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‘Quad fills the gap in contemporary times’: Jaishankar

Dr S. Jaishankar (WAM)

India’s External Affairs Minister said QUAD – Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has filled the gap that has emerged in contemporary times where there are global or regional requirements, reports Reena Bhardwaj

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a five-day US visit, discussed wide range of issues related to shared priorities and regional security challenges including Quad during his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Regarding Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) consisting of India, the US, Japan and Australia, Jaishankar said “the strategic group has filled the gap that has emerged in contemporary times where there are global or regional requirements.”

ALSO READ – Jaishankar, Blinken, affirm strong India-US ties

“Quad fills a very important gap that has emerged in contemporary times,which cannot be filled by a single country, which cannot even be furthered by one bilateral relationship, and which is not being addressed at the multilateral level, Jaishankar added.

QUAD
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington. (Photo:https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar)

Quad alliance is seen by Beijing as a part of efforts to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region. In an effort to strengthen Indo-Pacific cooperation through the Quad, the alliance had earlier discussed maritime security, connectivity, including technology issues, supply chain issues, vaccine production.

“So, there are a whole set of issues in the world have many, many concerns, you know, the many concerns have to be addressed by somebody, I mean, big countries can do a large portion of it, big relationships can add to it. But at the end of the day, most things work better if a group of countries sit together and say, okay, we all have similar positions and similar interest, and why don’t we all sit and address those sets of issues? So that’s how we see Quad we see what I mean, is an expression of the convergence of interests of many countries, it is, in many ways, a reflection of the contemporary nature of the world,” said Jaishankar.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

He also said that both the countries have also shared their concerns over China’s problematic activities, coup in Myanmar and COVID-19 origin tracing.

“On China, we shared concerns about Southern China’s problematic activities in the region, and it becomes increasingly like-minded on these issues. On the coup in Burma, the US and India have called for an end to the violence, urged the release of political prisoners, and called for the restoration of democracy,” informed DeanThompson, the Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in his briefing to reporters.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets NSA Jake Sullivan (Credit: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

Talking about Afghanistan, Jaishankar said, “There is a recognition, clearly in the United States as indeed in many other countries. You know, when you talk about the future of Afghanistan, India, is an important part of that conversation. Just as when we look at Afghanistan, clearly, you know, given the American presence over many years, it is something that we will be discussing.”

During his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the issue of Afghanistan came up.

US troops will be withdrawing from Afghanistan by September 2021 and many fears that the withdrawal of foreign troops will lead to unrest in the war-torn country.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

“The possible scenarios, once the US military draws down is obviously something which is, which matters us, it matters very much. It matters to the United States, and it has a larger regional presence. So, in one of these meetings, this subject came up. I don’t think it was so much an issue of what is India’s role, I mean, India has interest, India has influence, India has stakes, India has a history.”

India had offered Afghanistan, a nascent democracy, an assistance package of USD 1 billion. It is the 5th largest donor to Afghanistan, providing development reconstruction assistance of USD 2 billion since 2001. Also, it supports Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled development of the war-torned nation.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar eets US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (Photo @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

Regarding, India’s position on COVID-19 origin tracing, Jaishankar said that WHO convened a global study on origin of COVID-19 and that is an important first step.

“The probe stressed the need for next phase of studies to reach robust conclusion. So, that is the position which we have taken and the matter,” said Jaishankar. (ANI)

ALSO READ – Biden pitches mammoth $6 trillion budget

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Biden pitches mammoth $6 trillion budget

US President Joe Biden (Photo @POTUS - Twitter)

The budget for the year starting October 1 earmarked USD 715 billion for the Defense Department, including USD 5.09 billion to enact an initiative to bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region facing China’s assertiveness, and plans to procure 85 F-35 fighter jets, reports Asian Lite News

The United States has proposed a USD six trillion budget for the coming fiscal year, which pitches massive investment plans to rebuild infrastructure and position the country to better compete with China.

America’s budget for the year starting October 1 earmarked USD 715 billion for the Defense Department, including USD 5.09 billion to enact an initiative to bolster deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region facing China’s assertiveness, and plans to procure 85 F-35 fighter jets.

“China poses the greatest long-term challenge to the United States,” the Pentagon said in its budget overview, adding that Beijing’s military modernisation activities in recent decades have “sought to erode the ability of US forces to project power in the region.”

budget
F-35 fighter jet

“If left unimpeded, this continued erosion could fundamentally challenge our ability to achieve US defense objectives and to defend the sovereignty of our allies,” Kyodo News quoted the Pentagon.

