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G20 Ministerial Meeting

The G20 trade ministerial summit on Trade and Digital Economy was concluded on 9th June at Tsukuba, near Tokyo in Japan. The meeting focused on...

10 Jun 2019 Global Groupings
Global Trade War: The Apology of Protectionism

This editorial is based on the article "Seven likely outcomes of the US-China trade war" which appeared in "Livemint" on 16th May, 2019. The article...

16 May 2019 Global Groupings
Masood Azhar Listed as a Global Terrorist

Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar was listed as a designated global terrorist by the UN Security Council 1267 Committee on 2nd May ’19....

02 May 2019 Global Groupings
An Opening in Abu Dhabi

(The editorial is based on the article “An opening in Abu Dhabi” which appeared in the Indian Express for 1st March 2019. In this...

01 Mar 2019 Global Groupings
India-Asean Expo and Summit

Recently the Minister of Commerce & Industry inaugurated the 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit 2019 in New Delhi. It is organised by the...

22 Feb 2019 Global Groupings
India Central Asia Relations

Why in News? Recently India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) participated in first India-Central Asia Dialogue in Samarkand, Republic of...

11 Feb 2019 Global Groupings
India Central Asia Relations

...

11 Feb 2019 Global Groupings
UNCTAD Report on Trade Wars

Recently the UN body has released a report on trade wars titled "Trade Wars: The Pain and the Gain". This dispute between China and the United...

06 Feb 2019 Global Groupings
Stormy Weather Awaits India in 2019

(The editorial is based on the article “Stormy weather awaits India in 2019” which appeared in The Hindu for 31st January 2019. In this...

02 Feb 2019 Global Groupings
E-comm Talks: India Must Stand Firm

(The editorial is based on the article “E-comm talks: India must stand firm” which appeared in Businessline for 26th January 2019. In...

30 Jan 2019 Global Groupings
G20

Why in News? Meeting of the Leaders’ of the G-20 Nations, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. What is G20? The G20 is an informal group...

15 Jan 2019 Global Groupings
Seabed 2030: Mapping of Seafloor

The U.N.-backed project, called Seabed 2030, is working to pool data to create a map of the entire ocean floor by 2030. The map will be freely...

07 Dec 2018 Global Groupings
Brexit Deal: What Lies Ahead?

After months of negotiation, the United Kingdom(UK) and European Union(EU) have come up with a draft withdrawal agreement. To buy more time, both...

27 Nov 2018 Global Groupings
World’s First Online Climate Summit

World leaders are set to participate in an innovative climate change summit that will take place entirely online which makes it a carbon neutral...

22 Nov 2018 Global Groupings
'Future of Jobs' Report by WEF

The World Economic Forum (WEF) in its report 'Future of Jobs' found that machines are increasingly replacing jobs done by people. It projected that...

18 Sep 2018 Global Groupings
India’s Bid for NSG Membership

...

11 Sep 2018 Global Groupings
India and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

The editorial analyses SCO's significance for India. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) The SCO was formed in 2001, with the intent of...

03 Sep 2018 Global Groupings
Pieces of the Asian Dream

The article appears in The Hindu, of 29th August 2018. It engages with India’s relation with the South-East Asian countries and analyses its...

29 Aug 2018 Global Groupings
A Note on Free Trade Agreements and Their Costs

What are FTAs (Free Trade Agreements)? FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or...

