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Cultural Relations main weapon of India to rule over world.IndomaniaExternal Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a state visit to Vietnam from 25th August, 2014.The President of India is scheduled pay a State Visit to Vietnam in September 2014 which is going to take from 14-17th September 2014.During the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to India in November 2013, both sides revised the trade target of US$ 7 billion by 2015 & US$ 15 billion by 2020 but what happened in 2014 trade surpassed US$ 8 billion .A proposal to set up a Centre for Satellite Tracking and Data Reception and an Imaging facility in Vietnam under ASEAN-India Cooperation mechanism is under consideration. The Centre will be fully funded by India and ISRO will be the implementing agency. It will utilise data provided by Indian remote sensing satellites and harness it for multiple developmental applications.India-Vietnam RelationsBackgroundIndia-Vietnam relations have been exceptionally friendly and cordial since their foundations were laid by Prime Minister Nehru and President Ho Chi Minh more than 50 years ago.In recent times, India's thrust under the 'Look East' policy combined with Vietnam's growing engagement within the region and with India has paid rich dividends.Vietnam is an important regional partner in South East Asia. India and Vietnam closely cooperate in various regional forums such as ASEAN, East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides UN and WTO.Exchange of high –level visitsThere have been several high-level visits from both sides in recent years. From the Vietnamese side, these includeGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Mr. Nong Duc Manh in 2003,Prime Minister Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, in 2007,Vice-President Mme. Nguyen Thi Doan in 2009 andChairman, National Assembly of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong in 2010,President Mr. Truong Tan Sang in October2011 andGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong in November 2013.Prime Minister Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung visited India in December2012 to participate in the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit.General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong paid a State visit to India from 19-22 November 2013 at the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. During his visit, General Secretary called on the President and met the Vice President, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and held talks with Prime Minister.From the Indian side,Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2001,Lok Sabha Speaker Mr. Somnath Chatterjee in March 2007,President Mrs. Pratibha Patil in November 2008,PM Dr. Manmohan Singh in October 2010 to attend the 8th ASEAN-India Summit and the 5th East Asia Summit,Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs. Meira Kumar in May 2011.Vice President, Mr. Md. Hamid Ansari from 14-17 January 2013 for the closing ceremony of the India-Vietnam Friendship Year 2012.External Affairs Minister and leaders of Indian political parties met the General Secretary separately. The General Secretary also visited Mumbai where he met the Governor of Maharashtra and interacted with the Indian business community. A Joint Statement was issued and 8 bilateral MoUs/ agreements were signed.The President of India is scheduled pay a State Visit to Vietnam in September 2014 which is going to take from 14-17th September 2014.Apart from these many Ministerial-level exchanges are thereEconomic and Commercial RelationsBilateral trade between India and Vietnam has seen continuous growth over the past few years. India is now among the top ten trading partners of Vietnam. Bilateral trade touched US$ 6.1 billion in 2012. Exports from India were US$ 4 bn exports and imports 2.1 bn. According to Vietnam's official data, total trade volume touched US$ 5.2 billion in 2013.Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to India in November 2013, both sides revised the trade target of US$ 7 billion by 2015 & US$ 15 billion by 2020 but what happened in 2014 trade surpassed US$ 8 billion .Defence CooperationThe 8th annual security dialogue at the secretary level was held in Ho Chi Minh City on 8 November 2013. The Indian Armed Forces have been engaged with the capacity building of the Vietnamese Armed Forces particularly the Navy. The areas of focus have been training, repairs and maintenance support, exchanges between think tanks, study tour and ship visits. India and Vietnam would be co-chairing the Expert Working Group on Humanitarian Mine Actions in the ADMM+ forum. Four India Navalships which included the indigenously built stealth frigate INS SATPURA and fleet tanker INS SHAKTI with a complement of around 1200 officers and sailors visited Da Nang from 6-10 June 2013. INS Shivalik, a stealth multi-role frigate is scheduled to visit Hai Phong port from 5-8 August 2014.Science and TechnologyThe Joint Committee on Science and Technology meets periodically. Both sides have initiated a Joint Project for leather research and tannery waste recycling between Central Leather Research Institute of India and the Viet Nam Leather Research Institute.A conference on Vietnam-India Biotechnology Cooperation was held in Hanoi on 27 February 2013 with participation of scientists from technology research and development institutes in both Vietnam and India. Both sides finalized a Programme of Cooperation (PoC) for 2013-2014.Assistance and Capacity BuildingLines of Credit: Since 1976, India has offered several Lines of Credit (LoCs) to Vietnam over the years on concessional terms and conditions.Scholarships: Vietnam has been a large recipient of training programmes under