News Analysis India

Tag: China

  • Bombay High Court allows China’s ByteDance to operate Indian bank accounts

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday permitted Chinese company ByteDance to operate its Indian bank accounts, that had been frozen by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) authorities over alleged tax evasion, after depositing a sum of Rs 78.91 crore in a state-run bank.

    A bench of Justices SP Deshmukh and Abhay Ahuja directed ByteDance to deposit Rs 78.91 crore in any nationalised bank towards the demand raised by the GST authorities and said the company could operate its other Indian bank accounts and utilise the remaining funds.

    The indirect taxes department has accused ByteDance of evading taxes and not paying its GST dues in full, a charge denied by the Chinese firm which owns the popular video app TikTok that was banned by the Indian government last year.

    ByteDance approached the HC last month denying all tax evasion allegations and seeking various reliefs, including challenging the provisional attachment order for freezing of its bank accounts in India.

    On Tuesday, the HC directed the company to deposit Rs 78.91 crore, the amount it allegedly owes the tax authorities, to protect the latter’s interest.

    Senior advocates Rafiq Dada and Vikram Nankani, who appeared for ByteDance, argued that since all the money in its bank accounts had been frozen, the company had been unable to pay its Indian staff salaries.

    The counsels said tax evasion proceedings against ByteDance had been going on for the last two years.

    They said the company had provided the Indian authorities everything, including audited accounts, and yet, suddenly its accounts had been frozen.

    In January this year, ByteDance had cut its workforce in India following the ban on its video app TikTok.

    As per its plea in the HC, the company still has about 800 employees in India, most of whom service its overseas operations.

    Advocates Pradeep Jaitely and Jitendra B Mishra, who appeared for the tax department, told the HC that the GST authorities had acted in accordance with law in attaching the company’s properties and freezing its bank accounts.

    The advocates said ByteDance had no chance of revival in India owing to the ban on TikTok.

    Since there was a chance of the company exiting India completely, the attachment and freezing of accounts had been done to safeguard the interests of the tax authorities, Jaitely and Mishra said.

  • India, China hold in-depth talks on addressing remaining issues in eastern Ladakh

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India and China on Friday held “in-depth” discussions on addressing the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, holding that disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake provided a good basis to work towards their early resolution.

    The two countries also agreed during the parleys that in the interim they should continue to maintain stability at ground level and prevent any untoward incident.

    The talks were held under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

    The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the two sides agreed to maintain close communication and dialogue through both the diplomatic and military channels and agreed to convene the 11th round of military talks at an early date.

    In a statement, it said the two sides should continue their dialogue to reach a mutually acceptable solution for complete disengagement from all friction points at the earliest.

    “This would enable two sides to look at broader de-escalation of troops in the area and work towards restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas. They also agreed that in the interim two sides should continue to maintain stability at ground level and prevent any untoward incident,” the MEA added.

    The MEA also said that India and China agreed that the agreement reached between the two foreign ministers in Moscow in September last as also their recent phone conversation in February should continue to guide the work of the two sides.

    “The two sides reviewed the situation along the LAC in the Western sector and had in-depth discussions on the remaining issues along the LAC in the Western sector,” it said.

    “They agreed that the completion of the disengagement in North and South Bank of the Pangong Lake provided a good basis for the two sides to work towards early resolution of these remaining issues.”

    The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (East Asia) in the MEA while the Chinese side was headed by director general of the boundary and oceanic department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two countries had completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    After completion of the disengagement process in Pangong lake areas, senior military commanders of India and China held another round of talks on February 20 with a focus on taking forward the disengagement process in other friction points.

    At the talks, India pitched for a faster disengagement process in areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang to bring down tension in the mountainous region.

  • Will continue discussions with China to resolve remaining issues: Centre on Ladakh standoff

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday said it will continue discussions with China to resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh and achieve the objective of disengagement from all friction points to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas at an early date.

    In responding to a question in Lok Sabha on whether China has admitted loss of lives of their commandos in the Galwan encounter, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the Central Military Commission of China on February 19 announced awarding posthumously honorary titles and merit citations to Chinese soldiers.