29 Jun 2018 Global Groupings

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		'article_id' => (int) 2150,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'G20 Ministerial Meeting',
		'description' => '<p>The <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-institution-upsc-ias-g20-significance-global-groupings-member-challenges-buenos-aires-gs-mains-paper-ii-2-international-relations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">G20</a> trade ministerial summit on Trade and Digital Economy was concluded on 9th June at Tsukuba, near Tokyo in Japan.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The meeting focused on the ways to promote trade and cooperation among the G20 countries in order to harness the potential of the digital economy.</li>
<li>The G20 trade ministers' deliberations form part of the G20 summit leaders agenda in the formal discussions and will also be a part of the summit declaration.</li>
<li>Although there are no binding commitments in G20, it sets the agenda for multilateral trade relations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Raised by India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Greater participation of the medium and small scale enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries</strong> to boost the domestic as well as the global trade.</li>
<li><strong>Digital taxation:</strong> India has urged for the adoption of <strong>"significant economic presence"</strong> concept for taxing global digital companies.</li>
<li><strong>Fugitive economic offenders:</strong> It has asked for close cooperation among the G20 member nations to deal with fugitive economic offenders who flee their countries to escape the consequences of the law.</li>
<li><strong>Non-compliant tax:</strong> Also pitched for development of a <strong>common defensive toolkit</strong> of measures to deal with non-compliant tax jurisdictions that refuse to share tax-related information. The G20/Global Forum should further expand the network of <strong>automatic exchange of financial account information (AEOI)</strong>, by identifying jurisdictions, including developing countries and financial centres that are relevant but have not yet committed to any timeline</li>
</ul>
<h3>Digital Taxation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Internet heavyweights like Google and Facebook take advantage of low-tax jurisdictions in places like Ireland and pay next to nothing in other countries where they make huge profits. <br />
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>There is an urgency to fix the issue of determining the right nexus and profit allocation solution for taxing the profits made by digital economy companies.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The G20 has tasked the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to fix the system of proper tax distribution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Fugitive Economic Offenders</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>A <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/lok-sabha-passes-fugitive-economic-offenders-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fugitive economic offender</a> is an individual who has committed some specified offence(s) involving an amount of 100 crore rupees or more and has absconded from India or refused to come back to India to avoid or face criminal prosecution in India.</li>
<li>A Fugitive Economic Offender is a person declared so by a 'Special Court' set up under the <strong>Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA), 2002,</strong> against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of any of the economic offences provided in the schedule to <a href="/prs-capsule/prs-capsule-july-2018#1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018</a> and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) provides for the exchange of non-resident financial account information with the tax authorities in the account holder's country of residence. It reduces the possibility of tax evasion.</li>
<li>AEOI will enable the discovery of formerly undetected tax evasion. It will enable governments to recover tax revenue lost to non-compliant taxpayers, and will further strengthen international efforts to increase transparency, cooperation, and accountability among financial institutions and tax administrations.</li>
<li>AEOI will generate secondary benefits by increasing voluntary disclosures of concealed assets and by encouraging taxpayers to report all relevant information.</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 1956,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Global Trade War: The Apology of Protectionism',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>This editorial is based on the article <a href="https://www.livemint.com/opinion/columns/opinion-seven-likely-outcomes-of-the-us-china-trade-war-1557830883697.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Seven likely outcomes of the US-China trade war"</a> which appeared in "Livemint" on 16<sup>th</sup> May, 2019. The article talks about implications of the global trade war.</p>
</div>
<p>With the collapse of trade talks, the US might soon charge a steep 25% import duty on almost all products from China, though a 25% tariff on the $325 billion of mostly consumer goods. It is yet to be imposed though.</p>
<p>The escalated tensions will affect more than just the trade with US which imports goods worth around $540 billion from China.</p>
<p>There are some likely outcomes of this phenomenon.</p>
<h3>Likely impact of the trade war on USA and the World</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>On Manufacturing</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Labor charges are very high in USA, as such manufacturing will not return to USA.</strong></li>
<li>Though the USA leads in technology, but due to its earlier policy of outsourcing since 1975, China now leads in most high-tech industries.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On US based firms</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Big US firms will now become vulnerable</strong> as many of these firms sell more items in China than at home.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>On Global value chain</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Global value chains (GVCs) will get restructured.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Less demand from the US would mean China buying fewer components and sub-assembly units from Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand.</li>
<li><strong>This will shrink trade and weaken the GVC model. India, with sizeable domestic consumption, may gain from this shift with appropriate incentives.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Labour-intensive production could shift out of China</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The 25% tariff imposed by the US and rising wages in China will make the latter less competitive in manufacturing sectors.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>A substantial part of production may shift to countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh or India.</li>
<li>Most of the investment in these new plants may come from China.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Impact on other countries and multilateral institutions</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Due to threats of tariff, many countries are signing bilateral FTAs with USA.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>If USA insists on &lsquo;no china deal policy&rsquo;, this could be the end of multilateralism.</li>
<li><strong>The US has withdrawn trade benefits for India under its Generalized System of Preferences; imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium and filed several cases against India at the World Trade Organization (WTO).</strong>
<ul>
<li>As of now, India has not retaliated, but in the long run it can pose a serious challenge for India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Moreover, USA is pushing for plurilateral deals on matters like e-commerce which are of interest to a few large US firms and this will weaken WTO to a significant extent.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Increasing resentment against USA</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Position of the Dollar as world reserve currency can face a serious challenge.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>For example, as of right now, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is facing a serious challenge from EU and others in the form of <strong>INSTEX &mdash; or "Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges" &mdash; by France, Germany, and the UK which will allow non-dollar trade with Iran</strong> and is being described as facilitating humanitarian goods-related transactions only, including food, medicine and medical equipment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Reason for the trade war</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Trade Deficit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>USA is suffering the world&rsquo;s largest trade deficit since 1975</strong> with deficit in goods and services amounting to $566 billion in 2017.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>The deficit with China alone amounted to 63%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Political Reasons</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade war is just the economic aspect of this battle of hegemony</strong> between USA and China. There are finer, more subtle aspects of geopolitics and one-upmanship going on between the various world powers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China, through its unfair technology transfer regime has acquired illegally vast troves of trade secrets.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>US Companies are often forced to partner with Chinese companies for establishing businesses in China and these Chinese partners after learning the technology emerge as competitors to the same US firms, resulting in huge financial losses for USA.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Made in China 2025</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Made in China 2025 was an official policy statement of China</strong> in which it aimed to transform itself into an advanced manufacturing powerhouse.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>This was coupled with protectionist policies of China which were targeted on the US through the ongoing trade war.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Steel Sector</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Due to demand-supply constraints, China is not able to consume its own steel;</strong> <em>consequently it is dumping it in the international market</em>.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Imposing 25% tariff by US on Chinese steel is an attempt to protect the domestic steel industry of US.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Lessons from history: how effective will be tariffs be in the realization of USA&rsquo;s goals?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>For supporting the farmers who were impacted by the Dust Bowls, in June 1930, Smoot-Hawley raised the already high U.S. tariffs on foreign agricultural imports. It is known as the <strong>Smoot-Hawley Tariff War</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>Rather than helping, it raised food prices for Americans who were already suffering from the Great Depression.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>It also compelled other countries to retaliate with their own tariffs.</strong> That forced global trade down by 65%.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Is a Smoot-Hawley effect possible this time?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Exports today comprise 13 percent of U.S. GDP.</strong></li>
<li>The United States exports a lot of oil, commercial aircraft, food and automobiles.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>These are industries which will suffer a great deal from this trade war recreating the Smoot-Hawley effect.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Opportunities for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Exports</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>As per the Commerce Ministry, India can pump up its exports on at least 61 products.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Most of these products correspond to Agriculture (Soya, Grapes, Tobacco), Industrial products (Boilers) etc.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Trade Deficit</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>This trade war can help bring down India&rsquo;s trade deficit with China which has been a bone of contention between the two countries.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Due to the volatility in US, India&rsquo;s exports to China have been increasing.
<ul>
<li>The bilateral trade in 2017 rose by 18.63 per cent year-on-year to reach $84.44 billion.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Investment</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>With both US and China embroiled in a trade war and EU joining them too, India becomes the sole major emerging market economy which has skilled cheap labour, required infrastructure and positive demographic dividend for attracting the investment which is fleeing these markets due to lack of market-stability.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Tourism</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Trade war hurts tourism -</strong> Chinese air traffic to the US has been down by 42 per cent.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>As per the Commerce Ministry, the trade war can help in attracting this share of tourists from China to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Closeness with China</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>China is attempting to woo India towards its side by giving concessions on tariffs by Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<p>For India, to take advantage of this Global Trade War, the following steps are needed:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Inputs and Intermediate goods</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The trade between nations is nowadays dominated by inputs or intermediate goods through supply chains that are spread across the international borders. India has been unable to become active participant in these supply chains.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>The recent surge in FDI in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines points towards shift from China by American companies. India can benefit from this segment by providing the input or intermediate goods.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Large Investment Projects</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>India can attract large investment projects by having a comprehensive overlook at import tariffs, investment policy, ease of doing business and moving to a GST that encourages exports by zero rating them.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Skill development</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China of today is no longer dependent solely on cheap labour for attracting business but more on the skilled component of its labour force which is not easily replaceable.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li><strong>India therefore needs to work on its skill development, if it seeks to attract the investments that are fleeing or thinking to flee China.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<table border="1" style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fcf4cf; border-color: #9e8100; border-style: dashed;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 100%;"><em><strong>Drishti Input</strong></em><br /><br />&ldquo;Multilateral and plurilateral institutions have outlived their utility, now is the time for bilateral institutions.&rdquo; Discuss this statement in the context of the global trade war.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
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		'article_id' => (int) 1842,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Masood Azhar Listed as a Global Terrorist',
		'description' => '<p><strong>Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar</strong> was listed as a designated global terrorist by the <strong>UN Security Council 1267 Committee</strong> on 2nd May &rsquo;19. Significantly, the reasons for listing did not mention the Pulwama attack of February 14, for which the JeM had claimed responsibility.</p>
<h3>Reasons for Sanctions against Azhar</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>His support for the <strong>JeM</strong> since its founding.</li>
<li>Being associated with the <strong>Al-Qaeda</strong> by recruiting for them and participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing, or perpetrating terror acts.</li>
<li>His role in recruiting fighters in <strong>Afghanistan. </strong></li>
<li>The terrorist organisation,<strong> Jaish-e-Mohammad,</strong> which was headed by Masood Azhar has itself been <strong>sanctioned by the 1267 Committee in 2001.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Previous Efforts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In <strong>2009</strong>, India moved a proposal by itself to designate Azhar as a global terrorist.</li>