According to the news agency, the budget request for the Defense Department represented a 1.6 per cent rise over the fiscal 2021 enacted level.

The president’s budget request, which seeks USD 6.01 trillion in total outlays, reflected his USD 2.3 trillion infrastructure investment proposal and USD 1.8 trillion education and child care investment plan — the former spanning eight years and the latter 10 years.

“Together, these plans reinvest in the future of the American economy and American workers and would help the nation out-compete China and other countries around the world,” the White House said in a document explaining the budget request.

United States President Joe Biden

The Hill reported that President Joe Biden’s first budget during his tenure proposed a budget that would entrench deficits in excess of one trillion US Dollars for the next decade, pushing the nation’s debt burden to record highs.

The blueprint released by the White House ties together three major spending proposals already announced by Biden: the USD 2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan, the USD 1.8 trillion American Families Plan and USD 1.5 trillion in discretionary spending for fiscal 2022.

Combined with mandatory spending programs, the 2022 budget would spend six trillion US Dollars, about USD 300 billion more than current projections for the year, with much of the spending going toward education, health, Science research and infrastructure. (ANI)

ALSO READ – Jaishankar, Blinken, affirm strong India-US ties

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US hands over key Kabul base to Afghan forces

US soldiers prepare to depart from Kunduz, Afghanistan. (Brian Harris Planet Pix ZUMA_dpa_IANS)

Pentagon officials have said that the US has completed up to 25 per cent of the entire withdrawal process, reports Asian Lite News

A key military US base called the New Kabul Compound (NKC) has been handed over to the Afghan forces, the Ministry of Defence announced.

Fawad Aman, a spokesman for the Ministry, said that at a ceremony on the occasion on Friday, US and NATO forces commander Gen. Scott Miller emphasised the international community’s continued support to Afghan forces, reports TOLO News.

The withdrawal of the US and NATO forces from the country started on May 1.

US

According to figures provided by US Central Command, the Pentagon has so far removed the equivalent of approximately 160 C-17 loads of material out of Afghanistan and has turned over more than 10,000 pieces of equipment to the Defense Logistics Agency for disposition.

The figures also show that the US had by last week officially handed over five facilities to the Ministry of Defence.

Pentagon officials have said that the US has completed up to 25 per cent of the entire withdrawal process.

Violence however, remains high in the country, especially after the three-day ceasefire from May 13-15.

The Ministry of Defence on Saturday said that at least 210 Taliban were killed in clashes and defensive operations by Afghan forces in 18 provinces, including Kabul, in the last 24 hours.

ALSO READ – A window of opportunity for India in Afghanistan

ALSO READ – Taliban warns neighbouring nations against allowing bases to US

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Jaishankar, Blinken, affirm strong India-US ties

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington. (Photo:https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar)

In a tweet after meeting Jaishankar, Blinken tweeted that they discussed the “India-China border situation”, although Jaishankar and State Department Spokesperson Ned Price made no mention of that topic, reports Arul Louis

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging India and the rising global tensions, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has capped two days of whirlwind diplomacy in Washington by meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin as they sought to deepen the ties between their countries.

His meetings on Friday with the two cabinet officials and earlier with national security officials and Congressional leaders signalled the high priority the two countries gave to strategic cooperation.

With those leaders and business groups, Jaishankar also discussed the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic and the joint efforts to fight it.

In a tweet after meeting Jaishankar, Blinken tweeted that they discussed the “India-China border situation”, although Jaishankar and State Department Spokesperson Ned Price made no mention of that topic. India has faced border incursions by China and a clash with fatalities over the last two years, during which Washington backed New Delhi.

ALSO READ: India calls for safety of UN peacekeepers

“As friends, we will work together to address these areas of shared concern,” Blinken added mentioning also regional security and economic priorities, US Covid-19 relief efforts, and support for Afghanistan, from where the US is scheduled to pull out its troops after a 20-year deployment.

Jaishankar tweeted after their discussions with Blinken, “Today’s talks have further solidified our strategic partnership and enlarged our agenda of cooperation.”

Jaishankar
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

With Lloyd he had “a comprehensive conversation about further developing our strategic and defence partnership (and) Exchanged views on contemporary security challenges,” Jaishankar tweeted.

