NewsBytes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday agreed to work towards a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable" solution to the India-China border issue and pledged to expand trade and investment ties recognising the role of the two economies to stabilise global trade. In their wide-ranging talks, the two leaders largely focused on boosting trade and investment ties, a move that came against the backdrop of disruptions in global trade triggered by US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs including a whopping 50 per cent on Indian goods. In the meeting held on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, PM Modi underlined the importance of peace and tranquility on the border areas for the continued development of India-China ties and said that New Delhi is committed to advancing the relations based on "mutual trust, respect, and sensitivity". The two leaders vowed to expand bilateral trade and investment ties, reduce trade deficit and agreed to expand common ground on bilateral, regional, and global issues and challenges like terrorism and fair trade in multilateral platforms, according to an Indian readout.

India is likely to seal two mega submarine deals worth over Rs 1 lakh crore by the middle of next year to crank up its undersea warfare capabilities against the backdrop of China's increasing naval prowess, authoritative sources said on Sunday. The first project that is being negotiated is for the procurement of three Scorpene submarines, which will be jointly constructed by state-run Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and French defence major Naval Group. Though the defence ministry cleared the nearly Rs 36,000 crore deal over two years back, there have been delays in negotiations to firm up various technical and commercial aspects of the project, the sources said. The second project that the defence ministry is eyeing to seal is for the acquisition of six diesel-electric stealth submarines at a cost of around Rs 65,000 crore. The procurement was initially cleared by the ministry in 2021. Leading German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has partnered with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd for the project, billed as one of the biggest 'Make in India' initiatives in recent years. The sources said the cost negotiations for the deal will start soon and the entire process may take six to nine months before a contract is concluded.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh continued to play awe-inspiring hockey, scoring a brace as India defeated a fighting Japan 3-2 to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Hero Men's Asia Cup here on Sunday. After scoring a hat-trick in the opener against China, Harmanpreet (5th, 46th minutes) converted two penalty corners, while Mandeep Singh struck a fine field goal in the fourth minute to give the hosts a deserving win. For Japan, Kosei Kawabe (38th, 58th minutes) scored both the goals. With two wins in as many games, India are leading Pool A with six points and are ahead of Japan and China, who have one win each. India will conclude their group engagement with the match against Kazakhstan on Monday, while the winner of the tie between Japan and China will decide the other Super Four team from Pool A.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot insisted that Greenland "is not for sale,” and criticised the US for its intentions to take control of the strategic Arctic territory during a visit Sunday to its capital, Nuuk. Barrot spoke in a news conference following a working meeting with Greenland's prime minister and foreign minister. “Greenland is not for sale,” he said, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron's similar comments during a June visit to the vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he seeks US jurisdiction over Greenland. He has not ruled out a military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island.  Barrot, who visited a French military ship moored in Nuuk on Saturday, said his two-day trip aims to show France's support for the sovereignty and freedom of Denmark and Greenland.