<li>In <strong>2016</strong> again, India moved the proposal with the <strong>P3 &ndash; the U.S., the U.K. and France</strong> in the UN's 1267 Sanctions Committee to ban Azhar, also the mastermind of the attack on the air base in Pathankot in January, 2016.</li>
<li>In <strong>2017</strong>, the P3 nations moved a similar proposal again. However, <strong>on all occasions China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, blocked India's proposal</strong> from being adopted by the sanctions committee.</li>
<li>Recently, the P3 group, had co-sponsored a listing request at the 1267 Committee on Feb 27, after the <strong>Pulwama attack</strong> that killed over 40 security personnel. This attempt failed again because of China placing a hold on the request.</li>
<li>Thereafter, <strong>U.S. circulated a draft resolution directly among the UNSC members</strong>, i.e., outside the 1267 Committee, to pressure China into either supporting the listing or having to take a stand in open proceedings and risk being seen as supporting terror.</li>
<li>China, after this, did not raise any objections, thereby paving the way for successful sanctions against Masood Azhar.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Significance of the UNSC Listing</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is a <strong>victory for India</strong> in a decade-old diplomatic battle waged primarily by it and supported by U.S., UK and France at the UNSC towards continuous efforts on fight against terrorism.</li>
<li>A UNSC designation will <strong>subject Azhar to an asset freeze, travel ban and an arms embarg</strong>o, thereby restricting his activities globally.</li>
<li>An<strong> asset freeze</strong> under the sanctions committee requires that all states freeze without delay the funds and other financial assets or economic resources of designated individuals and entities.</li>
<li>It demonstrates the <strong>international community&rsquo;s resolve to fight against terrorism</strong> and &ldquo;its enablers&rdquo;.</li>
<li>The U.S. has <strong>further sought "sustained actions" from Pakistan</strong> against terrorism, consistent with its international obligations.</li>
</ul>
<h3>UNSC Committee 1267</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In <strong>1999</strong>, the UNSC Committee was established pursuant to <strong>Resolution 1267 (1999),</strong> which imposed a limited air embargo and asset freeze on the<strong> Taliban</strong>. Over time, measures became a targeted asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo against designated individuals and entities.</li>
<li>On <strong>17th June 2011</strong>, after the adoption of<strong> resolution 1988 (2011)</strong>, the Committee split into two.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>1267 Committee</strong> was henceforth known as the <strong>Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee</strong>, mandated to oversee implementation of the measures against individuals and entities associated with Al-Qaida.</li>
<li>A separate Committee was established pursuant to <strong>resolution 1988 (2011)</strong> to oversee implementation of the measures against individuals and entities associated with the <strong>Taliban.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>On <strong>17th December 2015,</strong> the UNSC adopted <strong>resolution 2253 (2015)</strong> to expand the listing criteria to include individuals and entities supporting the <strong>Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).</strong></li>
<li>The Committee currently comprises all 15 members of the Security Council and makes its decision by consensus. The current Chair of the Committee, for the period ending 31st December 2019, is Indonesia. The two Vice-Chairs for 2019 are the Russian Federation and Peru.</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 1480,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'An Opening in Abu Dhabi',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;An opening in Abu Dhabi&rdquo; which appeared in the Indian Express for 1st March 2019. In this article, we will discuss the significance of Indian participation in <g class="gr_ gr_104 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="104" data-gr-id="104">OIC</g> session as Guest of Honour.)</p>
</div>
<p>The 46th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is being held in Abu Dhabi. This is the f<strong>irst time after its inception in the past 50 years, that India has been invited to any OIC meeting as a guest of honor.</strong></p>
<p>The host member, <strong>United Arab Emirates (UAE) has strongly defended the decision to invite India</strong> as a guest of <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">honour</g> to the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers, despite Pakistan&rsquo;s strong objection and <g class="gr_ gr_91 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="91" data-gr-id="91">threat</g> to boycott the event.</p>
<p>The first-time invitation to India to be a &lsquo;Guest of Honour&rsquo; at the plenary, especially at a time of heightened tensions with Pakistan following the Pulwama terrorist attack, is a <strong>significant diplomatic victory for New Delhi.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Engagement with OIC reflects the recent shift in India&rsquo;s foreign policy to have amicable ties with apparent adversaries</strong> &mdash; Saudi Arabia and Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, Egypt and Turkey as well as Israel and Palestine.</p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>A majority of the OIC member states are countries that have a majority Muslim population.</strong></li>
<li>However, some states such as Russia and Thailand that have a significant minority Muslim population are also present at the forum as observer states.</li>
<li><strong>While India is a country with one of the largest Muslim populations in the world,</strong> so far, New Delhi has never been able to join the OIC in any capacity. The news of India joining OIC as the guest of honor is significantly reflects upon its <g class="gr_ gr_97 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="97" data-gr-id="97">relation</g> with Pakistan.</li>
<li>In the past, the conservative Arab monarchies were happy to turn a blind eye to the dangers of encouraging political Islam and condoning the Pakistan army&rsquo;s support for terror and religious extremism in South Asia.</li>
<li>The threat from religious <g class="gr_ gr_95 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="95" data-gr-id="95">destabilisation</g> to the Arab monarchies like Saudi Arabia and the UAE along with traditional republics like Egypt has created a new framework for India&rsquo;s engagement with the Muslim world and the Middle East.</li>
<li>P<strong>akistan had threatened to boycott the meeting if the invitation to India was not withdrawn. It claimed that Turkey was also opposed to Swaraj&rsquo;s speech at the plenary. However, Turkey has backed Bangladesh in demanding OIC reforms to seek India&rsquo;s participation.</strong></li>
<li>At present, Pakistan has skipped the inaugural function in opposition of India participating as Guest of Honour.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong><g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="94" data-gr-id="94"><g class="gr_ gr_93 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="93" data-gr-id="93">Organisation</g></g> of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations with a membership of 57 states spread over four continents.</li>
<li>It endeavors to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony among various people of the world.</li>
<li>The Organization was established upon a decision of the historical summit which took place in Rabat, <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="84" data-gr-id="84">Kingdom</g> of Morocco on 12th Rajab 1389 Hijra (25 September 1969) following the criminal arson of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.</li>
<li>It has 57 member states and 12 observers including <g class="gr_ gr_87 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="87" data-gr-id="87">United</g> Nations.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3><g class="gr_ gr_98 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="98" data-gr-id="98">Significance</g> of the Invitation (India-OIC relations)</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Invitation for India is a welcome recognition of the presence of 185 million Muslims in India</strong> and of their contribution to its pluralistic ethos, and of India&rsquo;s contribution to the Islamic world.</li>
<li><strong>The OIC&rsquo;s invitation to India coincides with the recent visit of the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, to Pakistan and India.</strong> Reportedly, the crown prince advocated restraint on a host of issues plaguing India-Pakistan relations.</li>
<li>In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack earlier this month, the role of Saudi Arabia in defusing tensions between the two countries has been termed significant. It&rsquo;s very much possible that the Saudi crown prince may have played an important role in setting up a backchannel effort between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama attack.</li>
<li><strong>The OIC offers a platform for Pakistan and India to play out their respective positions on a number of thorny issues and in the process involve the forum for de-escalation purposes.</strong></li>
<li>With Pakistan making all efforts to win over Riyadh&rsquo;s and the wider Gulf region&rsquo;s financial and diplomatic support, criticizing the decision to invite New Delhi would not sit well with Islamabad&rsquo;s interests.</li>
<li>Both India and the member countries of OIC have shared an interest in blunting the edge of religious extremism and terrorism.</li>
<li>Equally important has been the region&rsquo;s growing economic and energy interdependence with India, which is emerging as the world&rsquo;s third-largest economy and one of the biggest hydrocarbon importers and <g class="gr_ gr_89 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="89" data-gr-id="89">labour</g> exporters.</li>
<li>As the region&rsquo;s geopolitics enters a turbulent period, the potential for India as a military partner is also coming into view.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges within OIC</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Like the NAM and the Arab League, OIC has always struggled to overcome the multiple political contradictions within it.</strong> While the OIC raises concerns about Muslim minorities in non-member states, it could never take up the problems that Shia or Sunni minorities face in countries across the Middle East.</li>
<li><strong>Few OIC member states have the time and energy to argue with Islamabad over the merits of the formulations on India</strong> that it brings to the OIC table. Some of New Delhi's friends are trying to block some of Pakistan&rsquo;s anti-India excesses at the OIC<g class="gr_ gr_103 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Style replaceWithoutSep" id="103" data-gr-id="103">.But</g>, things change accordingly.</li>
<li><strong>Like Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) again, the OIC is a toothless tiger</strong> when it comes to dealing with squabbles among member states. Since everyone has a veto on what is said, nothing serious can be said, let alone done, about the many serious disputes between the member states that are now shaping the Middle East.</li>
<li>Except for the Islamic identity, there are very few cohesive factors that bind the member countries to each other.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>With better engagement with the Arab countries, India should aim to</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>expand areas of mutually beneficial cooperation,</li>
<li>minimize areas of misperception or divergence of interests, and</li>
<li>maximize advantages that may accrue to India.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India has good reason to be pleased that Pakistan can no longer veto India&rsquo;s engagement with critical states of the Middle East. For the emerging forces of political moderation and social modernization in the Middle East, India is a more attractive partner than Pakistan.</li>
<li><strong>However, India has to carefully balance its strategy towards the Islamic world by openly form stronger and better diplomatic ties with an overtly religion-based organization.</strong></li>
<li>But here is a paradox: In embracing OIC, an overtly religion-based organization, Delhi reduces the salience of faith in India&rsquo;s strategy towards the Islamic world.</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 1432,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'India-Asean Expo and Summit',
		'description' => '<p>Recently the Minister of Commerce &amp; Industry inaugurated the<strong> 4<sup>th</sup> India-<a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/asean" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASEAN</a> Expo and Summit</strong> 2019 in New Delhi.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is organised by the <strong>Department of Commerce</strong> in collaboration with industry body <strong>Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FICCI).</strong></li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FICCI)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>FICCI is a <strong>non-government, not-for-profit organisation established in 1927.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>largest and oldest apex business organisation</strong> in India whose history is closely interwoven with India's struggle for independence, its industrialization, and its emergence as one of the most rapidly growing global economies.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Summit is a platform for the policy makers, industry captains and business leaders to come together and forge a common vision for India and ASEAN&rsquo;s mutual growth and progress.</li>
<li>The exposition will showcase the best initiatives of the business and industry from India and ASEAN countries across various sectors of mutual cooperation such as Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Manufacturing &amp; Engineering, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), healthcare, etc.</li>
<li>The Summit is a testimony of India&rsquo;s dedicated efforts towards <strong>Act East policy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>India and ASEAN</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India-ASEAN trade and investment relations have been growing steadily, with <strong>ASEAN being the second largest trading partner</strong> of India,after China,with a total bilateral merchandise trade of USD 81.33 billion, i.e. <strong>10.58% in India&rsquo;s overall trade.</strong></li>
<li>India and ASEAN represent<strong> fast moving economies.</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to the recently published <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/world-economic-situation-and-prospects-wesp-2019-un" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>United Nations&rsquo; World Economic Situation and Prospects Report 2019</strong></a>, India and ASEAN are set to<strong> outpace the global growth (3.0 % in 2019).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>India continues to be the fastest growing major economy and is expected to grow at 7.2% in 2019 and ASEAN at 5.2%.</li>
<li>This is a manifestation of the<strong> new emerging world economic order</strong>, wherein India and ASEAN have a significant place.</li>
<li>India currently is working with ASEAN on<strong> multiple connectivity projects, through land, water, and air. E.g.:</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India-Myanmar-Thailand Highway, Kaladan Multinational Transit Transport Project,</li>
<li>Project Development Fund for <strong>CLMV countries ( Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>ASEAN remains central to the economic integration of the Indo-Pacific region through <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/rcep-ministerial-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).</strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Both sides need to<strong> explore opportunities through connectivity projects</strong> in order to remove physical impediments to trade and further<strong> integrate the two regions for better economic and trade relations.</strong></li>
<li>Increasing the<strong> rate of technology adoption and providing financing mechanisms</strong> is another challenge to expand growth.</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 1363,
		'category_id' => (int) 27,
		'title' => 'India Central Asia Relations',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Recently India&rsquo;s External Affairs Minister (EAM) participated in first <strong>India-Central Asia Dialogue</strong> in Samarkand, Republic of Uzbekistan.</li>
<li>Five countries from Central Asia participated in the dialogue- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.</li>