IndianTechnical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. Presently, 150 ITEC slots are being offered to Vietnam every year along with 16 scholarships under the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme (GCSS), 14 scholarships under the Educational Exchange Programme (EEP) and 10 scholarships under the Mekong Ganga CooperationScholarship Scheme (MGCSS).ARC-ICT: A US$ 2 million Advanced Resource Centre in Information and Communications Technology (ARC-ICT) was inaugurated by External Affairs Minister in Hanoi in September 2011. The Centre has been set up by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) and trains students and Government officials in various areas such as web designing, network systems, java, GIS applications and egovernance.Gift of High Performance Computer: On 12 November 2013, The 16-node cluster with basic visualization laboratory and a 5-node Grid Computing facility at an estimated cost of Rs. 4.7 crore has been gifted to Vietnam by India. This is the highest configuration of supercomputer ever gifted by Indian Government till date.Indira Gandhi Hi-Tech Crime Laboratory: This Rs 2 crore grant assistance project to establish a Hi-Tech Crime Laboratory in Ha Noi. The MoU on this project was signed in November 2013.Vietnam within the ASEAN frameworkIndia has set up the Vietnam-India Center for English Language Training in Danang in July 2007 and the Vietnam-India Entrepreneurship Development Centre in Hanoi in May 2006 as part of its support to the Initiative for ASEAN Integration providing technical assistance to the Government of Vietnam & others are under way.Assistance through IBSA: IBSA funded Rice Seed Improvement Project inDanang is ongoing with a grant from IBSA fund of US$ 529,000. An e-learning project for medical training at the Haiphong Medical University is under consideration.Cultural Relations and People to People ExchangesA Festival of India was held in Vietnam from 5-15 March 2014. It was held in three cities – Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City and had the following components: Classical Dance Recital by Sangeet Natak Academy, Buddhist Festival by Central Institute of Himalayan Cultural Studies, Food Festival, Folk dance by Kalbelia Group, Mehendi, and Yoga. All elements of the festival received an overwhelming response inVietnam.India has decided to open a Cultural Centre in Hanoi. The Centre will strengthen India’s cultural presence in Vietnam and constitute an important dimension of the friendly partnership between the two countries.Conservation and restoration of Cham monuments: The Archaeological Survey of India is to execute a conservation and restoration project at the UNESCO heritage site of My Son in Vietnam. The project will highlight the old linkages of the Hindu Cham civilization between India and Vietnam. An MoU is under discussion, project duration would be 5 yrs.At present, there are no direct flights between India and Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines and Jet Airways signed a MoU in October 2011 on comprehensive cooperation which includes commencing direct flights in the near future. A revised Air Services Agreement was signed in November 2013. Jet Airways is scheduled to launch a codeshare flight between Delhi-Bangkok- HCMC in 2014.India has accorded visa-on-arrival facility for Vietnamese nationals with effect from 1 January 2011.Indian CommunityEstimated population of Indians living in Vietnam is 1500 which is vibrant, law-abiding, well-educated and prosperous., mostly in HCMC.Useful Resources:For more information and latest updates please visit:Embassy of India, Hanoi website:Welcome to Embassy of India, Ha Noi (Viet Nam)Embassy of India, Hanoi Facebook page:Embassy of India HanoiIndia Global- AIR FM Gold: Program on Vietnam:*****August 2014Page on mea.gov.inIndomania

1. India and Afghanistan have a strong relationship based on historical and cultural links. The relationship is not limited to the governments in New Delhi and Kabul, and has its foundations in the historical contacts and exchanges between the people. In recent past, Indo-Afghan relations have been further strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between the two countries in 2011. As Afghanistan was undergoing three simultaneous political, security and economic transitions in 2015, India had allayed its fears about its future by making a long-term commitment to the security and development of Afghanistan.The Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between the two sides, inter alia, provides for assistance to help rebuild Afghanistan's infrastructure and institutions, education and technical assistance to re-build indigenous Afghan capacity in different areas, encouraging investment in Afghanistan's natural resources, providing duty free access to the Indian market for Afghanistan's exports support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, broad-based and inclusive process of peace and reconciliation, and advocating the need for a sustained and long-term commitment to Afghanistan by the international community. As the lead country for Trade, Commerce and Investment CBM of Heart of Asia Process, India hosted Senior Officials Meeting of the Heart of Asia countries in New Delhi in January 2014 and with the help of FICCI, India is organising a 6th Regional Technical Group (RTG) in New Delhi on November 2015.MoS Gen V K Singh led the Indian delegation to participate in Heart of Asia Ministerial Meeting in October 2014 in Beijing and the London Conference in December 2014. Secretary of M&ER Division, Shri. Sujata Mehta led the delegation to participate in the RECCA VI conference held in Kabul in September 2015.2. There also exists a high-level political engagement with Afghanistan, which is reflected in the large number of bilateral