    “As per the announcement, these titles were awarded for the role of these soldiers in the faceoff at Galwan Valley in June 2020,” he said.

    Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the fierce hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley clash, an incident that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

    For the first time, China officially acknowledged last month that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clash with the Indian Army.

    “Government will continue discussions with the Chinese side to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh and achieve the objective of disengagement from all friction points and restoration of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas at an early date,” Muraleedharan said.

    The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies erupted on May 5 following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

    As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

    In his response, Muraleedharan also referred to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s announcement in Parliament on February 11 that India and China reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake.

    “The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area has been completed,” he said.

    After completion of the disengagement process in Pangong lake areas, senior military commanders of India and China held another round of talks on February 20 with a focus on taking forward the disengagement process in other friction points.

    In the talks, India pitched for a faster disengagement process in areas like Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang to bring down tension in the region.

  • As border cools, Chinese FDI set to flow in again

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: With border tensions with China appearing to be ebbing, the Centre has decided to clear as many as 45 Chinese investment proposals worth over Rs 20,000 crore. Confirming the development, officials in the finance and commerce ministries told TNIE that these FDI proposals include high-profile ones that have been stuck due to tensions between the two countries. These include the proposal by Chinese auto giant Great Wall Motors to manufacture electric vehicles in India. 

    Other notable proposals include the one by SAIC Motor Corp and projects in the electronics and power sectors. SAIC, which started selling cars in India in 2019 under its British brand MG Motor, has already invested $400 million in India and wants to bring in  more investment bolster its production capacity.Great Wall plans to invest $1 bn in India over the next few years.

    “There are about 45 proposals in the pipeline awaiting approvals. The aggregate value of these proposals is Rs 20,000 crore. Now that talks have resumed and  tension has eased, those deals are likely to go ahead,” said a commerce ministry official.

    Officials clarified that it is not just Chinese companies but several proposals by Hong Kong and Singapore-based companies were also stuck in the process, including a large bunch of private equity investors which were looking to invest in the Indian startups.

    “There are about one dozen start-up deals which are stuck, because of want of security clearance. Once it is done, it will bring a big relief for startups which were looking for liquidity in the post Covid period,” said an official. India had tightened the rules for FDI proposals from China amid standoff between the armies of the two nation at the border. India had also banned a numbers of Chinese apps citing security concerns. 

  • Accepting casualties in Galwan Valley clash, China blames India for face-off in June 2020

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Eight months after the violent face-off with Indian troops in Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control, China for the first time accepted suffering four casualties.

    They continue to hold India responsible for the confrontation though. Beijing honoured five PLA soldiers — four dead and one injured — for bravery in ‘battle’ with Indian troops.

    The People’s Daily released the names of the four killed — Chen Hongjun, Chen Xiangrong, Xiao Siyuan and Wang Zhuoran.

    This admission comes days after Russian news agency TASS said at least 45 Chinese soldiers had died in the June 15 clash. India had announced immediately that it had lost 20 of its soldiers, including Colonel G Santosh Babu.

    ALSO READ | After months of denial, China accepts its four soldiers were killed in Galwan Valley clash; releases video

    “The report has been revealed to give the truth to the public because the truth is long awaited and it is necessary for the people to know the true story,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

    Hua said India is an important neighbour and restoring a healthy and stable relationship is in the interest of the two countries.

    “I hope the Indian side will work with us towards achieving this shared goal.”

    The face-off between Indian and PLA troops came after Indian soldiers were prevented from reaching their patrolling points.

    Chinese state media has released a video of the June 15 #GalwanValley clash which shows chinese troops gwtting injured @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/ICdwxf69ws
    — Pushkar Banakar (@PushkarBanakar) February 19, 2021

    Though there was no firing reported in accordance with the agreement signed by the two sides, Chinese troops used rods studded with nails and barbed wire to attack Indian soldiers.

    Also, the admission of casualties came on a day when the disengagement process on the banks of Pangong Lake was completed, with the Chinese defence and foreign ministries continuing to blame India.

    “China has exercised great restraint, reflecting China’s tolerance and commitment as a responsible power. However, the Indian side has repeatedly exaggerated and hyped the casualties, distorting the truth and misleading international public opinion,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

    Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said Indian troops had been crossing LAC since June.