<li>All the countries participating in the dialogue are also members of the <a href="/important-institutions/drishti-specials-important-institutions-international-institution/important-international-institutions-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Shanghai Cooperation Organization</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>India-Central Asia Dialogue</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It was the first ministerial level India-Central Asia dialogue.</li>
<li>Dialogue focused on a number of issues <strong>including ways to improve connectivity and stabilize war-ravaged Afghanistan</strong>.</li>
<li>India has proposed setting up of <strong>&lsquo;India-Central Asia Development Group&rsquo;</strong> to take forward development partnership between India &amp; Central Asian countries.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The group may enable New Delhi to expand its footprints in the resource-rich region amid China&rsquo;s massive inroads and to fight terror effectively, including in Afghanistan.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>India will host the next India-Central Asia Dialogue in 2020.</strong></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Historical ties with Central Asia</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has had relations with Central Asia since the 3rd century B.C as the nations fell on route to the <strong>Legendary Silk Route</strong>.</li>
<li>The Silk Route not only served as the medium for transportation of goods, silk, textiles, spices etc but also facilitated dispersion of thoughts, ideas, religion and philosophy.</li>
<li>Buddhism found inroads in several of Central Asian cities such as Merv, Khalachayan, Tirmiz and Bokhara etc in form of Stupas and Monasteries.</li>
<li>Babur in 1526 came from the fertile valley of Fergana (food bowl of Central Asia) to the dusty town of Panipat and established the mighty rule of Mughals in India.</li>
<li>Men of prominence such as Amir Khusrau, Dehlawi, Al-Biruni, Abdur Rahim Khan i Khanan etc having Central Asian routes came and made their name in India.</li>
<li>During the Soviet period- culture, music, dance, movies and literature bound the Soviet Republics closely with India. Popularity of iconic stars like Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and others brought India into the homes and hearts of common people of this region.</li>
<li>Bilateral relations however suffered considerable neglect in the 25 years after emergence of these countries as independent States in 1991.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Present Time</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has registered significant progress recently through renovation of <strong>Chabahar port,</strong> development of the <strong>International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)</strong> and becoming a member of <a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/india-central-asia-dialogue" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Ashgabat Agreement</strong></a>.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), is multi-modal transportation established in 12 Sep 2000 in St. Petersburg, by Iran, Russia and India for the purpose of promoting transportation cooperation among the Member States.</li>
<li>This corridor connects India Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via the Islamic Republic of Iran and then is connected to St. Petersburg and North Europe via the Russian Federation.</li>
<li>The INSTC was expanded to include eleven new members, namely: the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Oman, Syria, Bulgaria (Observer).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India uses the instrumentality of soft power and its ready acceptability in Central Asia to strengthen bilateral ties.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India through cultural events- classical dance, music, Bollywood films, yoga, literature and educational programs reinforces the historical ties with the region.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The <strong>Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC)</strong> Program provides technical assistance and training in areas such as banking, remote sensing and information technology etc in the premier institutions in India.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Importance of Central Asia for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India has a very wide array of interests in Central Asia covering security, energy, economic opportunities etc.</li>
<li>Central Asia serves as a land bridge between Asia and Europe, making it geopolitically axial for India.</li>
<li>Security, stability and prosperity of Central Asia is imperative for peace and economic development of India.</li>
<li>The region is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, natural gas, antimony, aluminum, gold, silver, coal and uranium which can be best utilized by Indian energy requirement.</li>
<li>Central Asia has huge cultivable areas lying barren and without being put to any productive use, offering enormous opportunity for cultivation of pulses. Indian agribusiness companies can setup commercial agro-industrial complexes in Central Asia.</li>
<li>Owing to higher economic growth, several areas have become attractive for construction business, providing huge scopes to Indian companies engaging in financial services, contractors, engineers, and management specialists.</li>
<li>Both India and <strong>Central Asian Republics (CARs)</strong> share many commonalities and perceptions on various regional and world issues and can play crucial role in providing regional stability.</li>
<li>For India to use Chabahar as a vital gateway to access Eurasian markets and optimally operationalize its use, requires a Central Asian state joining the project as a direct stakeholder.</li>
<li>Central Asian Regions are fast getting linked to the global market for production, supplies of raw materials and services. They are also increasingly getting integrated into the <strong>East-West Trans-Eurasian transit economic corridors</strong>.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Indian Synergy in Central Asian Region</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Central Asia is facing many challenges in food security; Indian expertise in the field can be a game changer in the region.</li>
<li>Commercial farming is another important area where India and CARs can cooperate.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s experience in boosting food and milk production and modernizing agro-techniques under the green and white revolution can prove panacea for Central Asia.</li>
<li>Good relations with India will provide an assured market to these countries for their energy, raw materials, oil and gas, uranium, minerals, hydro electric power etc.</li>
<li>India can significantly bring in lots of foreign investment along with technical expertise in field of infrastructure, hospitality, medical etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>There are obstructions of physical connectivity due to Pakistan&rsquo;s hostility and Afghan instability for its desultory attitude towards Central Asia.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s current trade volume with Central Asia is minimal, and cannot be increased without substantially improving transport connectivity.</li>
<li>Politically, the Central Asian republics are highly fragile and also face threats like terrorism, Islamic fundamentalism etc making the region a volatile and unstable market.</li>
<li>There are several administrative laggards in the region such as non-availability of hard currency, banking services, and prevailing corruption creating roadblocks in smooth bilateral relations.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s <strong>"Look East"</strong> policy has resulted in concentrating its economic and diplomatic resources in Southeast and East Asia.</li>
<li>Involvement of China in Central Asia in form of Belt and Road Initiative while posing opportunity by giving easy access to India in the region, it can significantly undermine India&rsquo;s influence in the region.</li>
<li>Porous border and unbridled corruption along with the proximity with regions of soaring opium production (Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle) makes the region a powerhouse for drug and money trafficking.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is fairly understood that both the CAR and India both have not optimally utilized each other&rsquo;s resources present in diverse sectors.</li>
<li>India is rapidly moving towards its goal of becoming a regional power which continuously requires uninterrupted supply of fuel and energy which can easily be provided by the CAR.</li>
<li>There is a need to realize a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the <strong>Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)</strong> which has a potential of spurring the trade to 170 billion dollars from paltry 10 Billion Dollars.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Eurasian Economic Union</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The Eurasian Economic Union was started in 2015 based on the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.</li>
<li>The bloc was launched to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce within its borders.</li>
<li>Members: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India should be fully mindful of its historic Silk Route ties with Central Asia, and try to make an entry into the largely untapped energy potential of the region.</li>
<li>India needs to use its instrument of <strong>economic leverages more efficiently</strong> to build closer ties with Central Asia.</li>
<li><strong>'Connect Central Asia'</strong> Policy is a very comprehensive policy which includes political, security, economic and cultural cooperation.</li>
<li>India should make <strong>efforts to step up multilateral engagement</strong> with Central Asian partners using the synergy of existing forums like the SCO, Eurasian Economic Community (EEC) etc.</li>
<li>Measures such as <strong>relaxing of visa regimes, establishing schools and universities; strengthening tourism; Investment in agriculture sector</strong> can significantly improve India&rsquo;s position in the region.</li>
<li>Growing synergies between the India and CAR will promote security, stability, economic growth and development of all countries.</li>
</ul>',
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		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'UNCTAD Report on Trade Wars',
		'description' => '<p>Recently the UN body has released a report on trade wars titled <strong>"Trade Wars: The Pain and the Gain".</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>This dispute between China and the United States will <strong>not benefit domestic producers in either country</strong> but could have <strong>"massive" implications on the global economy.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t9i2KyY9CfA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><strong></strong></p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The ongoing trade tensions initially came out in <strong>early 2018 when China and the United States</strong> imposed tariffs on about $50 billion of each other&rsquo;s goods.</li>
<li>The confrontation quickly escalated, and in<strong> September 2018 the United States imposed 10% tariffs</strong> covering about $200 billion of Chinese imports, to which <strong>China retaliated by imposing tariffs</strong> on imports from the United States worth an additional $60 billion.</li>
<li>The 10% tariffs were initially due to rise to 25% in January 2019. However, in early December 2018 the parties agreed to freeze the tariff increase until 1 March 2019.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Positive Impacts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Amid tit for tat tariff hikes between Washington and Beijing, <strong>trade is being diverted</strong> and a handful of countries stand to benefit from the ongoing trade tensions.</li>
<li>The trade war between the US and China is expected to<strong> boost the Indian economy with a rise of 3.5% in exports.</strong></li>
<li>The countries that are expected to benefit the most from the trade war are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The <strong>EU members</strong> as exports in the bloc are likely to grow by USD 70 billion.</li>
<li><strong>Japan and Canada</strong> will see exports increase by more than USD 20 billion each.</li>
<li>Other countries set to benefit from the trade tensions include <strong>Australia, with 4.6% export gains, Brazil (3.8) India (3.5), Philippines (3.2) and Vietnam (5).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>However, the study also underscores that even for countries whose exports are set to increase because of the trade disrutptions, not all the results will be positive.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Negative Impacts</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>One major concern is the risk that trade tensions<strong> could spiral into currency wars, disturbances in commodity prices, financial markets, etc.</strong> all which will have important repercussions for developing countries.</li>
<li>The <strong>magnitude and duration of tariffs is unclear,</strong> because of which producers have been reluctant to make investment decisions that may turn out to be unprofitable if the tariffs are revoked.</li>
<li>More countries may join the fray and that protectionist policies could escalate to a global level, which is against the rule based order, thus hurting weaker countries the most.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>UNCTAD</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Established in 1964, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) promotes development-friendly integration of developing countries into the world economy.</li>
<li>UNCTAD is a <strong>permanent intergovernmental body established in 1964.</strong></li>
<li>Headquarters - <strong>Geneva, Switzerland.</strong></li>
<li>Some of the reports published by it are:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Trade and Development Report</li>
<li>World Investment Report</li>
<li>The Least Developed Countries Report</li>
<li>Information and Economy Report</li>
<li>Technology and Innovation Report</li>
<li>Commodities and Development Report</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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	(int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 1316,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Stormy Weather Awaits India in 2019',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;Stormy weather awaits India in 2019&rdquo; which appeared in The Hindu for 31st January 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll see fast-changing global orders and mixed challenges for India.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>As the world enters 2019, the global outlook looks gloomy</strong> on the front of changing diplomatic contours in the world. Amid these rapid changes, India prepares for the general election this year, and all signs point to 2019 being a difficult year. Whether this would directly impact the poll outcome is uncertain, but the country needs to remain alert to unexpected developments. The country already faces a difficult external and internal situation and there is also a need to show more proficiency on the diplomatic front.</p>
<p><strong>Global Disorder has become a Dominant Imperative of Unsteady Developments across the world.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Nations are today working at cross-purposes across the globe.</li>
<li><strong>A global leadership vacuum is leading to chaos</strong> concerning rules governing the international order.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>For Example, <strong>U.S. President Donald Trump&rsquo;s utterances and actions are provoking strong counter-reactions,</strong> especially from China and Russia.</li>
<li>Mr. Trump has threatened to pull out of a major arms control treaty with Russia. Russia has also been talking of building stronger deterrence. <strong>Cold War 2 seems for real now.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Global Diplomacy On different Dimensions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Russia</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Russia is vigorously pursuing its focal point to Asia</strong> and for greater influence in Eurasia.</li>
<li>It has deepened its partnership with China, and enhanced relations with Japan and South Korea. <strong>Growing tensions in the Sea of Azov <em>(following Russia&rsquo;s seizure of Ukraine&rsquo;s ships)</em> could well lead to a major conflagration</strong> between Russia and the West.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>China</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>China is consolidating its position in Asia.</strong> In addition to its strategic partnership with Russia, China has mended fences with Japan as well(<em>China-Japan relationship became better</em>).</li>
<li>Its Belt and Road Initiative has become the most potent weapon in China&rsquo;s armory, with Vietnam and Japan endorsing this concept. <strong>India finds itself increasingly isolated in Asia as a result.</strong></li>
<li>Economic portents during 2018 for most of the world proved highly daunting. The most challenging was the specter of an all-embracing U.S.-China trade war.</li>