high-level visits. There have been frequent high level visits from both sides, including among others, Prime Minister in May 2011; Vice President in March 2014 (to Participate in the funeral of FVP Marshal Fahim) and September 2014 (Inaugural Ceremony of National Unity Government), External Affairs Minister (EAM) in January 2011, February 2014 (inauguration of ANAASTU) and September 2014 (unveiling of the monumental flag and New Chancery premises inauguration) ; National Security Adviser (NSA) in March 2011, February 2013 and October 2014; Special Envoy to PM to Kabul in June 2011 for a meeting of the International Contact Group; Foreign Secretary in September 2011, August 2013 and May 2014; Minister of Law & Justice in September 2011 and June 2014, Minister for Steel in April 2013, and by Shri S. Ramadorai, Adviser to the Prime Minister of India in the National Council on Skill Development and Shri M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of National Farmers Commission.3. Hon’ble EAM Smt. Sushma Swaraj visited Afghanistan and called on the President Karzai and jointly inaugurated a monumental Afghan Flag on 10 September 2014. This flag, a symbol of Afghan unity and nationhood was organized with assistance from various sponsors including the Flag Foundation of India. India announced US $ 1 million for creation of a national public park around the flag. Indian initiative was widely appreciated by Afghans and the international community. EAM also inaugurated the new chancery complex in Kabul from which the Embassy has started operating since July 2014. She pointed out that this was the clearest statement of ‘no exit’ policy by India. During Heart of Asia 2015, Hon’ble EAM Smt. Sushma Swaraj led a high level delegation to Islamabad. In the conference EAM stressed on increased connectivity, regional trade and openness with Afghanistan, and also "extended India’s hand towards Pakistan" in this regard.4. From the Afghan side, high level visits to India included Former President Hamid Karzai's visit in May, 2013, following closely after his state visit in November, 2012, when he delivered the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Memorial lecture, had intensive discussions with political and business leaders and oversaw the signing of four MoUs with India. India also hosted the Upper House of the Afghan Parliament, Meshrano Jirga, for a study visit from 11-18 February, 2013. The former President Hamid Karzai visited India to attend the swearing in ceremony of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in May 2014. Mr Karzai visited India in November 2014 to participate in HT Leadership Summit and also attended the 125th Birth Anniversary of the First PM Pt Nehru, organized by the Indian National Congress. PM Modi met the new President Dr Ghani on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014. Gen. Karimi’s visited IMA Dehradun as the Chief Guest at passing out parade in December 2014 and also met with COAS Gen Suhag.5. The Presidential elections were held in 2014 in Afghanistan. After a protracted electoral process for two rounds of elections and UN mediated audit process, a Political Agreement was signed between two leading contenders – Dr Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah which led to the formation of national unity government, inaugurated on 29 September 2014. The ceremony was attended by our Vice President Dr Hamid Ansari. Our consistent signaling on the political inclusivity and peaceful transfer of power was addressed and appreciated by all sections of the Afghans. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his congratulatory message wholeheartedly welcomed the agreement between the two Afghan leaders and mentioned that wisdom they have shown respects the strong democratic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan, which was also manifested by the poll turnout. PM also conveyed that India will stand steadfastly with the new government of Afghanistan as it continues the task of building a strong, developed and peaceful nation.6. In 14 March 2015, Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of arrived in India for a three days visit. During his visit he met with Mohammad Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India and some other high ranking government officials. He also participated in India Conclave Conference organised by India Today magazine. The President Dr Ashraf Ghani, after seven months in April 2015 paid an official visit to India in April 2015. During the visit, President Ghani met President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee; Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi; and External Affairs Minister Shri Sushma Swaraj. Both side discussed about the cooperation and assistance in various sectors including the health, education, agriculture, disaster management, power sector and electoral management. As a result of President Ghani’s visit, India has gifted Afghanistan three Cheetal helicopters; assistance for the annual maintenance of M/s Habibiyar School, Kabul and Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health; USD 5 million fund to ARCS to treat Afghan child with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) in India for 5 years; extension of ICCR scholarship till 2020 and indicated readiness to sign a bilateral motor vehicle pact to allow vehicles from both sides to traverse each other's countries.7. The National Security Adviser of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar visited India on November 8-9, 2015. During his two-day visit, the Afghan NSA engaged in bilateral talks with the relevant Indian government authorities. The meetings focused on cooperation in the political, security and economic areas including the current situation in Afghanistan and the region. The National Security Adviser of Afghanistan and the Indian authorities discussed and exchanged views on mutual efforts in fighting against terrorism in line with the provisions of the Strategic Partnership Agreement. On bilateral economic cooperation, H.E. Atmar discussed with the Indian authorities expedition of investments by Indian companies in Afghanistan.8. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Hekmat Khalil Karzai paid an official visit to New Delhi from November 16 – 20, 2015. Deputy Foreign Minister Karzai during his four day visit conducted meetings with Indian authorities to discuss a host of issues and the state of progress in the bilateral ties between Afghanistan and India and interacted at India based think-tanks. Accompanied by a number of relevant delegates, the Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister paid his first official visit to India.The Afghan authority met with the Indian Hon’ble Vice- President H.E. Hamid Ansari, Minister of External Affairs H.E. Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Skills Development and Employment opportunities H.E. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Foreign Secretary H.E. S. Jaishankar, Special Secretary (ER) Smt. Sujata Mehta, Home Secretary, H.E. Rajiv Mehrishi, BCCI Secretary General Mr. Anurag Thakur, and And the Director General of Indian Council of Cultural Relations Mr. C.V Rajasekhar. The Deputy Foreign Minister discussed with the authorities of the host country key issues related to the bilateral arrangement between Afghanistan as well as those of mutual interest and concern for the two countries. The head of Afghan delegation also interacted with members of Vivakananda International Foundation (VIF) under Chatham House Rule and spoke at the Observer Research Foundation on “Indo-afghan Relations: the Way Forward”. During the visit the Afghan authority also met with the National Congress Party’s Vice President Mr. Rahul Gandhi, and BJP’s National Secretary General Mr. Ram Madhav.9. In 25th December 2016, Prime Minister along with a high level delegation paid a visit to Afghanistan. During his visit he called on President Ashraf Ghani; he met Chief Executive, Dr Abdullah and Former President Hamid Karzai. During his visit he inaugurated the newly built Afghan Parliament; he announced 500 scholarships for the children of the martyrs of Afghan Security Forces in school and colleges both in Afghanistan and in India; and Prime Minister gifted four Mi25 Attack helicopter to Afghan Air forces. During the visit, it has been decided to conduct the first Strategic Partnership Council meeting headed by the Foreign Minister of the both country in the first quarter of 2016 along with four joint working group meetings.10. His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan visited India from 31 January- 4 February 2016. During this visit, he met Prime Minister on February I and held discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest including the security situation and peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. EAM and NSA called on H.E. Dr. Abdullah, on February l & 4, respectively. India reiterated its abiding commitment to stand by Afghanistan in all possible ways during the latter's on-going political, security and economic transitions. The two sides strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Pathankot in India, and stressed the need to fully eliminate all forms and manifestations of terrorism as well as support to it, for peace and stability in the region.11. In the context of continued bilateral development cooperation, the decision of the Government of India to approve the 3rd phase of Small Development Projects comprising of 92 projects in Afghanistan was conveyed. Both sides agreed to develop connectivity through Chahbahar port in Iran on priority. An Agreement on Exemption from Visa Requirement for Holders of Diplomatic Passports was signed. On 3rd February, H.E. Dr. Abdullah addressed a joint interaction with the three leading chambers of commerce and industry in lndia, namely ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI.12. H.E. Dr. Abdullah delivered the Keynote Address at the Counter Terrorism Conference organised by India Foundation in Jaipur on February 2, where the inaugural address was by Rashtrapatiji.13. Bilaterally, India has played a significant role in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan. India's extensive developmental assistance programme, which now stands at around US 2 billion, is a strong signal of its abiding commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan during this critical period of security and governance transition. This makes India one of the leading donor nations to Afghanistan, and by far the largest from among the regional countries.14. India believes that sustainable development of Afghanistan requires long-term investment in Afghanistan that can help it exploit its natural resource wealth. India is, thus, at the forefront of the promotion of investment in Afghanistan and a consortium of public and private Indian companies has been selected to make one of the biggest investments in the country's mining sector, in the Hajigak iron ore reserves.15. Indian and Afghan authorities consult regularly regarding early completion of Salma Dam (by 2016); New Afghan Parliament building was inaugurated by the PM Modi in December 2015; Charikar sub station project was inaugurated by the Chief Executive of Afghanistan in December 2015; Doshi sub station will be ready in the first quarter of 2016; Restoration of Stor Palace is expected to be completed in 2016. India has provided high protein biscuits through WFP in schools in Afghanistan in all provinces. India also gave US$ 1 Million assistance for flood relief programme in Badakshan in May 2014. During PM’s