South china sea

China’s government on Friday announced a 6% growth target for 2021 and unveiled a five-year plan and vision for 2035 that aims to expand China’s global footprint as a major technology power. The plans, unveiled at the start of the annual week-long convening of the Communist Party-controlled legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), outlined a push for China to consolidate the positions of its supply chains in key strategic industries, amid a push from some countries towards decoupling, and to significantly increase China’s spending on research and development (R&D) to achieve self-reliance in key high-tech sectors. Chinese Premier and second-ranked leader Li Keqiang presented the draft government work report for the year and the draft outlines of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and long-range objectives for 2035 to the NPC, which will approve the documents over the next week. The NPC is also expected to approve a major overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system that ... » Learn More about China targets 6% growth, five-year plan for tech supremacy

India expects China to work with it to ensure complete disengagement “at the earliest” along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which was key to restoring the relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. The foreign ministers of both countries, S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi, in a phone call on February 25 reviewed the status of disengagement , which has been completed on the north and south banks of Pangong lake and is in progress in other areas along the LAC. Both ministers also agreed to establish a hotline. Also read: LAC standoff | 10 patrolling points in eastern Ladakh blocked by Chinese People’s Liberation Army, says senior official It was India’s “expectation that the Chinese side will work with us, both through the WMCC [Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on border affairs] and Senior Commanders’ meetings, to ensure that disengagement in the remaining areas is completed at the earliest,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said. ... » Learn More about Disengagement, de-escalation key for progress in ties, India tells China

K haleda Zia, former prime minister of Bangladesh and the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the main opposition party leading the 18-party alliance in Bangladesh, has drastically changed her party's anti-India stance. The right-wing political party's leader returned to Dhaka on November 3 from a week-long India visit that she termed as "highly successful". On Saturday, Zia met President Pranab Mukherjee. A statement from the President's Office said that Mukherjee praised the role of Khaleda as the opposition leader and as the former prime minister of Bangladesh. Mukherjee told Khaleda that New Delhi accorded highest importance to its relations with Bangladesh as a close neighbour and hoped that the diplomats of both countries will work sincerely to further strengthen the ties. Khaleda Zia responded by saying that her party is interested in establishing friendly relations with India. Before boarding her plane at for Dhaka on Saturday, Zia told ... » Learn More about Is Khaleda Zia having a change of heart about India?