<li>This had triggered highly unsettled conditions, and the situation was further aggravated by signs of a weakening Chinese economy.</li>
<li><strong>In 2018, China had initiated certain moves to create a China-Myanmar Economic Corridor on the lines of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>U.S</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The likelihood of the U.S. moving into a period of slower long-term growth</strong>, one that is likely to continue for a fairly long time, is aggravating this situation. India cannot hope to remain insulated from these trends.</li>
<li><strong>At the beginning of 2019, it is amply evident that politics is conflicting with business across the world.</strong> Hence, normal economic calculations are getting disrupted.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Pakistan</strong>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>This year could see a further consolidation of the &lsquo;all weather friendship&rsquo; of China-Pakistan.</strong> During 2018, Pakistan facilitated China&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan (and also succeeded in co-opting Russia to be a party to talks with the Afghan Taliban). The CPEC having weathered quite a few storms in 2018, seems well set to progress this further in 2019.</li>
<li>The prospects of India-Pakistan relations improving, on the other hand, are extremely limited. Cross-border terror attacks are likely to continue, as also sponsorship of terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Where India will face even rougher weather, is in Afghanistan, where the Afghan state is perilously close to imploding. India has been kept out of talks with the Afghan Taliban by all countries concerned, including the U.S., China, and Russia, apart from Pakistan. This is making India&rsquo;s position here highly invidious.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Mixed challenges for India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The strengthening of the <strong>Russia-China strategic relationship</strong> and the recent warmth in China-Japan relations could impact India&rsquo;s relations with both countries.</li>
<li>Notwithstanding the warmth displayed in public by the leaders of <strong>India and Russia, and India and Japan,</strong> the character of our relations with these two countries could <strong>undergo a change.</strong></li>
<li>The outlook for India in the rest of South Asia is also mixed. India will need to work harder in 2019 to check China from weaning away its neighbors, including Nepal and Bangladesh, with offers of economic and military aid.</li>
<li><strong>The return of Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister after the general elections in Bangladesh has been a welcome relief.</strong></li>
<li>India retrieved its position in the Maldives. It also succeeded in re-establishing its influence in Bhutan.</li>
<li>The more challenging internal security problems ahead will be Kashmir and the Northeast. In 2018, the situation in Kashmir sharply deteriorated, and the year witnessed some of the highest levels of violence since 1989.</li>
<li><strong>The deadlock between the Jammu and Kashmir administration and militants is unlikely to be resolved.</strong> President&rsquo;s rule has made little headway in sorting out the conflict-prone situation.</li>
<li><strong>Left extremist violence went up marginally in 2018, but the movement remained circumscribed within a core area in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jharkhand.</strong> Ideologically, the movement has remained vibrant, and in 2019, both ideological and militant aspects will need deft handling.</li>
<li>The Chinese Navy is also poised to challenge India&rsquo;s position in the Indian Ocean.</li>
<li><strong>China is preparing to outflank India by seeking control of the Kyaukpyu Port on the Arakan Coast in Myanmar,</strong> and planning a canal (the Kra canal), connecting the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand.</li>
</ul>
<p>Considering these difficult external and internal situation, peace in 2019 may prove elusive. On the diplomatic front, India will need to be more capable. 2019 will not only be about India&rsquo;s elections &ndash; the world is changing even as we speak. India needs to step off the treadmill and on to the escalator.</p>',
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	(int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 1294,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'E-comm Talks: India Must Stand Firm',
		'description' => '<div class="border">
<p>(The editorial is based on the article &ldquo;E-comm talks: India must stand firm&rdquo; which appeared in Businessline for 26th January 2019. In this editorial, we&rsquo;ll discuss India&rsquo;s decision to keep off the recent plurilateral talks at the WTO that is seeking to regulate the global digital economy.)</p>
</div>
<p><strong>Recently, a group of 75 countries announced its decision to launch negotiations on the trade-related aspects of e-commerce at the WTO, but India has decided to stay away from plurilateral talks.</strong></p>
<p><strong>What is a P<g class="gr_ gr_247 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="247" data-gr-id="247">lurilater</g>al Agreement in WTO?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>I<strong>t refers to an agreement which member countries can be party to on a voluntary basis.</strong> On the other hand, all the member countries are party to a multilateral agreement.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Background</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Over the past three years, there has been an aggressive <strong>push by the developed countries to initiate negotiations</strong> aimed at finalizing binding rules on different dimensions of the digital economy.</li>
<li><strong>The announcement of the plan to start the e-commerce negotiations was made at the World Economic Forum (WEF)</strong> <strong>meet in Davos.</strong></li>
<li>A joint statement of the 75 countries that include EU members, the US, China, Japan, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Peru, Myanmar, Nigeria, and New Zealand confirmed their intention to commence WTO negotiations on the trade-related aspects of e-commerce.</li>
<li>Countries seek to achieve a high standard outcome that builds on existing WTO agreements and frameworks with the participation of as many WTO members as possible.</li>
<li><strong>70 countries, including China, issued a joint statement confirming their intention to commence WTO negotiations on trade-related aspects of electronic commerce.</strong></li>
<li>Speaking at the same platform a day earlier, Shinzo Abe, Japan&rsquo;s Prime Minister, announced that he would &ldquo;set in train a new track for looking at data governance &mdash; call it the Osaka Track &mdash; under the roof of the WTO&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>What the developed countries of the digital world are seeking through the WTO negotiations on digital economy and e-commerce?</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>First, they want to have access to the free and unrestricted flow of data</strong> &mdash; the raw material that fuels their business. Their principal targets are large developing countries, such as China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and South Africa, which generate large volumes of digital data.</li>
<li><strong>Second, they seek to curtail the role of governments in regulating almost all key aspects of the digital economy.</strong></li>
<li><strong>Third, they want to leverage the negotiation to reduce their cost of doing business</strong> and enhance their incomes, including, by prohibiting countries from imposing taxes on them and on their products.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s Stand</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India did not even be an observer at the plurilateral negotiations at the moment as India thinks as it thinks it is not the right time to take on multilateral obligations in the area of e-commerce rules.</li>
<li>India, which was earlie<g class="gr_ gr_380 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="380" data-gr-id="380">r conside</g>ring the possibility of becoming an observer if the e-commerce negotiations were launched, has decided against it now as it could lead to more pressure for participation.</li>
<li>More than half of the 164 WTO members, including large developing countries such as India, South Africa <g class="gr_ gr_86 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="86" data-gr-id="86">and</g> Argentina, have decided not to be part of the talks.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Implications on India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The digital giants have managed to disguise their deep commercial interests and have succeeded in projecting these negotiations as being beneficial for developing countries.</strong></li>
<li>Prominent countries including India, Indonesia and most of the countries in Africa are firmly opposed to these negotiations, especially on the issue of cross-border data flows.</li>
<li><strong>With the weight of more than 70 countries behind the plurilateral initiative and the joint statement at Davos, India is likely to come under intense pressure from different directions to join the e-commerce negotiations.</strong></li>
<li>Given Abe&rsquo;s statement about Osaka Track on data governance, negotiations on e-commerce at the WTO is likely to be the foremost item on the agenda of the leaders, when they meet later this year, during the last week of June, in Osaka for the G20 Summit. At this meeting, Abe and leaders of some developed countries would seek to persuade India&rsquo;s Prime Minister to join the WTO negotiations.</li>
<li><strong>In e-commerce, India already has a multilateral work programme agreed to by ministers, which will be undermined by the plurilateral initiative.</strong></li>
<li>The Indian delegation to the WTO had reportedly stated that developing countries needed policy space in areas such as ownership and use and flow of data in sunrise sectors like cloud computing and data storage.</li>
<li><strong>The recent tightening of e-commerce marketplace rules by the government has led to protests from companies such as Amazon and Flipkart and also rumblings in Davos, where many countries have called for a stable e-commerce policy environment in India.</strong></li>
<li>Joining forces against the proposed e-commerce negotiations at the WTO, a group of civil society <g class="gr_ gr_84 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="84" data-gr-id="84">organisations</g> from various countries issued a statement opposing the talks on the grounds that it would constrain policy space for development.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>However, even for a plurilateral agreement on e-commerce to become a part of the WTO,<strong> it would require the consensus of the entire membership, including countries not part of the plurilateral group.</strong></li>
<li>At the core of India&rsquo;s approach <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_disable_anim_appear Grammar multiReplace" id="107" data-gr-id="107">on</g> this issue lies the reality that the country would be one of the largest creators of data in the world. <strong>This advantage can be leveraged to nurture its domestic digital economy so that it acquires a share in the digital economy commensurate with its status as a significant global source of data.</strong></li>
<li>If India is compelled by any future agreement at the WTO to allow unrestricted free flow of data across borders, then its ambition in the high-value digital segment would take a hit. In such a scenario, the country would be unable to monetize the raw material of the digital economy and would be reduced to becoming merely a consumer of digital products.</li>
<li>Domestically, India is likely to see lobby groups and experts lament that by staying out of the negotiations on e-commerce, India is missing out an opportunity to influence the rules that may get finalized. This commonly heard sentiment totally ignores the reality, and past experience, at the negotiating table.</li>
<li><strong>On issues of their deep interest, it is the developed countries that inevitably write the core rules.</strong> The influence of developing countries has been limited to fighting for some exceptions. Even if we do not like it, this stark reality needs to be acknowledged.</li>
<li>Further, there is hardly any issue in e-commerce negotiations, on which India may stand to gain. Instead, its participation would be more about limiting the damage that might arise from binding rules in this area. Given the mood of the proponents, it is unlikely that they will accommodate any development concerns of India. In short, even if the country is inside the negotiating room, it is unlikely to wield any meaningful influence on the final rules.</li>
<li><strong>No nation can prosper if it hands over its raw material to other countries for free. This is precisely what would be required of India if it becomes a party to an agreement on e-commerce at the WTO. If the country has to benefit from opportunities in the digital world, then the entire government must speak in one voice and act coherently at multiple international platforms and protect the national interest. Failure to do so would compromise our digital future.</strong></li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 1213,
		'category_id' => (int) 60,
		'title' => 'G20',
		'description' => '<h3>Why in News?&nbsp;</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Meeting of the Leaders&rsquo; of the G-20 Nations, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is G20?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.</li>
<li>The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world&rsquo;s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world&rsquo;s population, 85%&nbsp;of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment and over 75%&nbsp;of global trade.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Origin</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>1997-1999 ASIAN Financial Crisis:</strong> This was a ministerial-level forum which emerged after G7 invited both developed and developing economies. The finance ministers and central bank governors began meeting in 1999.</li>
<li><strong>Amid 2008 Financial Crisis</strong> the world saw the need for a new consensus building at the highest political level. It was decided that the <strong>G20 leaders</strong> would begin meeting once annually.</li>
<li>To help prepare these summits, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors continue to meet on their own twice a year. They meet at the same time as the International Monetary Fund and The World Bank.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How G20 Works?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The work of G20 is divided into two tracks:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>The finance track</strong> comprises all meetings with G20 finance ministers and central bank governors and their deputies. Meeting several times throughout the year they focus on monetary and fiscal issues, financial regulations, etc.</li>
<li>The Sherpa track focuses on broader issues such as political engagement, anti-corruption, development, energy, etc.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>Each G20 country is represented by its Sherpa; who plans, guides, implements, etc. on behalf of the leader of their respective country. (Indian Sherpa, at the G20 in Argentina, 2018 was Shri Shaktikanta Das)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>G20 Members</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.</li>
<li>Spain as a permanent, non-member invitee, also attends leader summits.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Structure and Functioning of G20</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The G20 Presidency rotates annually according to a system that ensures a regional balance over time.</li>
<li>For the selection of <g class="gr_ gr_1049 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="1049" data-gr-id="1049">presidency</g>, the 19 countries are divided into 5 groups, each having no more than 4 countries. The presidency rotates between each group. Every year the G20 selects a country from another group to be president.<br />India is in Group 2 which also has Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.</li>
<li>The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat or Headquarters. Instead, the G20 president is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy.</li>
<li>TROIKA: Every year when a new country takes on the presidency (in this case Argentina 2018), it <g class="gr_ gr_140 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="140" data-gr-id="140">works</g> hand in hand with the previous presidency (Germany, 2017) and the next presidency (Japan, 2019) and this is collectively known as TROIKA. This ensures continuity and consistency of the group&rsquo;s agenda.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Cooperation</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>In Toronto in 2010, leaders declared it to be the premier forum for global economic co-operation.</li>