visit in December 2015, India assured to expedite the supply of 1,70,000 MT wheat to Afghanistan, which is part of 1.1 Million MT wheat donation committed by us.16. India, under small development projects (SDPs) Phase I& II (US$ 20 million) and Phase III (US$ 100 million) along with Ministry of Economy of Afghanistan has undertaken/committed more than 200 projects of small projects with less gestation period covering Public Health, Education, and community infrastructure in various provinces of Afghanistan. During the Chief Executive of Afghanistan Dr Abdullah’s visit to India in 2016, Government of India conveyed the approval of the 3rd phase of Small Development Projects comprising of 92 projects in Afghanistan.17. Under Aid to Afghanistan budget, India established Agriculture University ANASTU in Kandahar in 2014. In July 2015, the Embassy completed the ICCR scholarship cycle for the academic year 2015-2016, utilizing all the 1000 slots dedicated to Afghans. Besides a record of 100 % achievement, it also had record number of women students – 90. In May 2015, Prime Minister of India extended ICCR Scholarship for Afghan students till 2020. India also sent more than 500 Officials under ITEC programme for various capacity building courses in India. Apart from the above training program, India also provides various training program for the Afghan government officials from various fields on ad-hoc basis under special discretionary slots.18. India also realises that stability can result in Afghanistan only if all the major actors and countries have a stake in its stability, growth and prosperity. India has, thus, been championing efforts to attract regional and trans-regional investment into Afghanistan that provides a viable alternative to the dominant narrative of extremism and offers job opportunities to its population, by pioneering events like the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan in June 2012. Recognising that the region holds the key to peace in Afghanistan, India is spearheading commercial Confidence Building Measures in the region within the purview of the Heart of Asia Process. Multilaterally, it helped initiate a dialogue on Afghanistan through various platforms like the Afghanistan-India-US trilateral and the Afghanistan-India-Iran trilateral that seek to bring together international partners with disparate worldviews in pursuit of the common goal of securing peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. India also expressed its support to international cooperation on Afghanistan at the UN and at various international conferences focused on the future of Afghanistan, including the seminal Tokyo Developmental Conference in July 2012 and London Conference in December 2014.19. The bilateral trade at 683.02 million US$ for 2013-14 ($ 474.25 million export and $ 208.77 million import by India) is at a modest level given the vast potential between two countries. The top commodities exported by India were man-made staple fibres, cereals, tobacco, electrical machinery, dairy produce, eggs, honey, rubber products, pharmaceuticals, clothing accessories, boilers and machineries whereas the imports mainly comprised of fresh fruits, dried fruits/nuts, raisins, vegetables, oil seeds, precious/semi-precious stones etc. To achieve the possibilities of trade, India and Afghanistan signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in March 2003 under which India allowed substantial duty concessions, ranging from 50% to 100%, to certain category (38 items) of Afghan dry fruits. In November 2011, India removed basic customs duties for all products of Afghanistan (except alcohol and tobacco) giving them duty free access to the Indian market. India is one of the major export destinations of Afghanistan's goods with. The operation of the Chabahar port in Iran could substantially increase Afghanistan's exports by providing a new transit route for Afghan to trade with India and the rest of the world. Recently Indian government has approved USD 85 Million for upgrading the capacity of Chabahar Port in Iran for an alternate trade transit route for Afghanistan.20. India hosted the Delhi Investment Summit on Afghanistan on June 28, 2012 to help forge cross-country partnerships for investment in Afghanistan and to offer a counter narrative of economic opportunities in Afghanistan. Apart from above 100 business delegates from Afghanistan and around 160 from India, around 80 delegates from the countries in the region and beyond, including China, Pakistan and Iran participated in the event. Afghan Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Mines, Trade and Commerce and Agriculture participated in the Summit.21. MoU signed for developing Afghan Textiles industry: Afghanistan is endowed with rich quality of cotton, silk and cashmere and has significant potential for development of the textiles industry, which in turn may generate considerable employment opportunities. With this objective, a MoU was signed between India and Afghanistan on 7 January 2015, as per which India would provide the required assistance to develop Afghan textiles industry and assist in skill development, research and technical collaboration in product development and manufacturing, testing and certification and organize joint trade missions for mutual collaboration.In the last year, following events of business significance took place:Business Innovation fair was held in Mazar-e-Sharif in March 2014.Investment Road show in Ahmedabad, 15 Apr 2014 - FICCI in association with Indian Embassy, Kabul, Taskforce for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO), USA and Global Network, organized a ‘Road Show on Investment Opportunities in Afghanistan’ on April 15th, 2014 at Ahmedabad. This event was organized under the aegis of the Trade Commerce and Investment