This past summer, prior to his sudden departure from office, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh announced a partnership agreement that surpassed the previously established levels of economic and security cooperation between the two countries. The timing of this August roadmap could not have been more perfect, given that 2007 is Japan-India Friendship Year. The new momentum in relations between the world’s largest democracy and its second-largest economy deserves attention, in part because these relations have historically lacked both depth and breadth. Nevertheless, while recent efforts reflect a positive trend toward deeper engagement between Japan [...]
From Jan. 13-15, Manmohan Singh undertook the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to China in five years. During his stay in Beijing, Singh met with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, President Hu Jintao, and other Chinese political and economic leaders. The summit showcased the improving Sino-Indian economic ties, but did not appreciably reduce the two governments’ political-military “trust deficit.” Furthering economic ties was an important objective of Singh’s visit. A delegation of 20 Indian business leaders accompanied Singh and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath on the trip. The prime minister delivered a keynote address at an India-China Economic, Trade [...]
NEW DELHI – With less than two hours before the close of the 2008 Indian Auto Expo, crowds were still thronging into exhibition hall 11 to catch a first glimpse of the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car. They filed past the latest sports coupe prototypes and the attractive showgirls, jockeying for position to snap pictures with cell phone cameras of the jellybean-shaped vehicle as it spun on a dais to the blare of American rock music. “This is a good day for India,” said Rajesh Bindal, a paint salesman. “Now everyone can afford to travel safely in comfort, to [...]
