It was from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and it said: “Happy birthday, Modi-san, had a great time in Tokyo, see you next time”. It was Modi’s 64th birthday today.
The informal tone of the message was designed to rub it in to anyone who had heard about the highly successful Japan visit Modi undertook recently and to subtly tell the Chinese that Japan had managed a prior claim on the Indian prime minister.
As President Xi and his wife touched down at Ahmedabad airport – she resplendent in a baby pink outfit – they got a welcome that was unusual. That the Chinese Premier began his visit with Ahmedabad, the capital of Modi’s former domain, Gujarat, was in itself unusual.
But from trying his hand at spinning a charkha (a traditional symbol of Mahatma Gandhi’s campaign in Gujarat), swinging gently on the traditional lac Sankheda swing (another Gujarati symbol) and a 150 course vegetarian dinner, Xi found time to sign three memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
These MoUs included one twinning Guangdong and Gujarat and Ahmedabad and Guangdong, an MoU in industrial sector between China Development Bank Corporation and Industrial Extension Bureau (Indext-B) and a third extending Chinese support to Industrial park project in Gujarat.
The substantive work – of discussing the border dispute, signing MoUs for investment and reviewing China’s claim that its high speed railway is better than Japan’s – will be done today (Thursday) and the day after.
Captains of Gujarat’s top industrial and business groups, the chief minister of the state and ministers were present.
India’s economic growth has flagged in recent years, and commentators now talk of catching up with their regional rivals. It is an indisputable fact that from economic parity in 1980, China’s growth has outstripped India’s fourfold.
Nor can it be denied that since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 India has constructed 6,800 miles of railway track, while China added 8,700 miles in the five years.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2014.
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India has the fourth largest railway network worldwide. So how can you say that india build only this much railway track from 1947
China to invest 20 billion$ in next 5 year,that is less than said by its consul general but still a big investment,more importantly it seems the talk is more dominated by border issues and seems India has got what it wanted and in the media statements of both leaders during press conference after summit meet,India openly talks about the border issues and the Chinese president accepted publicly and raised border issues too many times in his statement and said that there is issue to solve it quickly for the betterment of both nations.That is the a major success of India despite the less but still a big investment numbers.Earlier it is said by Chinese to invest 100 billion$ by its consul general but it is also said by Indian source that India is unlikely to and will not relax the security norms for Chinese investment whatsoever and is also unlikely to grant the Chinese the market economy status anytime soon in future and was also said earlier by India's FM that One-China policy will be endorsed by India only if One-India policy is endorsed by China therefore India no longer adds the Tibet in its Joint statement with China since 2010 but have kept it actively as a card in its foreign policy.But more than Chinese investment the border issue comming in a dominating way suggest India hit the nail right.India is now not only pursuing the aggressive foreign policy on diplomatic front globally but has also adopted the aggressive stance on its borders with just recently Indian troops confronted and challenged the Chinese PLA and drove them back and demolished the temporary track of some 10 meters build by Chinese forces on perceived Indian territory.Now again some more 1000 soldiers equally from both sides are in eye ball to eye ball situation with China now getting worried about India's changed stance of tolerance like it was in case of previous UPA govt to a more muscular approach under PM Modi's NDA govt both on border and global stage.China tested and got the result of experiment on PM Modi govt.But despite such difference it is good that both got themselves engages on economic front.India's current muscular approach though may get interpreted differently by China and Pakistan but India will look at its own interest and protect its interest at any cost anywhere and that what the message of current PM Modi led NDA Govt.This will be good for India and China if confrontation is avoided by both especially on borders but till then economy economy is fine.Hope relation will improve and it will,this visit is the new beginning.
Something vibrant
||since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 India has constructed 6,800 miles of railway track|| even though India has constructed 11,000 KM since 1947 - and it is not that great compared to China but compared to many other countries India has done a wonderful job, because Indian Railway is the largest employer in India with annual revenue of (US$24 billion) with profit (US$2.6 billion) - also India is having 5 metro rail project under operation and another 9 metro rail project under construction and many of them are in finishing stage - so Indian Railway in in right track and have not done that bad compared to many other countries and also now in right hands under PM NaMo leadership...
This is certainly a game changer. Two largest civilizations are warming up. Let us spread love not wars.