    “They even attacked Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for negotiation, thus intentionally triggering physical conflict at Galwan Valley and causing casualties on both sides.

  • COVID outbreak deepened mutual suspicions between armies of India, China: Lt Gen Chauhan

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Anil Chauhan said on Thursday said that the Covid-19 outbreak deepened mutual suspicions between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA and the virus affected working protocols of border management.

    The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Eastern Command, said that effective steps were taken to ensure that coronavirus does not infiltrate the units deployed along the northern borders with China.

    “The Covid outbreak deepened mutual suspicions and affected working protocols for border management,” he said, adding that the Eastern Command maintained a high level of alertness and prevented any untoward incidents.

    He said that medical facilities were upgraded all across the Eastern Command and hospitals were modified to deal with the new adversary – the coronavirus.

    “The focus of anti-COVIDoperations was primarily on force preservation due to the developing situations along the northern borders,” Lt Gen Chauhan told reporters during an interaction at the Investiture ceremony of the Eastern Command at its headquarters Fort William here.

    “It was ensured that the virus does not infiltrate the units deployed along the Chinese border,” he said.

    Maintaining that the situation had been tense on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China after the Galwan incident, Chauhan said that focused measures have been taken to improve operational preparedness.

    Altogether 20 personnel of the Indian Army were killed while fighting Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15 last year.

    The Chinese Army also suffered casualties in the face-off.

    He said that troops in sensitive areas have been equipped suitably to deal with unconventional kinds of challenges and new inductions have been done in the Eastern Command including M777 ultra-light howitzer guns, additional aviation assets and electronic warfare equipment.

    He said that in the hinterland, counter-insurgency operations were affected due to the nationwide lockdown and the restrictions on the movement of units.

    At the Investiture ceremony presided by Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Chauhan, 18 Sena medals (Gallantry), nine Sena medals (Distinguished) and eight Vishisht Seva medals were presented to the deserving personnel.

    On the occasion, 21 units of various arms and services who performed exceedingly well during their deployment in the eastern theatre were also awarded the Unit citation by the GOC-in-C, Eastern Command.

  • India not preferred place for firms leaving China

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  Despite the Centre and various state governments announcing several initiatives to attract multinationals looking to shift base outside China post-Covid-19 pandemic, India has been left behind by countries like Vietnam, Taiwan and Thailand, which have emerged as the preferred destinations for most such companies.

    Taking note of this, a parliamentary standing committee has flagged administrative and regulatory hurdles in India as among the main reasons. “The committee feels that the main challenges faced by the country presently are administrative and regulatory hurdles, inadequate and costly credit facility, tedious land acquisition procedure, inadequate infrastructure facilities, high logistics cost and large unorganised manufacturing sector, among others,” stated the standing committee in its report titled ‘Attracting investment in post-Covid Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for India’. The report was tabled in Parliament in the just concluded session.

    The report said many companies have shifted their manufacturing bases out of China, “motivated not only by political but also economic reasons”, during past one year. “To capitalise on the evolving situation and to attract such companies, a few countries including India announced special policies. However, it is learnt through media reports that most of these 58 companies shifted their base to Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand etc. and only a few came to India,” the report said.

    However, according to a parliament reply, four companies in the Electronic System Design Manufacturing sector have shifted base from China to India and many others have shown interest. The committee appreciated the efforts made by the Centre in this direction saying the policy changes and the incentive schemes announced are “welcome measures”. It also suggested to the government to enter into more international trade agreements which are beneficial to India. 

  • Disengagement in eastern Ladakh is surrender to China: Former Defence Minister AK Antony

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony on Sunday alleged that disengagement in both the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso Lake areas and the creation of a buffer zone was a “surrender” of India’s rights to “appease” China.

    Addressing a press conference, he said that at a time when India was facing multiple challenges at the border and was facing a two-front war-like situation, the increase in defence budget this year was “meagre and insignificant” and was a “betrayal” of the country.

    He alleged that India is “appeasing” China by agreeing to disengagement and by not increasing the defence budget.