<li>The work of G20 members is supported by several international <g class="gr_ gr_135 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="135" data-gr-id="135">organisations</g> that provide policy advice. These <g class="gr_ gr_164 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="164" data-gr-id="164">organisations</g> include:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>The Financial Stability Board (FSB). The FSB, which was established by G20 leaders following the onset of the global financial crisis,</li>
<li>The International Labour Organization (ILO).</li>
<li>The International Monetary Fund (IMF).</li>
<li>The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)</li>
<li>United Nations (UN)</li>
<li>World Bank</li>
<li>The World Trade Organization (WTO)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The G20 also regularly engages with non-government sectors. Engagement groups from business (B20), civil society (C20), <g class="gr_ gr_166 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="166" data-gr-id="166">labour</g> (L20), think tanks (T20) and youth (Y20) are holding major events during the year, the outcomes of which will contribute to the deliberations of G20 leaders.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Issues Addressed by G20</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The G20 focuses on a broad agenda of issues of global importance, although, issues pertaining to the global economy dominate the agenda, additional items have become more important in recent years, like:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Financial markets</li>
<li>Tax and fiscal policy</li>
<li>Trade</li>
<li>Agriculture</li>
<li>Employment</li>
<li>Energy</li>
<li>Fight against corruption</li>
<li>Advancement of women in job market</li>
<li>2030 agenda for Sustainable development</li>
<li>Climate Change</li>
<li>Global Health</li>
<li>Anti-terrorism</li>
<li>Inclusive entrepreneurship</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>India's Priorities in G20 Summits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Checking tax evasion to fight corruption</li>
<li>Choking terror funds</li>
<li>Cutting the cost of remittances</li>
<li>Market access for key drugs</li>
<li>Reforms in the World Trade Organisation to improve its functioning</li>
<li>&ldquo;Full implementation&rdquo; of the Paris Agreement</li>
</ul>
<h3>Achievements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Flexible:</strong> With only 20 members, the G20 is agile enough to make prompt decisions and to adapt to new challenges.</li>
<li><strong>Inclusive:</strong> The inclusion every year of invited countries, international organizations and civil society organization through engagement groups allow for a broader and more comprehensive perspective when assessing global challenges and building consensus to address them.</li>
<li><strong>Coordinated action:</strong> The G-20 has also played a crucial role in strengthening the international financial regulatory system, including better coordination across countries.</li>
<li><strong>Facilitated an increase in lending</strong> from multilateral development banks of US$235 billion at a time when private sector sources of finance were diminished.</li>
<li>Major achievements of the G20 include <strong>quick deployment of emergency funding</strong> during the 2008 global financial crisis.</li>
<li>It also works for <strong>reforms in international financial institutions</strong> by improving oversight of national financial institutions. Such as G20 driven reforms to the international tax system, through the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project and implementation of tax transparency standards.</li>
<li>G20 played a critical role in the <strong>ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement</strong>, with the WTO estimating it could contribute up to somewhere between 5.4 and 8.7%&nbsp;to global GDP by 2030 if the agreement were fully implemented.</li>
<li><strong>Better Communication:</strong> G20 bring World&rsquo;s top developed and developing countries together to bring consensus and reasoning into decision making through discussion.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>No Enforcement mechanism:</strong> The G20&rsquo;s toolkit ranges from simple exchanges of information and best practices to agreeing common, measurable targets, to coordinated action. None of this is achieved without consensus, nor is it enforceable, except for the incentive of peer review and public accountability.</li>
<li><strong>Not legally binding:</strong> the decisions are based on discussions and consensus which culminates in the form of declarations. These declarations are not legally binding. It&rsquo;s just an advisory or consultative group of 20 members.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The G20 cannot be a panacea for the world&rsquo;s problems. But over the past 10 years, the G20 has been an important forum for international cooperation.</li>
<li>Effective global governance, like the G20, is essential as rising powers seek opportunities to influence and contribute to the global order.</li>
</ul>',
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	(int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 1010,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'Seabed 2030: Mapping of Seafloor',
		'description' => '<p>The <strong>U.N.-backed project, called Seabed 2030</strong>, is working to pool data to create a map of the <strong>entire ocean floor by 2030</strong>. The map will be freely available to all.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The project was<strong> launched in 2017</strong> is a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation (Japanese philanthropic organisation) and Gebco (non-profit association of experts).</li>
<li>So far, the biggest data contributors to Seabed 2030 have been Dutch energy prospector Fugro and deep-sea mapping firm Ocean Infinity which were also involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines jet MH370, which disappeared in 2014.</li>
<li>The advanced <strong>sonar technology</strong> and advent of new technology such as <strong>underwater drones and robots</strong> is also speeding up the mapping process.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Benefits</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Economic:</strong> More than 90% of the world's trade is carried by sea, making safe navigation a key motivator for mapping.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>It will <strong>help the "blue economy",</strong> as countries and companies seek to protect or exploit deep-sea resources - from exploring for oil and gas to installing wind farms or laying fibre-optic cables for the Internet.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Environmental:</strong> it would provide a<strong> better idea of sea levels as ice melts</strong> and warn about <strong>impending tsunamis</strong> that could devastate coastal communities.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Challenges</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Even after collaboration at a scientific and technical level to share data, countries may use that knowledge <strong>against one another in geopolitical spats.</strong></li>
<li>Few countries are<strong> reluctant to give up strategic proprietary data to the Seabed 2030 project</strong>, largely due to national security concerns or in areas with sensitive geopolitical tensions, such as the South China Sea.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The project gains importance in the <strong>context of negotiations over UN Sustainable Development Goal ( Goal 14 - to conserve and sustainably use the oceans )</strong> due to be completed by 2020.</li>
<li>Moreover, the next phase of the project will also<strong> encourage data donors and crowdsourcing</strong> - not just from exploration vessels, but also from cargo ships, recreational sea-users and fishing boats.</li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 941,
		'category_id' => (int) 15,
		'title' => 'Brexit Deal: What Lies Ahead?',
		'description' => '<p style="text-align: left;">After months of negotiation,<strong> the United Kingdom(UK) and European Union(EU) have come up with a draft withdrawal agreement.</strong> To buy more time, both have agreed on a <strong>21-month "transition" period to smooth the way towards post-Brexit relations.</strong> However, Eurosceptics in Theresa May's (British P.M) own Conservative Party and opposition lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction over the way deal has evolved. It is now up to the UK parliament and EU member states to each <g class="gr_ gr_92 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="92" data-gr-id="92">ratify</g> the agreement, before Brexit day next March.</p>
<h3>Withdrawal Agreement and Transition Period</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>The UK and EU are currently finalizing a withdrawal agreement&mdash;</strong>the draft text was agreed by UK and EU negotiators in November 2018.</li>
<li>A key part of the withdrawal agreement is, <strong>there will be a transition period, until the end of 2020.</strong></li>
<li>This agreement sets out the exact terms of the UK and EU relationship immediately after exit-<strong> but it is not clear, on what terms the UK and EU&rsquo;s future relationship will be.</strong></li>
<li>Rather, it is a transitional arrangement, designed to make the separation process smoother.<strong> It covers things like trade, law, and immigration.</strong></li>
<li><strong>During the transition, the UK will be officially out of the EU and not be represented on EU bodies, but would still have the same obligations as an EU member.</strong> That includes remaining in the EU customs union and the single market, contributing to the EU&rsquo;s budget, and following EU law.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why Transition Period?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The main reason for the transition period is that the UK and EU don&rsquo;t think they have enough time to agree to all the terms of their future relationship by 29 March 2019.</li>
<li>The transition period is designed to give them more time to iron out all the details of their future relationship, including a possible free trade deal.</li>
<li><strong>So, withdrawal agreement could be signed soon and will come into effect on 29 March 2019. That leads to a transition period until the end of 2020, and from 2021 the UK and EU enter a new relationship, possibly underpinned by a free trade deal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Present Scenario</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>After a long arduous journey, <strong>the UK Cabinet has accepted the draft withdrawal agreement along with EU. Now the UK Parliament would vote on the contents of the agreement.</strong></li>
<li>It was a difficult agreement, nonetheless, a middle ground was found to appease some of the stakeholders in the deal. However, the deal has faced criticism in the UK.</li>
<li><strong>The ruling government may even have to face no-confidence motion over this.</strong> The opposition has called the draft a huge and a damaging failure.</li>
<li>There are many elements in the draft that have raised many eyebrows. However, the most contentious of them is the border settlement between the Northern Ireland and Ireland.</li>
<li>Besides the UK parliament, the draft deal has to be finalized by the EU Parliament before it is finalized. In the negotiation process, the EU would engage in a hard bargain so as to minimize the aftershocks of Brexit.</li>
<li><strong>The EU members have denied renegotiating the draft Brexit deal.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>Effect of BREXIT on the EU</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Brexit will weaken those forces in the EU that </strong><g class="gr_ gr_74 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling multiReplace" id="74" data-gr-id="74">favour</g><strong> greater integration.</strong> It has been a long difficult task to bring together warring nations who were up against each other&rsquo;s throat in not one but two world wars. Brexit will strengthen the claim of countries like Greece and Spain which want greater autonomy in their internal functioning.</li>
<li><strong>An impending fear of greater German dominance would be a reality.</strong> Britain&rsquo;s presence somewhat balanced the power of Germany. With Brexit, Germany would become the vortex around whom everything would revolve.</li>
<li><strong>The Brexit is termed as a major ideological shift, characterized by strong immigration laws, strict borders, and inward-looking economy.</strong> This is against the major strain of globalization. Its effect might be far-reaching.</li>
<li>While the trade impact of Brexit on the UK is likely to be significantly negative, its impact on the EU is also expected to be negative, but small. The UK and the EU would become each other's biggest trading partner but some member states, notably Belgium, Cyprus, Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands, are more exposed to a Brexit-induced economic shock.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Experts believe that if the draft gets turned down by the UK parliament, then it would pose a huge economic burden on the UK. A stopgap approach would disturb the fabric that has stood strong since the Second World War.</li>
<li><strong>Most experts believe that there should be a second referendum. The first referendum was based on lies, deceit, and misinformation.</strong></li>
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		'article_id' => (int) 915,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => 'World’s First Online Climate Summit',
		'description' => '<p>World leaders are set to participate in an innovative climate change summit that will take place entirely online which makes it a <strong>carbon neutral summit.</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By contrast, the <strong>UN's COP21 climate talks in Paris in 2015</strong> generated about <strong>43,000 tons of carbon dioxide</strong>, although much of this was later offset through carbon-credit schemes.</li>
<li>The Virtual Climate Summit is the<strong> brainchild of Marshall Islands President</strong>, whose nation is facing the worst impacts of climate change.</li>
<li>With participants including French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this will be the<strong> first global political meeting to be held online.</strong></li>
<li>It will consist of a rolling,<strong> 24-hour livestream</strong> that will begin in the Marshalls' capital Majuro, then include addresses from leaders and panel discussions before delivering a declaration.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Objectives</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The virtual summit's main aim is to<strong> encourage the international community</strong> to restrict global warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.</li>
<li><strong>Immediate objective is to cut carbon emissions</strong> since flying is among the most harmful activities for the climate, accounting for about 2.5% of the world&rsquo;s carbon emissions. Also, the online platform will<strong> not put additional pressure</strong> on already resource constraint nation.</li>
<li>A virtual summit also<strong> flattens the playing field,</strong> removes barriers like plane tickets and conference passes that inevitably leave out those most impacted by climate change<strong>. It is more participative.</strong></li>
<li>It is the <strong>first time</strong> that leaders from the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), have come together, and therefore it is also a chance for those on the front line of climate change to make their voices heard.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Climate Vulnerable Forum</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It is an international partnership of countries <strong>highly vulnerable</strong> to a warming planet. The forum serves as a <strong>South-South cooperation</strong> platform for participating governments to act together to deal with global climate change.</li>
<li>The Forum first met in <strong>Maldives in November 2009.</strong></li>
<li>Other <strong>initiatives taken by CVF</strong> to deal with climate change:
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li><strong>Vulnerable Twenty (V20)</strong> Group of<strong> Ministers of Finance</strong> of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a <strong>dedicated cooperation initiative of economies</strong> systemically vulnerable to climate change.
<ul style="list-style-type: disc;">
<li>It was established on 08 October <strong>2015 at Lima, Peru.</strong></li>
<li>It&rsquo;s primary objective is to promote the mobilisation of<strong> climate finance.</strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Survive Thrive #1.5C</strong> aims to promote actions to keep warming below 1.5&deg;C and urges people to get involved and keep updated on limiting global warming to 1.5&deg;C.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Earlier, a<a href="/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/global-warming-of-1-5-c-ipcc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> UN report</a> warned that threshold could be reached as early as 2030 unless there was unprecedented global action to rein in emissions.</li>
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	(int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) {

