Have you noticed India is in western sights? Even here in Canada we see this push towards demonizing India- I mean concern for human rights
Undoubtedly India not bowing to NATO edicts on Russia are a factor as well in this sudden concern for human rights
“Protestors proceeded to Parliament Hill and then to the Prime Minister’s Office to symbolically (to be spread by the media) deliver a joint letter with over 80 organisational signatories…..”
Wondering how much western money is funding those organisational (NGO) signatories?
Foreign Policy
excerpts below- read entirely at link above
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and despite Western sanctions, India became one of the main buyers of Russian crude oil. Indian refiners have bought more than half of the oil exported by Russia in the current fiscal year. Europe and the United States have largely chosen to look away, but in May, the European Union objected to a direct shipment from Russia’s Rosneft Oil Company destined for India’s biggest state-owned refiner. As a result, the Reserve Bank of India refused to allow payment to Moscow in either euros or U.S. dollars. The state-owned refiner went to another bank, and ended up paying for the Russian crude in Chinese yuan. This gave a boost to Beijing’s efforts to internationalize its currency.
India’s stridently nationalist government was likely left embarrassed by the incident. In the summer of 2020, 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed in a skirmish on the disputed border in Ladakh after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army moved into areas controlled by India. Since the faceoff, the Indian government, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has repeatedly said that New Delhi cannot maintain normal ties with Beijing because the border situation is not normal. It has further tried to assuage anti-China sentiment by hyping its ban of TikTok, Shein, and hundreds of other Chinese-owned apps. Meanwhile, though, Indian companies continue to use yuan to pay for 10 percent of the country’s Russian oil supplies—and New Delhi remains silent on the issue.
The yuan payments show how India’s dependence on China has only grown in the past three years, despite the fraught situation on the border. Bilateral trade has increased, and the trade balance has tipped further in China’s favor. Breaking previous vows, Indian ministers solicit Chinese investments. New Delhi is conceding to demands from electronics manufacturers to make it easier for Chinese engineers to get visas. India is the biggest recipient of financing from China-based multilateral banks, and Modi and his ministers are enthusiastic participants in both the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), two groupings dominated by China.
That softening is in part because India needs Chinese investments in electronics, batteries, and electric vehicles. In January, New Delhi asked Apple to identify Chinese suppliers of parts who would be prepared to set up a joint venture with an Indian partner. The Indian government gave 12 Chinese companies clearance to apply to start such businesses, but many of them initially seemed unenthusiastic, since New Delhi had unleashed harsh measures against Chinese mobile phone producers for violations of tax and foreign exchange laws in 2020. However, a slowdown in tech funding in India in the past year means that the Modi government can no longer afford to be so strict about Chinese investment: Shutting the taps entirely had put India in a tough spot, with an economy that remained stagnant despite Modi’s much-hyped “Make in India” plan.
India is also a major beneficiary of support from multilateral development banks based in China. New Delhi is the largest borrower from the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, with $9.8 billion committed to projects since 2016, spanning energy, transport, and public health. India is also a founding member of New Development Bank, the erstwhile BRICS bank that is based in China. With 20 approved projects and seven proposals under review, at $7.5 billion, New Delhi is the second-largest recipient of the New Development Bank’s financial support after Beijing.
With no prospect of disengagement on the border, all eyes are now on the BRICS summit, where many analysts expect a meeting between Modi and Xi that could provide a breakthrough. Amid this speculation, India refrained from participating in a military drill hosted by Australia from July 22 to Aug. 4. Earlier this month, India’s usually brusque foreign minister said there had been “good progress” and that “talks are going on” with China
New Delhi’s partnership with Washington can help to deal with an assertive Beijing to an extent. Still, India must develop its own strengths on its own terms—both as a vibrant, liberal democracy and as a military and economic power. Indians need to do the heavy lifting themselves; nothing else will serve the country’s purpose.
I’m reading this as India must reject China. They must reject Russian oil. They must leave themselves high and dry economically to appease Washington