Opportunities Confidence Building Measure envisaged under the Heart of Asia Process for Afghanistan.IPHEX (Indian Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Expo), Mumbai, 21-23 May 2014. Seven Afghan pharma distributors attended the event.Signing of MoU by EPAA with FIEO and IIA - The Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) signed two MoUs with Federation of Indian Export Organisation (FIEO) and India’s Importers Association (IIA) at New Delhi on 18 & 19 June 2014.Participation of Afghan delegation in India Mining Summit - An Afghan delegation led by Mr Jamil Hares, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) and Afghan mining companies attended the 7th “India Mining Summit –organized by ASSOCHAM on August 8, 2014 in New Delhi.Inauguration of ‘India Bazar’ - An ‘India Bazar’ comprising of all kinds of Indian manufactured products was inaugurated in Kabul on 18 Sep 2014.‘Make in India’ Campaign on 25 September 2014 - Indian Embassy in Kabul on organized a ‘Make in India’ campaign which was attended by more than 80 top ranking Afghan businessmen and members from the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.h. Afghanistan Investment Forum in Mumbai - An ‘Afghanistan Investment Forum’ was organized in Mumbai on 01-02 October 2014 by the Global Network, a private consulting firm based in Ahmedabad with the support of Navi Mumbai Chamber of Commerce and USTFBSO. The event was followed by B2B meetings on 02 October.India Product Show, Kabul, 2-4 November 2014 - FICCI and ACCI in collaboration with Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Indian Embassy, Kabul organized India Product Show on November 2 – 4, 2014 at Intercontinental Hotel, Kabul.34th IITF, 2014 at New Delhi, 14-17 Nov 2014 - 24 Afghan companies attended the 34rd Indian International Trade Fair (IITF, 2014) and showcased their products such as saffron, dried fruits carpet, jewelry and handicraft at Pragati Midan, New Delhi.This year, 45 Afghan Businessmen participated in PHARMEXCIL 2015 in Gujarat in Jan 2015 & also attended Vibrat Gujrat Summit 2015.3rd India-Afghanistan Innovation Fair: The event was organized with the support of USAID/FAIDA and Herat Chamber of Commerce and Industries. 20 Indian NGOs/business groups and 40 Afghan groups showcased their innovative models during the Exhibition, which was followed by B2B match making events. More than 1,000 visitors visited the Exhibition daily.IPHEX and Technical Seminar on Indian Pharma Copoeia, 13-15 May 2015, MumbaiIn Afghanistan, Indian medicines and health care system are perceived to be highly trustworthy. Thus, India is the most favoured destination for most Afghan tourists, especially for medical tourism. To promote tourism in India, the Mission has taken following efforts: (a) Liberalized tourist visa and medical visa regime and exemption from Police reporting as per rules. (b) Guidance to Afghan Medical tourists during visa interview (c) initiated measures to eradicate cheating/fraud by Afghan interpreters acting as touts for various hospitals/doctors (d) invited companies promoting medical tourism in trade fairs/exhibition in Kabul. The Mission organised a major Indian health care exhibition and B2B meet in Kabul, involving Department of Commerce and Pharmexcil from India and the Ministry of Health in Afghanistan, Afghanistan Expo Centre and Afghanistan Investment Support Agency during 28-30 September 2015.22. Under the Bilateral Agreement both the countries issue gratis visas to nationals each other’s. Over the years, the number of visas issued by Embassy and posts in Afghanistan has been increasing, in 2015 a total visa of 1.1 lakh were issued compared to 83, 224 in 2014, 16 % increase. In elderly applicants above 60 years of age, frequent travellers, reputed businessmen and minors of age less than 15 years are normally exempted from appearing in interview, And with a view to promote trade and business the Embassy has since December 2014 started issuing multiple entry Business Visas to reputed Afghan businessmen.23. Consular services are extended to Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan and also Indian nationals in prison as well as to Afghan nationals per issues such as attestation of certificates, affidavits and commercial documents.24. The Embassy has proposed to MoFA signing of following MoUs which are under process of finalising the draft text.Bilateral Treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance in Commercial Matters;Bilateral Extradition Treaty;Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners; andBilateral Treaty for Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters.Agreement on visa free for diplomatic passport holdersBilateral Motor Vehicle Transit Agreement25. Mission has also proposed to the Ministry of External Affairs to review PRC status of Afghanistan and the requirements such as police/FRRO registration required by Afghan travellers to India within 14 days of arrival. And also to review of 60 days cooling off restriction imposed between two visits on a tourist visa for Afghan nationals.

China is taking revenge against every country these days. A day after Slovak President Andrej Kiska met with the Dalai Lama in October 2016, the Chinese foreign ministry said it was “resolutely opposed” to the meeting and promised “a corresponding response”. In November, Premier Li Keqiang cancelled a meeting with Slovak prime minister Robert Fico that was expected to be held in Riga before the opening of a parley between China and Central and Eastern European countries.In response to the cancellation, Fico said “we must repair the damage that has been inflicted,” and invited Li to visit his country. When Li met with Fico later that same day, Fico said Slovakia maintained a “principled stance” on the one-China principle, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.In 2010, a Chinese trawler collided with Japanese coastguard vessels in the South China Sea, and Japan arrested the Chinese captain. In response, Premier Wen Jiabao refused to meet with Japanese officials at UN headquarters in New York, and threatened “further action” if Japan did not release the captain. Ultimately, the delivery of Chinese exports to Japanese trading firms was delayed, the firms said. China, however, denied an export ban was in place. After Japan released the captain later that month, exports resumed their normal schedule. However, the Japanese trade minister said his nation would begin seeking rare earth metals from Canada, Vietnam, and the US as a result of the incident. Japan has learn the lesson of doing trade with China. China is the world’s top supplier of valuable rare earth metals, crucial inputs in producing a broad array of consumer and industrial electronics. Japan has accused China of using its power in the production chain for political retaliation.China froze diplomatic relations with Norway for six years after jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. The recipient of the peace prize is chosen each year by a committee in Oslo, Norway’s capital; the remaining Nobel Prizes are decided in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The freeze in diplomatic relations put negotiations for a free-trade deal on hold, and hurt Norwegian salmon exports to China. Initially, Beijing imposed import restrictions on Norwegian salmon; in 2015, it imposed a strict ban on the grounds that the fish may carry diseases. Norway continued to criticise Beijing, signing a joint UN human rights council condemnation of China’s human rights abuses in 2016. The two nations normalised diplomatic ties in 2016, and announced their intention to negotiate a free trade deal. At the time, Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende told the media that China and Norway had spent three years in talks before relations could be restored.Similarly, China refuses to buy Indian buffalo meat saying it may contain ‘foot and mouth disease’ despite India being globally top exporter of buffalo meat. India is the largest exporter of buffalo meat in the world with 13.5 lakh tonnes exported in 2017. Vietnam and Malaysia are the top importer of Indian buffalo meat. It is rumoured that large part of Vietnam’s import of Indian buffalo meat is re-exported to China. But China will not import from India directly. USA and India are China’s principal geostrategic adversary. So China will deliberately keep imports low from these two countries.The Philippines reported that Beijing had stopped buying its bananas in 2012 after the Scarborough Shoals maritime dispute in SCS. Beijing customs officials began inspecting Philippines bananas for “harmful organisms” in March of 2012, just before a conflict over the cluster of reefs in the South China Sea began. In May 2012, the Chinese foreign ministry demanded a “clear and unified signal about bilateral relations” and said it hoped the Philippines would take steps to repair relations. Tensions continued when the Philippines brought a case against China in The Hague in 2013 for its territorial claims in the South China Sea, and received a favourable ruling in July 2016. That year, China destroyed 35 tonnes of bananas.When Botswana said in 2017, that it will allow the Dalai Lama to visit to the African country, China promptly protested saying Botswana harming China’s core interest as Tibetan issues are related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Botswana expects China to "respect our sovereign decision on this matter," Botswana Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi told China.Beijing imposed new tariffs on commodity shipments from Mongolia after Dalai Lama visited predominantly Buddhist Mongolia December 2016. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang did not confirm whether or not the new border fees were connected to the Dalai Lama's visit, saying that he was unaware of the situation. "As for the Dalai Lama's visit to Mongolia, China has expressed its position many times," he said at the ministry's regular press briefing. The diplomatic and economic repercussions hit Mongolia hard, with Rio Tinto, which operates vast copper and gold mines, has suspended shipment to China of copper concentrate. The economic arm twisting was so acute for a small landlocked neighbour that they bucked under pressure sooner than expected. Within few days of Dalai Lama visit MongolianForeign Minister Tsend Munkh-Orgil told media that “Under this current government, the Dalai Lama will not be invited to Mongolia, even for religious reasons.”The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader not just in Mongolia but in entire Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka and Myanmar, but is considered a separatist in (even terrorist!) China for supporting a long drawn-out campaign for independence for Tibet. Beijing has been campaigning for a diplomatic boycott of the Dalai Lama since 1959, when he escaped to India and formed a government-in-exile. The Dalai Lama retired from political life in 2011 but China maintained strong warning to Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Myanmar not to entertain Tibetian Dalai Lama. Even South Africa refused entry of Dalai Lama few times under Chinese pressure. He was denied entry to attend the 14th world summit of Nobel peace laureates in 2014. Subsequently, four women Nobel Peace laureates refused to attend the Cape Town summit. The summit was cancelled and some Nobel laureates visited India instead to meet Dalai Lama. That was the third time in five years the Dalai Lama has been refused a South African visa. In 2012, a South African court ruled that officials had acted unlawfully in failing to grant the Dalai Lama a visa in time for a 2011 trip to celebrate Tutu's 80th birthday celebrations, largely out of fears of angering the Chinese government.China was gravely concerned over Dalai Lama’s to visit Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang warned at a briefing just before than March 2017 Dalai Lama visit to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.He warned that an invitation to him to visit Arunachal Pradesh will cause “serious damage” to Sino-Indian ties. India is fully aware of the seriousness of the Dalai Lama issue and the sensitivity of the China-India border question. Under such a background if India invites the Dalai Lama to visit the mentioned territory, it will cause serious damage to peace and stability of the border region and China-India relations,” he said.