US spokespersons said after the separate meetings on Friday that the leaders pledged to continue to deepen ties between the two countries.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken “reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to deepening the US-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership”.

He added that “a shared commitment to combating the climate crisis and enhancing multilateral cooperation” was another topic in their talks.

Jaishankar tweeted that they had “also focused on Indo-US vaccine partnership aimed at expanding access and ensuring supply.” He added, “Appreciated strong solidarity expressed by US at this time.”

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets NSA Jake Sullivan (Credit: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

He said that the Indo-Pacific and the Quad — made up of the two countries and Japan and Australia — and Afghanistan, Myanmar, the United Nations Security Council, where India is currently an elected member, and other international organisations were discussed.

And Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby said that Austin and Jaishankar pledged to continue “strengthening the US-India Major Defense Partnership. They also discussed opportunities to deepen coordination amid the resurgence of Covid-19 cases.”

Kirby said that they discussed “shared priorities in the US-India strategic partnership and exchange views on a range of regional security challenges”.

Austin said he “looks forward to hosting Minister Jaishankar and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year” that the US is scheduled to host, Kirby added.

In his tweet, Jaishankar said that he “expressed appreciation of the US military role in responding to the Covid situation” in India.

The US Air Force flew in supplies of oxygen, equipment to make the gas, personal protection gear and other material to help India face the deadly second wave pandemic.

On Thursday, Jaishankar had met with the top strategic officials, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (Photo: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

Jaishankar tweeted that he had “wide-ranging discussions including on Indo-Pacific and Afghanistan” with Sullivan and “conveyed appreciation for US solidarity in addressing the Covid challenge” where “India-US vaccine partnership can make a real difference”.

About his meeting with Haines, he tweeted, “Look forward to working closely together to address contemporary security challenges and advance our strategic partnership.”

The administration of President Joe Biden recently came out in support of a request by India and South Africa at the World Trade Organisation to waive patents for vaccine and after meeting US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Jaishankar said in a tweet that he welcomed her “positive stance” on the issue and her support for efficient and robust supply chains.

He added, “Our trade, technology & business cooperation are at the core of our strategic partnership. Enhancing them is vital to post-Covid economic recovery.”

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (Photo @DrSJaishankar/Twitter)

On Capitol Hill, Jaishankar’s outreach to Congressional leaders went off smoothly without any interference from Indian American member of the House of Representatives Pramila Jayapal, who is a critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In 2019, a meeting between Jaishankar and the House Foreign Affairs Committee was cancelled after Jayapal was added to the list of participants although she was not a member of the panel.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who just ended her unsuccessful run for president, jumped into the fray criticising Jaishankar. “It’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill,” implying that an Indian leader could not have any autonomy and is obligated to be subservient to US politicians.

Jaishankar has so far not met Harris, who by protocol does not have to meet him. While she has had telephone conversations with several prime ministers and foreign ministers as part of her foreign policy apprenticeship, she has not spoken to any Indian leaders.

Jaishankar met with Gregory Meeks, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Michael McCaul, the Republican leader on the panel and discussed the Quad and cooperation on vaccines, the minister tweeted. He added that he recognised “their leadership in building stronger ties”.

He also met with the Co-chairs of the House India Caucus Brad Sherman, a Democrat, and Steve Chabot, a Republican.

Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting, “The US Congress has been a tremendous pillar of support as India meets the Covid challenge.”

He and India’s Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu also had dinner with Sherman, who tweeted afterwards, “Learned how #India is fighting #COVID19 and working to disentangle its economy from China.”

Members of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and the US Global Task Force on Pandemic Relief also met Jaishankar.

The Indian embassy tweeted that he “appreciated the US private sector’s swift response in India’s fight against the pandemic” and the participation of CEOs of US companies, their support for India’s efforts against the pandemic, and the “US industry’s firm commitment to advance India-US trade, investment and technology partnership”.

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US pledges support to Gaza without aiding Hamas

Antony Blinken says the US fully supported Israel against Hamas attacks and said it would prevent the militia from benefiting from Gaza’s reconstruction funds, reports Asian Lite News

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged on a Middle East mission that Washington would rally support to rebuild Gaza as part of efforts to bolster a cease-fire between its Hamas Islamist rulers and Israel.

