China’s schadenfreude over India
By Manik Mehta
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) expressed “deep concern” over the staggering rise of COVID-19 cases in India, and offered to supply medical equipment and vaccine doses to the country, but his overtures sparked debate in India’s academic and political circles about his sincerity to help, particularly as it was followed by a vulgar display of schadenfreude over the hundreds of thousands of cremations of deaths caused by the virus in the country.
The vast majority of Indians were already angry and frustrated with Beijing needling the country on a number of issues, including imports from China, which were abruptly stopped following the suspension of cargo flights by Sichuan Airlines, not to mention a border standoff and tensions at the border in India’s Ladakh region last year.
How Mideast Countries Are Helping India Cope With COVID Tara Kavaler
The Middle East has stepped up to aid India, the worst COVID-afflicted country at present.
On Thursday, the South Asian nation registered an all-time high of 412,262 new COVID-19 cases and the largest ever fatality count from the virus, 3,980, over the past day.
India’s hospitals have been overwhelmed, running low on oxygen and overflowing to the point where patients needing immediate medical attention are turned away.
As the world watches in horror, here is what some Middle Eastern countries are doing to help.
Kuwait
On Tuesday, Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted confirmation of receipt for 282 oxygen cylinders, 60 oxygen concentrators, ventilators and other medical supplies from the Gulf state. On Wednesday, the Kuwait News Agency announced the country was sending an additional 1,000 oxygen tanks and 215 metric tons of oxygen.
Pakistani and Indian soldiers lower the flags of their countries during a daily ceremony at the Wagah border. AFP/File
Almost two weeks since a senior Pakistani official confirmed the existence of backchannel talks between Pakistan and India, fresh information suggests this quiet process is today situated at a delicate point and could go either way depending on the response from New Delhi.
A national debate was generated by a story published in this newspaper on April 25 titled “Indian offer led to ‘quiet’ talks on all major issues” which detailed a deliberate effort by the two South Asian rivals to engage in secret talks aimed at reducing tension and initiating an effort to resolve outstanding disputes. While the debate raged over whether discussing a possible resolution of the Kashmir issue with India was prudent policy at this time, some key nuances were overlooked. One reason for this was the direction that the debate took as it veered off from the contents of the ori
New style of diplomacy does not resolve issues
An extra-terrestrial being (ETB) observing our world for centuries might wonder whether the pandemic has diminished diplomatic skills of the professional diplomats and their political bosses. She might take note that starting from the dawn of the 21st century, if not from the collapse of the Cold War in the early 1990s, diplomacy as practiced has been proving itself less and adequate to the resolution of problems in inter-state relations. Often the new style of diplomacy has aggravated the disputes, instead of resolving them.
Permit me to give an example of the old diplomacy. In the early 1970s, I was First Secretary in Vienna. I remember even today, after more than 50 years, Australia’s coming out with a proposal at the Board of Governors of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). India had not signed the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and Australia’s intent was to reduce the role of the non-signatories in the IAE
India Covid crisis: UAE ships 7 tankers of liquid medical oxygen
Image: @MEAIndia/Twitter
The tankers with liquid medical oxygen reached at Mundra Port in Gujarat.
The UAE has offered seven tankers of liquid medical oxygen to India, struggling to provide vital life-saving gas for treatment of Covid-19 patients, a top official said.
The tankers with liquid medical oxygen, a first such shipment to India, reached at Mundra Port in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Further consolidating our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 7 ISO tankers with 20 MT Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) each arrive at Mundra Port (India). First such shipment of LMO to India. Deeply value the support from UAE. Will help augment oxygen availability,” Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson, Indian Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted.