China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi Talks with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri
China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, met with India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, in Beijing on Monday. During their meeting, Wang said that both countries should work together and focus on understanding each other better. He emphasized that China and India need to support each other instead of being suspicious or feeling distant. Wang encouraged both nations to look for meaningful ways to cooperate.
India and Indonesia are strengthening their friendship and cooperation, especially in defense and maritime areas. They recently agreed to important steps, including signing a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). This agreement will help boost their defense teamwork and allow them to exchange cadets for training at Navy academies.
The Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, visited India from January 23-26, attending India’s Republic Day celebrations as a special guest along with a group of Indonesian officials and business leaders.
Both countries want to deepen their defense partnership, which has been growing for over 20 years. They regularly hold joint exercises and patrols. They discussed having more regular meetings between their defense ministers and planned to enhance training programs.
They also want to work together on maritime security to keep sea lanes safe, especially in the busy waters of the Indo-Pacific. They are currently discussing agreements to share important shipping information and have decided to place an officer from Indonesia in India’s Information Fusion Centre.
Both leaders condemned terrorism and agreed to combat it together, promising to work even harder on preventing radicalization and supporting global efforts to stop terrorism. They welcomed further talks on this.
During the visit, President Prabowo was honored in various ceremonies, including paying respects to Mahatma Gandhi and enjoying a lunch hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also met with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and other important leaders
In 2013, the US Justice Department used disturbing messages from Mujahideen terrorists as evidence to convict Tahawwur Rana, who was involved in planning the Mumbai attacks. One shocking message said that the terrorists who took part in the attacks should receive Pakistan’s highest military honors after their deaths.
Rana is a doctor and a businessman. He has strong hatred for India and is linked to a terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, where he helped manage finances. Investigators believe he was sure that an ISI officer named Major Iqbal was planning the Mumbai attacks, which were seen by the Indian government as an act of war from Pakistan. This attack led to calls for India to retaliate.
Rana worked closely with David Headley to plan the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. These attacks were part of a larger series of terrorist acts organized by the ISI, using groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Indian Mujahideen. Before the attacks, Rana traveled to Mumbai from Dubai to check that everything was set up correctly. He stayed at the Hotel Renaissance in Powai from November 11 to 21, 2008, and the terrorist attacks happened just five days after he left.
After many years of efforts since 2019, India is finally getting closer to extraditing Rana. It has been 16 years since the Mumbai attacks, which shocked the Indian security forces. The memory of this tragedy continues to be a barrier in improving relations with Pakistan.
Former President Donald Trump announced that he told the U.S. military to lift a ban that his successor, Joe Biden, had placed on sending large bombs to Israel. Trump explained, “We sent them. They paid for them, and they have been waiting for a long time.” Biden had paused the delivery because he worried about how these bombs might affect civilians in Gaza.
Trump made this announcement while flying on Air Force One. He also shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, that many things Israel ordered are now being shipped. Both Trump and Biden have been strong supporters of Israel, even though some people in the U.S. are calling for a halt on arms sales because of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
A week ago, a temporary ceasefire began, allowing some hostages held by Hamas, a group in Gaza, to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Hamas took around 250 hostages during an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths.
Since then, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have resulted in a tragic toll of over 47,000 deaths, according to the health ministry in Gaza. This has led to accusations of serious crimes against Israel, which they deny. Additionally, many people in Gaza have been displaced, causing a hunger crisis.
The U.S. claims it helps Israel protect itself from groups like Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Paras Defence announced on Thursday that they will invest ₹12,000 crore to build the first optics park in India, located in Maharashtra. They signed a preliminary agreement with the state government during the World Economic Forum in Davos. The project is set to start in 2028 and will continue until 2035, allowing it to grow and adapt over time.
This investment will create a technology center focused on defense, space, automotive, semiconductors, and more. The company is dedicated to the ‘Make in India’ initiative, which aims to make India more self-sufficient in technology. The project will also create over 2,000 new jobs.
The Maharashtra government has promised to help the company find land and provide incentives to make this project happen. Munjal Sharad Shah, Managing Director of Paras Defence, said this project will strengthen India’s manufacturing capabilities and make India a global leader in innovation. A spokesperson from the Maharashtra government shared excitement for this collaboration, saying it will drive new technologies in various fields.
A team from HAL is heading to the United States soon to talk with General Electric (GE) about the GE-414 engine agreement. Defence officials mentioned that the team will have detailed talks to cover everything about the program and hope to sign the deal by March.
They are planning to buy 99 engines now, with the chance to buy more if the engine is chosen for India’s new fifth-generation fighter jets. GE Aerospace has promised a high level of technology transfer, which will help India improve its engine-making skills.
Reports say GE has asked for an extra $50 million to increase the technology transfer by 22% compared to a previous deal from 2012. This deal is expected to cost about $1 billion at 2023 prices. HAL has set up a special team to handle the negotiations and has asked GE for specific technical documents to understand what they will receive in the technology transfer.
Challenges Faced in Jet Engine Supply
India has struggled with delays in getting jet engines for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A and Mark 2 programs. The delivery of the GE-404 engines for the LCA Mark 1A has been impacted by global supply chain issues. If the GE-414 deal is delayed, it could affect when the LCA Mark 2, which will replace older fighter jets like Mirage-2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29, can be introduced into the Indian Air Force.
Pushing for Self-Reliance in Technology
India is working to produce jet engines on its own by teaming up with global manufacturers. Sources say India is starting to develop its own engine and may partner with a global company soon. The technology transfer from GE is expected to greatly improve India’s ability to make jet engines.
Global Jet Engine Market Overview
Only a few countries like the US, France, the UK, and Russia can make jet engines. Most fighter planes worldwide rely on engines from these countries. India wants to reduce its dependence on foreign manufacturers through smart partnerships and technology sharing.
Market and Financial Outlook
While talks continue, HAL’s shares dropped by 0.85% to ₹4,151.80 on Tuesday. The stock hasn’t changed much this year. Market analysts are watching the deal closely since it could affect HAL’s financial health and boost India’s defense industry.
Finalizing the GE-414 engine deal is crucial for strengthening India’s defense. Completing it by March will help in making Indian fighter jets on time and improve national security.
India is thinking about selling supersonic cruise missiles to Indonesia for $450 million. These missiles are called BrahMos and they are really fast! Indonesia wants to strengthen its defenses, especially with recent tensions in the South China Sea due to China’s actions.
People say that the deal might be announced soon, during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India, where he will be a special guest at the Republic Day celebrations on Sunday. One challenge for Indonesia is figuring out how to pay for the missiles since their budget is tight.
If the sale happens, Indonesia will join the Philippines as the second country to have these powerful missiles, which can travel over 380 kilometers (or about 186 miles). Indonesia has been talking about buying these missiles for almost ten years, working together with India and Russia, who helped develop them.
India’s government, as well as Indonesia’s, hasn’t confirmed the deal yet. But a week before the visit, Indonesia announced plans to discuss agreements in health, education, and safety at sea with India.
Indonesia wants to learn more about the missile technology so it can make its own parts if needed. Last month, India’s ambassador spoke with Indonesia’s Defense Minister about this tech transfer idea.
In the past, the US, especially under President Trump, had objections to Indonesia buying military equipment from Russia and China. This was part of their plan to maintain military control. Prabowo, who was once the country’s defense minister, helped cancel these deals to keep a good relationship with the US.
Now, with the US and China causing some worries, Indonesia wants to work more closely with India on military and maritime security. They plan to continue joint military exercises and navy actions together, focusing on security across Asia.
On Sunday, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan announced big plans for India’s military. Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh mentioned that 2025 will be the year for new reforms in defence.
A major focus will be creating something called “integrated theatre commands.” This means that the Army, Navy, and Air Force will work closely together, combining their strengths to tackle security challenges in specific regions. Right now, these three services operate separately, but the new plan will help them function as a single unit.
Gen Chauhan is also working on a command center that will help all three services plan and execute their operations together. He said they are preparing new strategies for operations in different domains, including space and with new technologies.
Currently, a ‘Vision 2047’ plan is being developed to modernize our armed forces. This will be an important step in ensuring India stays strong and secure. The aim is to use all available resources wisely and efficiently.
To achieve this, eight key areas have been identified to improve cooperation among the three branches of the military. This includes better planning, training, and logistics. The goal is to adapt to new ways warfare is fought and to ensure our armed forces can work effectively across different conflict situations.
Gen Chauhan also mentioned the importance of new technologies like artificial intelligence and drones to strengthen future capabilities. Understanding how future wars will be fought and preparing for them will be challenging, but it’s necessary for success
India and Italy have promised to work better together to stop terrorism, especially by tackling the wrong use of technology by terrorists. A meeting took place in Rome on January 16 and 17, where officials from both countries talked about how to improve their teamwork in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.
They looked at new threats from terrorists in their own countries and around the world. Both sides shared ideas on how to prevent and reduce the use of technology for bad purposes by terrorists. They agreed that it is crucial to punish those who commit terrorist acts effectively.
The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to working together in global forums like the United Nations, Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). They also discussed how to move forward with ongoing talks on various agreements between them.
The meeting was co-chaired by K D Dewal, who is in charge of counter-terrorism in India, and Alessandro Azzoni from Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Indian team also visited Italy’s Inter-Agency Law Enforcement Academy to discuss training and capacity-building efforts that benefit both nations.
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it is still attacking Gaza. They say there isn’t a ceasefire with Hamas yet because Hamas hasn’t provided a list of hostages it plans to release. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are still carrying out strikes in Gaza. According to the Prime Minister’s orders, the ceasefire won’t start until Hamas does what they promised, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari explained in a news statement.