But Blinken made clear that the United States intended to ensure that Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organization, did not benefit from the humanitarian aid — a potentially difficult task in an enclave over which it has a strong grip.

Blinken began his regional visit in Jerusalem, where he held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader, speaking to reporters with the top US diplomat at his side, threatened a “very powerful response” if Hamas renewed cross-border rocket strikes.

Meanwhile, Blinken said the US fully supported Israel against Hamas attacks and said it would prevent the militia from benefiting from Gaza’s reconstruction funds.

The US secretary of state also said his job in the region was to reduce tension.

In tandem with Blinken’s mission, Israeli authorities said they were allowing fuel, medicine and food earmarked for Gaza’s private sector to enter the territory for the first time since 11 days of cross-border hostilities started on May 10.

A street directly hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza strip is seen in the central Israeli city of Holon on May 12, 2021. (Gideon Markowicz/JINI via Xinhua/IANS)
Blinken arrives in Egypt

Blinken arrived in Egypt on Wednesday on the next leg of a diplomatic mission aimed at shoring up a cease-fire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and the Hamas.

Blinken was scheduled to hold talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry and the country’s chief spy Abbas Kamel.

Blinken wrapped up extensive talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and is scheduled to travel to Amman, Jordan late Wednesday to meet with the Jordanian king and other officials.

He has vowed to “rally international support” to rebuild the destruction in hard-hit Gaza, while also promising to make sure that none of the aid destined for the territory reaches Hamas.

Ahead of his departure, Blinken extended US President Joe Biden’s invitation to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to visit the United States in the coming weeks. Rivlin accepted, according to a statement from his office.

Relatives-of-Palestinian-young-man-Ahmed-Al-Shenbari-mourn-during-his-funeral-in-the-northern-Gaza-Strip-town-of-Beit-Hanoun.-Photo-by-Yasser-QudihXinhuaIANS

Blinken described Egypt and Jordan as central players in trying to bring calm to the region. Both countries are key US allies that have peace agreements with Israel and frequently serve as mediators between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Egypt played a critical role in helping to broker the cease-fire and Jordan has long been a voice for peace and stability in the region,” he told reporters late Tuesday.

In Egypt, which borders both Israel and Gaza, he was scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and other top officials. Biden spoke with El-Sisi during the war to help broker the cease-fire.

Blinken has set modest goals for the trip, his first official visit to the Middle East as secretary of state. During talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday, he made clear that the US has no immediate plans to pursue peace talks between the sides, perhaps because previous efforts by past administrations have all failed. Instead, he expressed hope for creating a “better environment” that might lead to peace talks.

US to reopen Jerusalem consulate

Blinken on Tuesday announced plans to reopen a key diplomatic outreach office to the Palestinians and pledged nearly $40 million in new aid — reversing key policies of the Trump administration as he moved to bolster the embattled Palestinian government in the West Bank.

In an act with great symbolic meaning, Blinken said the US would reopen its Jerusalem consulate — an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians.

Trump had downgraded its operations and placed them under his ambassador to Israel when he moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city in 2018. The embassy move infuriated the Palestinians, who claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, and led them to sever most ties with the Trump administration.

Blinken did not provide a firm date for the reopening but said that Michael Ratney, a senior US diplomat who has previously served as consul general in Jerusalem, would soon be returning to the region.

ALSO READ: Hamas rules out Gaza reconstruction plans

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Pakistan will not provide bases to US in future

The remarks came after a Pentagon official said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access…reports Asian Lite News

Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday said in the Senate that Pakistan would not provide its military bases to the United States for future counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan and also not allow drone attacks inside Pakistan.

The foreign minister also rejected as unfounded the reports of providing the US, bases in Pakistan, making it clear that Prime Minister Imran Khan would never provide its bases to the US, nor would allow drone attacks inside Pakistan, reported The News International.

“I want to assure the House that Pakistan is in safe hands,” he remarked.

The remarks came after a Pentagon official said that Pakistan had allowed the US military to use its airspace and given ground access so that it could support its presence in Afghanistan.

Responding to the concerns of a senator, the Qureshi said, “Because what we were fearing and we still fear and are concerned that a vacuum created in Afghanistan can drag or suck the country back into the decade of 1990s”.

Qureshi contended that as the US planned to withdraw its remaining troops from Afghanistan by September 11, Pakistan would continue playing its role for advancement of the peace process in that country, reported The News International.