		'article_id' => (int) 612,
		'category_id' => (int) 21,
		'title' => ''Future of Jobs' Report by WEF',
		'description' => '<p>The World Economic Forum (WEF) in its report 'Future of Jobs' found that machines are increasingly replacing jobs done by people. It projected that more than half of all workplace tasks will be carried out by machines by 2025.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>It predicts the loss of some 75 million jobs worldwide by 2022, but also says 133 million new jobs will be created.</li>
<li>According to WEF, despite bringing widespread disruption, the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution could actually have a positive impact on human employment.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Key Findings</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Four specific <strong>technological advances</strong>: universal high-speed mobile internet; artificial intelligence; widespread adoption of big data analytics; and cloud technology&mdash;are set to dominate the 2018&ndash;2022 period as drivers positively affecting business growth.</li>
<li>By 2022, large proportions of companies are likely or very likely to have expanded their adoption of technologies such as the internet of things, big data analytics and app and web enabled markets, and to make extensive use of cloud computing.</li>
<li>Companies across all sectors are most likely to <strong>adopt the use of stationary robots</strong>, in contrast to humanoid, aerial or underwater robots, however leaders in the Oil &amp; Gas industry report the same level of demand for stationary and aerial and underwater robots, while employers in the Financial Services industry are most likely to signal the planned adoption of humanoid robots in the period up to 2022.</li>
<li>When determining job location decisions, companies overwhelmingly prioritize the <strong>availability of skilled local talent</strong> as their foremost consideration.&nbsp;A range of additional relevant factors such as the flexibility of local labour laws, industry agglomeration effects or proximity of raw materials were considered of lower importance.</li>
<li>In 2018, humans performed an average of 71% of total task hours across the 12 industries spanning manufacturing, services and high tech. By 2025, that will drop to just 48%. Machines will perform the remaining 52% task.</li>
<li>Among the range of established roles that are set to experience increasing demand in the period up to 2022 are Data Analysts and Scientists, Software and Applications Developers, and Ecommerce and Social Media Specialists, roles that are significantly based on and enhanced by the use of technology.</li>
<li><strong>Roles that leverage distinctively human skills</strong>, such as Customer Service Workers, Sales and Marketing Professionals, Training and Development, People and Culture, and Organizational Development Specialists as well as Innovation Managers, are expected to grow.</li>
<li>There is extensive evidence of <strong>accelerating demand for a variety of wholly new specialist roles</strong> related to understanding and leveraging the latest emerging technologies: <strong>AI and Machine Learning Specialists, Big Data Specialists</strong>, Process Automation Experts, Information Security Analysts, User Experience and Human-Machine Interaction Designers, Robotics Engineers, and Blockchain Specialists.</li>
<li>By 2022, no less than 54% of all employees will require significant re- and upskilling. Proficiency in new technologies is only one part of the 2022 skills equation, however, as&nbsp; human skills such as creativity, originality and initiative, critical thinking, persuasion and negotiation will likewise retain or increase their value.</li>
<li><strong>Emotional intelligence, leadership and social influence</strong> as well as service orientation also see an exceptionally large increase in demand relative to their current prominence.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Suggestions</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The need for a comprehensive <strong>&lsquo;augmentation strategy</strong>&rsquo;, an approach where businesses look to utilize the automation of some job tasks to complement and enhance their human workforces' comparative strengths and ultimately to enable and empower employees to extend to their full potential.</li>
<li>Rather than narrowly focusing on automation-based labour cost savings, an augmentation strategy takes into account the broader horizon of value-creating activities that can be accomplished by human workers, often in complement to technology, when they are freed of the need to perform routinized, repetitive tasks and better able to use their distinctively human talents.</li>
<li>To unlock this positive vision, workers will need to have the appropriate skills enabling them to thrive in the workplace of the future and the ability to continue to retrain throughout their lives.</li>
<li>Crafting a sound lifelong learning system, <strong>investing in human capital</strong> and collaborating with other stakeholders on workforce strategy should thus be key business imperatives, critical to companies&rsquo; medium to long-term growth, as well as an important contribution to society and social stability.</li>
<li>A mindset of <strong>agile learning</strong> will also be needed on the part of workers as they shift from the routines and limits of today&rsquo;s jobs to new, previously unimagined futures.</li>
<li>Finally, <strong>policy-makers, regulators and educators</strong> will need to play a fundamental role in the development of new agile learners in future workforces by bringing improvements in education and training systems, as well as updating labour policy to match the realities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.</li>
</ul>
<h3>In Context of India</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>An overreliance on <strong>automation is expected to shrink job creation&nbsp;</strong>in India. Automation and robotics in industrial manufacturing are better suited for countries with low productive populations. But it does not suit countries like India, where 12&ndash;13 million people enter the job market every year.</li>
<li>There is a <strong>natural fear of job loss</strong> resulting from automation and robotics in India. Repetitive processes are being increasingly automated. Banks in India are already using chatbots and even humanoid robots.&nbsp; For eg. HDFC Bank has the <strong>Ira robot</strong>, which helps customers choose the right service and financial products.</li>
<li>However, loss of jobs can be countered by reskilling, and by creating new opportunities.</li>
<li>Fourth Industrial Revolution&nbsp; also brings <strong>tremendous opportunities</strong> to leapfrog many stages of development, hastening its journey towards becoming a developed economy. In many ways, the Fourth Industrial Revolution can be seen as a leveller. The technologies being used in India will be the same as those in use in the developed world. Robots, AI, IoT are all technologies transforming industry in the West and are ready to do the same in India.</li>
<li>New industry sectors are being created. These have potential to create work for millions. There is already industry associations for producing and promoting the use of drones in India.&nbsp;</li>
<li>India needs a collaborative effort. It will have to create a long term ecosystem that trains and educates professionals. India could collaborate with the US, Germany, and the EU. The central government can consider a joint platform between ministries, state governments and industry bodies to create a mission for making the most of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<h3>Fourth Industrial Revolution</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>The <strong>first Industrial Revolution</strong> began in Britain in the last quarter of the 18th century with the <strong>mechanisation of the textile industry, harnessing of steam power</strong>, and birth of the modern factory.</li>
<li>The <strong>second revolution</strong> began roughly a century after the first and peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, exemplified in <strong>Henry Ford&rsquo;s</strong> creation of the moving <strong>assembly line that resulted in mass production</strong>. Factories could produce countless numbers of identical products quickly and cheaply.</li>
<li>The <strong>third industrial revolution</strong>, beginning in 1970s, was digital and <strong>applied electronics and information technology</strong> to processes of production.</li>
<li>The <strong>fourth industrial revolution</strong> is conceptualised as an <strong>upgrade on the third revolution</strong> and is marked by a fusion of technologies extending the physical, digital and biological worlds. The speed of change is utterly unprecedented as it is disrupting almost every industry in every country, and it heralds the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance.</li>
<li>WEF describes the new revolution as the advent of <strong>cyber-physical systems</strong> which, while being reliant on the technologies and infrastructure of the third industrial revolution, represent entirely new ways in which technology becomes embedded within societies and even our human bodies. Examples, include genome editing, new forms of machine intelligence, and breakthrough approaches to governance that rely on cryptographic methods such as blockchain.</li>
<li>It is <strong>marked by emerging technology breakthroughs</strong> in a number of fields, including<strong> robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing,</strong> biotechnology, the Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), fifth-generation wireless technologies (5G), additive manufacturing/3D printing and fully autonomous vehicles.</li>
</ul>
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		'article_id' => (int) 581,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'India and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation',
		'description' => '<p><em>The editorial analyses SCO's significance for India.</em></p>
<h3>Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)</h3>
<p>The SCO was formed in 2001, with the intent of reducing the tension at the Eurasian borders strained by the Sino-Soviet rivalry of the Cold War. However, the organization has become more inclusive in its agendas, moving forth from its core security orientation, seeking greater regional prosperity for the collective. Culture has become an important element of the SCO, attuned to the group&rsquo;s search for an inclusive Eurasian identity.</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>As a regional grouping, SCO has provided India, China <g class="gr_ gr_107 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="107" data-gr-id="107">and</g> Russia with an opportunity to reset regional ties.</li>
<li>The recent, SCO summit was held in June 2018 in Qingdao, China. India (with Pakistan) was admitted as its full member in the Astana summit, 2017.</li>
<li>The SCO summit gave India fresh leads to engage with Central Asia. Landlocked Uzbekistan will now funnel goods through the Iranian port of Chabahar &mdash; a joint undertaking of Iran, India, and Afghanistan.</li>
<li>Other than this India is re-exploring a transit corridor to Central Asia through Pakistan under the SCO&rsquo;s multilateral connectivity initiative. If the Pakistan-Central Asia two-way route works, it can soften the ground for improved ties between the two countries.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Members, Goals of the Pan-Eurasian Grouping</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization formed in 2001. It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.</li>
<li>SCO was launched by China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, reflecting a growing awareness among these countries to come to terms with the unilateralism of the U.S.-led post-Cold War world order.</li>
<li>The SCO comprises eight member states namely India, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.</li>
<li>There are four observer <g class="gr_ gr_176 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="176" data-gr-id="176">states:</g> Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia and six dialogue partners including Nepal and Sri Lanka.</li>
<li>Its <strong>main goals</strong> are: strengthening mutual trust and neighbourliness among the member states; promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, education, energy and other areas; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region; and moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is India&rsquo;s Stake and Role in the SCO?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s entry into SCO provides it&nbsp;with the opportunities in the geoeconomic and the geostrategic sphere in the Central Asian Region (CAR) which supplies around 10 percent of oil and energy to the world. Once energy-rich Iran is in the group, the stakes will be higher.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s pending energy projects like the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) pipeline, IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline can get a much-needed push through the SCO.</li>
<li>India could gain from SCO&rsquo;s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) analyzing key intelligence inputs on the movements of terror outfits, drug-trafficking, cybersecurity threats, and public information.</li>
<li>Under its framework, SCO can provide a rare opportunity for Pakistan and India to share several multilateral tables &ndash; antiterrorism structure, military exercises etc.&nbsp;</li>
<li>The SCO provides a platform for India to improve its bilateral relations with the Central Asian countries. It could be also useful for checking the rising influence of China in the Eurasian region.</li>
<li>The grouping is planning to initiate negotiations on the SCO FTA (free trade agreement) by 2020.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conclusion: SCO Matters</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>From the Indian foreign policy point of view, SCO opens up Central Asia for India while opening up vistas for regional cooperation in the region.</li>
<li>India needs more engagement in the region in the light of the growing Chinese influence and the need for energy security and regional stability.</li>
</ul>
<div class="border-bg">
<p><strong>Fighting Terrorism: SCO-RATS and India</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>SCO-RATS is a permanent body of the SCO and is intended to facilitate coordination and interaction between the SCO member states in the fight against terrorism, extremism <g class="gr_ gr_94 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="94" data-gr-id="94">and</g> separatism.</li>
<li>The main functions of SCO-RATS are coordination and information sharing. As a member, India has actively participated in the activities of SCO-RATS.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s permanent membership would enable it to generate greater understanding among members for its perspective.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Plurilateralism: a term for India&rsquo;s Current Foreign Policy</strong></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Countries with common interests have traditionally come together in subgroups to formulate, influence and negotiate policies both within and outside multilateral frameworks that characterize international decision-making processes.</li>
<li>Plurilateralism is not a new phenomenon but has been used by powerful blocs in and outside the multilateral framework.</li>
<li>Given the current complexities of multilateral negotiations, a shared interest among a limited number of governments brings these together for interconnection. This process of forming blocs is conceptualized as <g class="gr_ gr_81 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del multiReplace" id="81" data-gr-id="81">plurilateralism</g>.