    The government had on Friday emphatically stated that India has not “conceded” any territory following the disengagement agreement with China in the Pangong Tso Lake area in eastern Ladakh.

    ALSO READ | India has not conceded any territory in disengagement agreement with China in Pangong Tso: MoD

    Antony along with Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala posed a set of questions to the government asking why it has withdrawn from patrol point 14 in the Galwan Valley to Finger 3 in Pangong Tso lake and created a buffer zone in Indian territory.

    They also asked why the government has agreed to withdraw from the strategically important Kailash ranges on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake.

    Antony said he was sad that the Narendra Modi government was not giving proper priority to national security at a time when China was getting belligerent and Pakistan continued to promote terrorism.

    He said disengagement was good as it reduced tension but it should not be done at the cost of national security.

    “Both disengagements in Galwan and Pangong Tso are a surrender,” he alleged, adding that it amounted to surrendering of areas traditionally controlled by India.

    “We are surrendering our rights,” he alleged, noting that Galwan Valley as Indian territory was never a disputed land even in 1962.

    “Disengagement and buffer zone means surrender of our land, at the moment. Now, we cannot go there. They put sensors there,” he alleged while warning that the government is not understanding the importance of this disengagement and creation of the buffer zone.

    Antony alleged that the government did not increase the defence budget to “appease” China and to give a message that it did not want to confront them.

    “To appease China, the government sent a message by not increasing this defence budget that we do not want to confront you. To appease China, we have agreed to disengagement on China’s terms,” he alleged.

    He warned that China can play mischief anytime by helping Pakistan in Siachen.

    “We want to know from this government when there will be status quo ante as in mid-April 2020 in the entire India-China border,” he said, asking what was the government’s plan in this regard.

    He also said the government must take the country and the people into confidence on restoration of the status quo ante at the borders.

    He said the government always consulted leaders of all political parties before taking such a decision and must keep national security in mind.

    When the whole country is facing serious challenges from both China and Pakistan, the senior Congress leader said the armed forces are demanding support and substantial increase in the defence budget.

    “But compared to last year’s revised defence budget, this budget has made a meagre and insufficient increase of only 1.48 per cent. It is a betrayal of the country. The government has let down our armed forces. The government is not paying proper attention to national security,” he further charged.

    “It is time the government must support the armed forces,” he demanded.

    The senior Congress leader said the Chinese army is building up along the LAC and incursions are taking place occasionally, including the setting up of a village in Arunachal Pradesh.

    “One thing is very clear that the entire India-China border needs 24×7 attention and our armed forces are ready for that, but need the government’s support.

    “The Chinese are mobilising the army, the armed forces, building infrastructure and consolidating their position.

    So, we also need matching support to the armed forces,” he noted, adding that of late danger in the Indo-Pacific is emerging as the Chinese Navy is showing its muscle.

    Antony and Surjewala also paid homage to the soldiers who died in the Pulwama attack and said the entire party and nation will remember their sacrifice and hoped that it will not go waste.

  • Parliamentary panel on defence intents to visit Galwan Valley, Pangong in eastern Ladakh: Sources

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on defence intends to visit the Galwan Valley and the Pangong lake in the eastern Ladakh region which has been witness to a violent stand-off between the troops of India and China, sources said.

    However, it may seek the permission of the government before visiting the strategically-located areas, they said.

    The 30-member committee, chaired by senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Jual Oram and of which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is a member, intends to visit the eastern Ladakh region in the last week of May or June, the sources said on Friday.

    The decision to visit these areas was taken in the panel’s latest meeting, they said.

    Gandhi did not attend it.

    The panel’s visit to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) depends on the approval from the government, the sources added.

    After a nine-month standoff, militaries of Indian and China reached an agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake that mandates both sides to cease forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.

    On Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a detailed statement in Parliament on the disengagement pact.

    ALSO READ: Full disengagement at Pangong to take more time than thought

    According to the agreement, China has to pull back its troops to east of Finger 8 areas in the northern bank while the Indian personnel will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the region.

    Similar action will take place on the south bank of the lake as well, Singh said.