Mian Raza Rabbani, ex-chairman Senate, also said that Pakistan should not allow the United States the use of its air and ground facilities for action in Afghanistan and an international mechanism be thrashed out to prevent such circumstances from happening again.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources in Washington told Dawn that Pakistan had always allowed overflights and ground access to the US to facilitate its military presence in Afghanistan and would continue to do so.

ALSO READ: Pakistan literacy rate remains stagnant at 60%

Asserting that Pakistan’s priorities have changed, Foreign Minister Qureshi asked the United States to come out of its hangover and quit seeing Islamabad from the “Afghanistan prism”, adding that Washington should focus on the bilateral side to their relationship.

Qureshi, in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, emphasised that Islamabad’s priority now includes economic growth and human development.

“We’ve told them that Pakistan’s thought process has changed. The US administration should come out of its hangover of the past. It’s a new, transformed Pakistan, in which our priorities have changed. Our priority is economic growth, human development, economic security, elimination and eradication of terrorism, and reversing extremism,” the Pakistan Foreign Minister told Nikkei.

Answering a question over juggling ties with the US and China, the minister said Pakistan has been telling the Americans: “If you go away, somebody has to step in.”

“You’re not investing in Pakistan, you’re not engaging with Pakistan. How are you helping build this bilateral relationship? The only way you can do that is remain engaged. Now if you just come up with a transactional relationship, it won’t work. You can’t just keep on saying, “Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan.” There’s a bilateral side to us as well.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: Child sexual abuses on the rise in Pakistan

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US lauds UAE’s effort to de-escalate Israel, Hamas tensions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanks UAE’s efforts to de-escalate the conflict and discussed the need to explore new paths to achieve peace, reports Asian Lite News

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Monday held talks with Antony Blinken, where the US Secretary of State thanked UAE’s efforts to de-escalate the conflict and discussed the need to explore new paths to achieve peace.

The call came ahead of Blinken’s trip to the region where he is slated to visit Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Cairo and Amman. A senior State Department official said the United States harbors “every hope and expectation” the ceasefire would continue to hold.

“Our primary focus is on maintaining the cease-fire, getting the assistance to the people who need it,” said the official, who spoke on Monday on the condition of anonymity. Egypt brokered the truce, in coordination with the US.

Blinken’s visit follows an 11-day onslaught by Israel on the Gaza Strip, in which 248 Palestinians, 66 of them children, were killed in a barrage of airstrikes and artillery shelling. A ceasefire brokered by Egypt has been in place since last Friday.

However, the spark for the latest conflict was not in Gaza, but in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities are threatening to evict 13 Palestinian families, about 300 people, from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah area of the city and hand the land over to Jewish settlers. A court has postponed a ruling on the case.

Last week, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nayhan said the UAE was ready to facilitate peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Sheikh Mohamed’s comments came in a telephone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, expressing support for Egypt’s efforts to bolster a cease-fire agreed by Israel and the Palestinians after 11 days of fighting.

The UAE, which last year signed an agreement to normalize relations with Israel, “is ready to work with all parties to preserve the cease-fire and find new ways to reduce escalation and achieve peace,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

The 11-day clashes, the worst since 2014, have left at least 253 Palestinians dead, including 66 children, 39 women and 17 elderly people, while 1,948 others were injured.

On the Israeli side, there were 12 fatalities and 300 injuries.

Palestinians inspect their destroyed houses in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on May 14, 2021. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad_Xinhua)
Biden, El-Sisi hold talks on Gaza

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday to discuss urgent aid and reconstruction in Gaza.

Egypt brokered a truce that brought to an end days of Israeli bombardment of the territory that killed 252 Palestinians including 66 children. Twelve people were killed in Israel by rockets fired from Gaza.

Biden and El-Sisi discussed ways to consolidate the cease-fire that was backed by the US and ways to revive the peace process, an Egyptian presidential spokesman said.

During the call, Biden said Washington was determined to work to restore calm and coordinate efforts with all international partners to support the Palestinian Authority.

The US president said Washington appreciated Egyptian efforts to reach the cease-fire, and that he would continue consulting with El-Sisi.