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Examples of Indian <g class="gr_ gr_80 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling" id="80" data-gr-id="80">plurilateralism</g> (multiple mini-multilateral groupings) include BRICS, IBSA, BIMSTEC, G20, and SCO.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 450,
		'category_id' => (int) 22,
		'title' => 'Pieces of the Asian Dream',
		'description' => '<p><em>The article appears in The Hindu, of 29th August 2018. It engages with India&rsquo;s relation with the South-East Asian countries and analyses its implications on the geopolitics of the region. It gives a perspective on how Indian ambitions are being tested against Chinese assertiveness and resourcefulness.</em></p>
<p>The ongoing geopolitical rivalry of U.S and China has changed the relationship between the countries of South-East Asia. India is slowly emerging as a significant strategic space in the new power struggle being witnessed in the Indo-Pacific region.</p>
<h3>Influence of Indo-China relations on the South-East Asian region</h3>
<p>Both India and China have been seen struggling for the center-stage in the Indo-Pacific region and the relation between the two countries with each other influences sea lanes and chokepoints.</p>
<p>India maintains its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries through comprehensive diplomatic, bilateral and military dialogues. China, on the other hand, provides these countries with much-needed investment support for the infrastructure development. The immense influence of China&rsquo;s investment policy is reflected in ASEAN&rsquo;s decision as a regional block to dismiss the international ruling against the South China Sea activities of China and instead agreed to cooperate with it on a &lsquo;Code of Conduct&rsquo;.</p>
<h3>China&rsquo;s investment in the region</h3>
<p>China is one of the largest providers of foreign aid in the region and contributes to the investment in dams, oilfields, highways, textile operation and mines. It provided rifles and guns to the Philippines police after the same demand was struck down by the U.S.</p>
<p>ASEAN&rsquo;s trade with China surpasses that with India and Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is nine times higher in these countries than India&rsquo;s. China&rsquo;s growing military presence also gives it an upper hand as a decision maker in the region and offers a threat to India&rsquo;s diplomatic hobnobbing in the region. Apart from this, declining relations with Nepal over the 2015 fuel blockade and failed strategic interventions in Sri Lanka add to the woes of the country. Both the countries have been observed to shift towards China over the significant infrastructural investment flows.</p>
<p>However, the assertiveness and intervention in the internal matters of the countries that come with the Chinese investment have driven few countries like Indonesia and Singapore to find refuge in their relationship with India. <br /><a href="/news-analysis-editorials/news-editorials/06-08-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read more...The Many Problems with China's Belt and Road Initiative</a></p>
<h3>India&rsquo;s strategic bargain for China</h3>
<p>India and ASEAN share a unique cultural history and a sizeable Indian diaspora resides and contributes to the economies of countries like Singapore and Malaysia. The global soft power that India enjoys through its art, literature, music, dance, and cinema contributes to its image as a friendly nation which furthers its long-term engagement with the countries in the East Asian region.</p>
<p>Increased engagement with Japan, &lsquo;2+2&rsquo; dialogue for better maritime partnership with Australia (India is going to have a separate 2+2 dialogue with the US), along with its dominant soft power can be utilized by India to counter China&rsquo;s influence in the region. However, striking a balanced strategic relation with China can open up new possibilities for India to gain influence in the Indo-Pacific region especially among groupings like Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN).</p>
<h3>Way Forward</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>China&rsquo;s agreement with India on data sharing over <strong>cross-border flow of waters from the Brahmaputra during a flood season</strong> was renewed at the SCO summit. This can be an opening to a more meaningful engagement between the two Asian giants.</li>
<li>Also, a protocol has been signed by the two countries for the <strong>exports of all varieties of rice from India to China</strong> which can partly resolve India&rsquo;s adverse balance of payments against China.</li>
<li>A <strong>potential trade target of $100 billion by 2020</strong> has been suggested by China. This can provide a positive direction <g class="gr_ gr_49 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="49" data-gr-id="49">to</g> the relationship between the two countries.</li>
<li>Following the above-mentioned steps, an improved Indo-China relation can give way to <strong>a more defined geopolitical role for India</strong> in the Indo-Pacific region.</li>
</ul>',
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		'article_id' => (int) 25,
		'category_id' => (int) 17,
		'title' => 'A Note on Free Trade Agreements and Their Costs',
		'description' => '<h3>What are FTAs (Free Trade Agreements)?</h3>
<p>FTAs are arrangements between two or more countries or trading blocs that primarily agree to reduce or eliminate customs tariff and non tariff barriers on substantial trade between them. FTAs, normally cover trade in goods (such as agricultural or industrial products) or trade in services (such as banking, construction, trading etc.). FTAs can also cover other areas such as intellectual property rights (IPRs), investment, government procurement and competition policy etc.</p>
<h3>Why are almost all the countries signing Free Trade Agreements?</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>By eliminating tariffs and some non-tariff barriers, FTA partners get easier market access into one another's countries.</li>
<li>Exporters prefer FTAs to multilateral trade liberalization because they get preferential treatment over non-FTA member country competitors.</li>
<li>Possibility of increased foreign investment from outside the FTA.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><em>For example,</em></strong> Consider 2 countries A and B having an FTA. Country A has high tariff and large domestic market. The firms based in country C may decide to invest in country A to cater to A's domestic market. However, once A and B sign an FTA and B offers better business environment, C may decide to locate its plant in B to supply its products to A.</p>
<h3>India&rsquo;s trade theory and patterns</h3>
<p>The export performance is mainly measured along the following lines:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li><strong>Diversification across destinations, products and services</strong></li>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Overall trade (exports plus imports) ~ 40% of GDP.</li>
<li>Its trade deficit has grown from USD 6bn in FY01 to USD 109bn in FY17.</li>
<li>Exports have diversified since 1990s, both geographically and product wise.</li>
<li>Export to developed countries has declined and that to emerging economies has increased.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Composition of export basket</strong></li>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>More high-value products like <strong>manufactured goods and petroleum products</strong> (together ~85% of total exports in FY17) being exported</li>
<li>Foreign value addition in the exports has also more than doubled across all the industries.</li>
</ul>
<li><strong>India&rsquo;s export potential</strong></li>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>According to International Trade Centre (ITC)</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s untapped export potential = USD 201.4bn</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s untapped import potential = USD 181.8bn</li>
<li>Markets with greatest potential for INDIA, USA, China and UAE</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h3>Drivers of India&rsquo;s export</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India now exports more income sensitive items like engineering goods, petroleum, gems and jewelry and chemical products.</li>
<li>Indian exports are sensitive to:</li>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>Price changes</li>
<li>Global demands</li>
<li>Supply side bottlenecks like energy shortages</li>
<li>External demands</li>
<li>Higher logistic costs</li>
</ul>
<li>Indian export is more sensitive to changes in external demands than to price changes.</li>
<li>India ranked 40, while China ranked 27 in <strong>Global Competitiveness Index</strong> 2017-18.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s CIP (Competitiveness of Industrial Production) score improved from 0.04 in 2000 to 0.07 in 2010, and yet the improvement rate is <strong> far behind that of China.</strong></li>
</ul>
<h3>India&rsquo;s experience with Free Trade Agreements</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Regional Trade Agreements today go beyond tariff cuts in trade in goods and incorporate various other components like liberalization in services, investment etc.</li>
<li>The first RTA of which India became a member was the <strong>Bangkok Agreement in 1975</strong>. In 2005, this reincarnated as <strong>Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA)</strong>.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s first bilateral FTA with Sri Lanka (ISFTA) came into effect in March 2000.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s first bilateral FTA with Sri Lanka (ISFTA) came into effect in March 2000.</li>
<ul style="list-style-type: circle;">
<li>India's exports to FTA countries has not outperformed overall export growth or exports to rest of the world.</li>
<li>FTAs have led to increased imports and exports, although the former has been greater.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with ASEAN, Korea and Japan has widened post-FTAs.</li>
<li>According to Economic Survey 2016-17, FTAs have had a bigger impact on metals on the importing side and textiles on the exporting side.</li>
<li>Utilisation rate of FTAs by exporters in India is very low (between 5 and 25%).</li>
</ul>
<li>Diversification of India&rsquo;s export basket is more responsible for India&rsquo;s export surge than RTAs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Assessment of India&rsquo;s FTA with ASEAN, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka</h3>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>Bilateral trade increased post signing of all the above FTAs</li>
<li><strong>Imports from these FTA partners into India increased more than India&rsquo;s exports</strong> to partner countries post signing of FTAs</li>
<li>As imports from Korea, Japan and ASEAN have shot up after the respective agreements came into force, <strong>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with these countries has increased</strong> since then. Only exports to Sri Lanka have increased much more than imports into India from Sri Lanka.</li>
<li><strong>Overall trade deficit with ASEAN, Korea and Japan doubled</strong> from FY11 to FY17.</li>
<li><strong>Quality of trade has also deteriorated</strong> under India ASEAN FTA.</li>
<li>The analysis shows that <strong>trade balance has worsened</strong> (deficit increased or surplus reduced) for 13 out of 21 sectors. Sectors where trade deficit has worsened account for approximately 75% of India&rsquo;s exports to ASEAN.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and China - Foreign trade Agreements</h3>
<p>China is India&rsquo;s biggest trading partner accounting for almost <strong>10% of India&rsquo;s overall trade</strong>.The Sino-Indian trade scenario can be summarized as:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s overall trade deficit with China has risen thirteen fold in the past decade. In fact, China now accounts for about <strong>50% of India&rsquo;s trade deficit</strong>.</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s exports to China have grown at an average of <strong>13%</strong> since FY04 while Chinese imports into India have increased at <strong>26%</strong> y-o-y</li>
<li>India tends to <strong>export primary materials</strong> such as ores, minerals and cotton, whereas <strong>Chinese exports to India</strong> are mostly a wide variety of sophisticated products <strong>higher up in the value chain</strong>.</li>
<li>China&rsquo;s export basket is better diversified than that of India&rsquo;s.</li>
<li>Nearly one-sixth of <strong>anti-dumping cases</strong> on China are from India.</li>
<li>Except Thailand and Malaysia, all other ASEAN countries having FTA with China are running in a trade deficit.</li>
</ul>
<h3>India and RECP</h3>
<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 58px;">
<td style="width: 25.5717%; height: 58px;"><strong>What is RCEP</strong></td>
<td style="width: 74.3243%; height: 58px;">Regional comprehensive Partnership Agreement (RCEP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between 10 ASEAN countries and their six FTA partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 10px;">
<td width="319" style="width: 25.5717%; height: 10px;">
<p><strong>Why it worth of so much attention</strong></p>
</td>
<td style="width: 74.3243%; height: 10px;">
<p>It accounts for:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>25% global GDP</li>
<li>30% global trade</li>
<li>26% FDI flows</li>
<li>45% of the total population</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 98px;">
<td width="319" style="width: 25.5717%; height: 98px;">
<p><strong>The significance for India</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="319" style="width: 74.3243%; height: 98px;">
<p>For India RCEP accounts for:</p>
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>27% total trade</li>
<li>15% exports</li>
<li>35% imports</li>
<li>$83 billion of trade deficit (in 2017) out of which China alone accounts for 60%</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 95px;">
<td width="319" style="width: 25.5717%; height: 95px;">
<p><strong>Challenges it poses</strong></p>
</td>
<td width="319" style="width: 74.3243%; height: 95px;">
<ul style="list-style-type: square;">
<li>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with the bloc has risen from $9 billion in FY05 to $83 billion in FY17</li>
<li>India&rsquo;s trade deficit with the bloc has risen from $9 billion in FY05 to $83 billion in FY17</li>
<li>India is not able to negotiate on the terms</li>
<li>Tariff cuts under RCEP overlap with existing FTAs</li>
<li>China seems to benefit the most out of the RCEP, gaining in exports to other countries</li>
<li>Existing FTAs are lying unutilized</li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>
<h3>Some policy recommendations</h3>
<ol>
<li>Review and assess its existing FTAs in terms of benefits to various stakeholders and changing trade patterns, before signing new ones.</li>
<li>Negotiate bilateral FTAs with countries where trade complementarities and margin of preference is high.</li>
<li>Reduce compliance cost and administrative delays is extremely critical to increase utilisation rate of FTAs.</li>
<li>Proper safety and quality standards should be set to avoid dumping of lower quality hazardous goods into the Indian market. Circumvention of rules of origin should be strictly dealt with by the authorities.</li>
<li>RCEP negotiations especially with China need to be properly pondered upon and planned.</li>
</ol>',
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