    India has not “conceded” any territory to China by firming up an agreement on the disengagement process in Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh, and other outstanding “problems” including in Depsang, Hot Springs ad Gogra will be taken up at the upcoming talks between military commanders of the two countries, the defence ministry said on Friday.

    The statement by the ministry came hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government has “ceded” Indian territory to China and raised questions over the agreement on the disengagement process.

    The ministry also dubbed as “categorically false” the assertion that Indian territory is up to Finger 4 in the Pangong Tso area, adding the permanent posts of both sides in the area are “longstanding and well-established”.

    “India has not conceded any territory as a result of this agreement.

    On the contrary, it has enforced observance and respect for LAC and prevented any unilateral change in the status quo,” the ministry said in the strongly-worded statement.

    The MEA also said the two countries have agreed to convene the 10th round of senior commanders meeting within 48 hours after complete disengagement in the Pangong Lake area to address the remaining issues, and added that no date has been set for Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs.

    The agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong lake mandates both Chinese and Indian sides to “cease” forward deployment of troops in a “phased, coordinated and verifiable” manner.

  • Did a lost nuclear device cause Chamoli flash floods? Decades-old suspicion comes back to haunt villagers

    Express News Service
    CHAMOLI: While experts are yet to pinpoint the cause of Chamoli flash floods and many are warning about climate change, the floods brought back fears of old tales related to a lost radioactive material in the Nanda Devi glaciers.

    As per local residents in and around village Raini, a ‘machine’ was installed on Nanda Devi mountains in 1965 which had a nuclear device within. 

    Kartik Singh (92), a resident of Raini village claims that he was part of the 1965 expedition to install the ‘machine’, says, “I used to work as a porter then. Some people asked me to carry a packed, concealed load. I agreed. We went to a place called ‘Camp IV’. Later, a blizzard hit us and we decided to leave the device and return to safety.”

    A mix of myths and rumours have filled Raini and adjacent villages after the flash floods. Many believe that the nuclear device caused the flash floods which wreaked havoc washing away two hydropower projects and killing many. Total 32 bodies have been found to date while 174 are missing.

    “The device is dangerous and may be the cause of these floods meting the snow,” added Singh. 

    In the year 2010, responding to an RTI query of an activist Gurvinder Singh Chadha which had total 7 questions related to the radioactive device in question, the Bhabha Atomic Research Center had replied, “This center has no information on the above. Hence, we are unable to provide any information under the RTI Act 2005.”

    Interestingly, one of the questions by Chadha included if American senator Richard Autier warned India about the nuclear device in 1965 and famous Russian scientist Arthur Compeleene also warned India saying that lakhs of people may be affected due to the radiation. 

    Chadha died last year. Dushyant Mainali, a practicing advocate in Uttarakhand Hugh Court and friend of the activist recalls, “He had filed RTI queries related to the device two times. He used to talk about this story often and had logical reasons to make us believe.”

    Many books have been written on the issue including one by Stephen Alter. The Mussoorie-based author has written about a secret operation in which a device was to be installed to monitor China which had conducted a nuclear test in 1962 in Xinjiang province. 

    Weighing around 56kg, including an 8-10ft-high antenna, two transceiver sets system, the remote sensing device which was supposed to keep track of any further nuclear tests by China after 1964 is believed to be installed by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America and Intelligence Bureau of India to spy on China. 

    ALSO READ: Chamoli disaste – Experts yet to ascertain what caused tragedy

    In the year 2018, state cabinet minister of Uttarakhand Satpal Maharaj had said that he had urged the Prime Minister to take action in this regard. 

    The radioactive material is said to be an alloy of Pu-238 with 18 percent Pu-239 which is considered the most effective combination to prolong the life span of the material and generate maximum energy. 

    After the team which went on the expedition returned to the spot in the year 1966, they could not find the device. The device is said to have a life of around 100 years out of which 45 are still left. However, many believe the story is too far from reality and even a myth. 

    Mohan Singh, another resident of Raini village who has taken part in many expeditions in Nanda Devi glaciers said, “I don’t think this flash flood is a result of any device. I don’t believe in this story. To me these are just rumours which started at some point in time and became a myth eventually.”