ALSO READ: UAE announces offer to host COP 28

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Jaishankar arrives in New York for talks  

Ambassador TS Tirumurti receives Dr S. Jaishankar in New York (Photo @ambtstirumurti)

Foreign Minister is expected to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and later he will hold discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC, reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Monday landed in New York, as part of his US visit, to meet with senior United States officials, and discuss COVID-related cooperation between the two countries.

Ambassador of India to the UN TS Tirumurti received EAM Jaishankar on his first visit to New York after India entered the UN Security Council.

“Privilege to receive External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar on his first visit to New York after #India entered the UN #SecurityCouncil on 1 January 2021,” Ambassador Tirumurti tweeted.

Jaishankar’s US visit is slated to last till May 28, the External Affairs Ministry said last week.

The Foreign Minister is expected to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and later he will hold discussions with his counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC, the ministry said.

Indias-External-Affairs-Minister-Dr-S.-Jaishankar-meets-US-Secretary-of-State-Antony-Blinken-in-London-

He will also be meeting Cabinet members and Senior Officials of the Administration dealing with the bilateral relationship. “External Affairs Minister will have two interactions with business forums on economic and COVID-related cooperation between India and the US,” said the ministry statement.

India is engaged in talks with various US entities involved in Covid vaccines production and is looking forward to procuring and subsequently producing these vaccines. The issue of vaccine procurement is expected to be a key agenda item during Jaishankar’s interaction with US leadership and other stakeholders.

The US has already announced that it is going to distribute 80 million vaccines from its stockpile to countries in need.

With India hit badly by the second Covid wave, efforts of New Delhi will focus on getting the maximum and also looking for tie-ups with vaccine developers to produce in India.

US has a stockpile 60 million Astra Zeneca vaccine doses and also Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

ALSO READ: India battles ‘black fungus’ amid Covid crisis

US is playing a lead role in assisting India’s fight against the COVID-19 virus. It has already provided large oxygen plants, concentrators, critical medicines like Remdesivir and also raw materials for vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII), which is manufacturing Covishield.

US is also backing India sponsored proposal on TRIPS waiver at the WTO.

The TRIPS waiver aims to increase global vaccine production in order to take on the challenge of vaccinating the poorest of the poor and save lives.

In October last year, India and South Africa, along with 57 members of WTO proposed a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS agreement for prevention, containment, and treatment of the coronavirus. EAM Jaishankar met his US counterpart Antony Blinken in early May in London during G7 Foreign Minister’s meeting.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the Biden administration’s top medical adviser recently said that it is imperative for India to collaborate with other countries, and companies to ramp up its vaccine production capability to vaccinate country’s huge population against COVID-19.

ALSO READ: India to begin Sputnik V production in Aug

Calling India as one of the best vaccine producer in the world, the leading American infectious disease expert said,”It’s a very very large country with a population of about 1.4 billion people, you only have a couple of percentage of the people who are fully vaccinated and over about 10 per cent or so that have at least one dose so you’ve got to work out arrangements with other countries, other companies at the same time as ramping up your own capability of making vaccines because as we all know, India is one of the best if not the biggest vaccine producer in the world.”

As several countries have announced support for India’s response to a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections that has hit healthcare facilities across the country, Dr Fauci told ANI in an exclusive interview: “There was the immediate issue that needs to be addressed as taking care of the people that are already infected. Getting better supplies of oxygen, oxygen cylinders, oxygen generators, PPEs, therapies like Remdesivir and things like that; the things that the US has helped with, but then probably in the intermediate and long run, you’ve got to figure out a way how to get as many vaccinations, administered to the people of India as possible.”

Noting that the B.1.617 mutant first detected in India has been found in over 40 countries including the US, he said, “in the ongoing crisis, the rich countries have a moral responsibility to assist those countries that don’t have the capability of doing that, particularly the low and middle-income countries.” (ANI)

ALSO READ: ‘Moving Covid shots to India could benefit children’

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Move to stem China from obtaining Genomic Data

China’s actions pose serious risks to privacy and national security, according to a National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center February 1 fact sheet…reports Asian Lite News

Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio has introduced two bills to counter China’s efforts to collect healthcare and genomics data both legally and illegally. For years, Beijing has collected vast amounts of health care data in the United States through illegal methods (for example, cyber hacking), investments in American biotech companies, and partnerships with hospitals and universities to access sensitive information.

China’s actions pose serious risks to privacy and national security, according to a National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center February 1 fact sheet. Rubio on Thursday introduced the Genomics Expenditure and Enhancement of National Security Act and the Genomic Data Security Act.

