]

Afghanistan: A bridge too far
Published: The Jakarta Post
14 Mar 2018

The Taliban has humiliated President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s peace initiative for Afghanistan by branding the plan as engineered by infidels. The group, identified as a terrorist organization by the UN, has vowed to boycott the scheduled trilateral ulema conference between Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month in Jakarta. In a statement posted on its official website on Saturday, the Taliban said the peace talks masked malicious objectives. Click here to read... [5]

SL actively participates in OBOR: Minister
Published: Daily Mirror
13 Mar 2018

Sri Lanka firmly adheres to the ‘One China’ policy and actively participates in the joint construction of One Belt One Road (OBOR) Initiative, Foreign Affairs Minister Thilak Marapana has said when he met Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan on March 8. Issuing a statement, the Chinese Embassy said Minister Marapana briefed the Ambassador on the current situation in Sri Lanka and thanked China for its steady position. Click here to read... [6]

Bidya Devi Bhandari re-elected President of Nepal

Published: The Times of India
13 Mar 2018

Nepal's first woman president Bidya Devi Bhandari was on Tuesday re-elected for a second term in office. Incumbent President Bhandari defeated Nepali Congress leader Kumari Laxmi Rai with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election. Click here to read... [7]