“There is no reason for US taxpayers to fund Beijing research or for our policies to allow access to US genomic data,” Rubio said in a statement. “It is imperative that Congress take action to address this growing threat to national security and privacy,” the US Senator said. The GENE Act, co-sponsored by Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, would require the Special Senate Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to be included in the briefings of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States.

The official release mentioned that the GENE Act would also order The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to rewrite its regulations to require mandatory filing for any deal involving a company working with genetic information, Rubio’s office said. The law would require that the Department of Health and Social Services be consulted on any transaction involving a transaction of DNA data.

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Rubio’s second bill seeks to prevent any entity with direct ties to the Chinese government from receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health. Each Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Act certificate would be required to specify whether a company with access to Americans’ health data is directly related to the Chinese Communist government.

The Act also requires that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) be consulted on any deal that involves a genetic data transaction — this will increase cross-agency awareness of transactions of concern. Genomic data can also be used to target individuals for intelligence and military operations.

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The report also said that Americans’ genomic information is particularly valuable to China because of the ethnic diversity of the American population. Varied data sets are more useful in research to identify genetic diseases. The Chinese government last year passed laws severely limiting the ability of foreign companies to access the biological data of its people.

According to the official release, the Genomics Data Security act would help modernize the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) approach to national security by requiring that the NIH prioritize national security considerations when developing and executing their NIH-Wide Strategic Plan. It would further prohibit any NIH funding from going to support entities with direct ties to the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

The legislation will update licensure requirements to account for national security considerations. The bill would require that every Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Act certificate specify if a company with access to Americans’ health data is directly tied to the Government of the People’s Republic of China. The Genomics Data Security Act will require that the NIH report to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence an annual accounting on the status of ongoing investigations into ties to foreign governments that are not properly disclosed, vetted, and approved with researchers funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

The Bill will require an update to the NIH’s Genomic Data Sharing Policy and convene a working group across federal, private, and academic entities to develop and disseminate best practices to ensure that research institutions are better able to navigate and address national security risks with regard to data-sharing.

ALSO READ: Leaked papers reveal plan to nuke China in 1958

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Leaked papers reveal plan to nuke China in 1958

Former military analyst Ellsberg posted online the classified portion of a top-secret document on the crisis that had been only partially declassified in 1975, reports Asian Lite News

US military planners pushed for nuclear strikes on mainland China in 1958 to protect Taiwan from an invasion by Communist forces, classified documents posted online by Daniel Ellsberg of “Pentagon Papers” fame show.

US planners also assumed that the Soviet Union would aid China and retaliate with nuclear weapons — a price they deemed worth paying to protect Taiwan, according to the document, first reported by the New York Times.

Former military analyst Ellsberg posted online the classified portion of a top-secret document on the crisis that had been only partially declassified in 1975.

Ellsberg, now 90, is famous for his 1971 leak to US media of a top-secret Pentagon study on the Vietnam war known as the Pentagon Papers.

Ellsberg told the Times that he copied the top-secret Taiwan crisis study in the early 1970s, and is releasing it as tensions mount between the United States and China over Taiwan.

Had an invasion taken place, General Nathan Twining, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, “made it clear that the United States would have used nuclear weapons against Chinese air bases to prevent a successful air interdiction campaign,” the document’s authors wrote.

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If this did not stop an invasion, then there was “no alternative but to conduct nuclear strikes deep into China as far north as Shanghai,” the document said, paraphrasing Twining.

In the event, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower decided to rely initially on conventional weapons.

The 1958 crisis ended when Communist forces halted artillery strikes on islands controlled by Taiwan, leaving the area under the control of Nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek.

China considers Taiwan to be a rebel province that will one day return to the mainland’s fold, by force if necessary.

Washington has recognized Beijing since 1979, but maintains relations with Taipei and is its most important military ally.

The United States also frequently conducts what it calls “freedom of navigation” operations in the flashpoint Taiwan Strait waterway.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce his strategy toward China soon, and calls are growing for him to make a clear public commitment to defend Taiwan militarily.

A US law requires Washington to help the island defend itself in the event of a conflict, but the United States has pursued a policy of “strategic ambiguity” for decades, refraining from clearly stating what circumstances would lead it to intervene militarily on Taiwan’s behalf.

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