“We have expressed concerns to the Indian side, urged India to stick to its political commitments and abide by important consensus the two sides have reached on the boundary question, refrain from actions that might complicate the issue, not provide a platform to the Dalai clique and protect the sound and stable development of the Sino-India relations,” he said. China was also irked by presence of junior Home Minister Kiran Rejiju who belongs to Arunachal pradesh and is a follower of Dalai Lama.Dalai Lama’s religious program at Tawang went on schedule in March 2017 despite heavy provocation and brow-beating by China. China immediately took revenge by renaming six places in Arunachal Pradesh with a new han Chinese name! India should have objected strongly and diplomatically but kept mum and matter was cooled down without any “serious damage to Sino-Indian ties” as threatened by China. It was Narendra Modi’s BJP government and not always silent Dr. Manmohan Singh’s government when renaming happened.China also regularly threaten its own citizen in Tibet. The people of Tibet should not be taken in by the Dalai Lama's lies and clearly understand the importance of Communist Party rule in the region, the Chinese government said ahead of March's sensitive 60th anniversary of him fleeing into exile. China sent troops into Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since. The Dalai Lama, the highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, fled into exile to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. China routinely denounces him as a dangerous separatist, although the Dalai Lama says he merely wants genuine autonomy for his remote and mountainous homeland.The official Tibet Daily said in a lengthy commentary released on December 2018 say the 83-year-old Dalai Lama had never given up promoting Tibetan independence, dismissing his intentions to seek a "middle way" of genuine autonomy. "Whether it's the 'middle way' or a 'high degree of autonomy', the aim is to try and negate the leadership of the party, negate the socialist system, and negate the ethnic autonomous region system," the paper wrote. It said the Dalai Lama has tried to use hostile forces in the Western media to spread his "rumours and slander" against China to promote Tibetan independence, ignoring the freedoms and respect accorded to the people of Tibet. "In the face of the lies of the 14th Dalai Lama, the various peoples of Tibet should be even more aware that socialist new Tibet replacing the theistic and feudal system of old Tibet was a historical necessity, and a victory for the truth and the people," the paper wrote.Dalai Lama with western leadersThe head of the Tibetan-government-in-exile based in northern India denounced the criticism of the Dalai Lama and said he was the solution to the Tibetan problem because the vast majority of Tibetans accept him as their leader. "Intimidation and fear are not the ways to govern Tibetans. Even after 60 years of occupation the Chinese government is using these techniques," Lobsang Sangay told media in Dharamsala. Sangay said the Dalai Lama's middle way was a win-win situation seeking autonomy for the Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution and called for talks between his envoys and the representatives of the Chinese government to address the 60-year-old issue.In June 2017, Dalai Lama visitedUniversity of California, San Diego. China criticised the visit and also criticised an Indian Amercan official Pradeep Khosla for the visit. Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), a global network of Chinese students at overseas schools, met with the university’s chancellor to request that the Dalai Lama refrain from inviting him as Chinese consider him a ‘terrorist’. The Chinese government has retaliated on Sept. 16 2017, a UCSD professor said that he received notice that the China Scholarship Council (CSSA), a branch of the government that funds overseas study for Chinese citizens, would no longer process applications to study at UCSD for scholars who had not already received a visa appointment from the US embassy. This is a message to all western universities that if they invite Dalai Lama, Chinese students may not go there.After the Dokolam military standoff between Indian and Chinese army personel in 2017 that lasted more than two months, China suspended Kailash Man Sarovar pilgrims by Indians. China also refused to share hydrological data with India in 2017 despite having agreement with India in this regard. China however shared hydrological data with Bangladesh in 2017, who also uses T-shangpo / Brahmaputra river water downstream. China gave fake excuse of earthquake in Tibet as excuse of not providing data to India. This means that China can anytime back-out of agreements signed with India. One day they may say, China no longer recognise Sikkim as part of India!Under Chinese pressure, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has told Taiwan in 2018 that it could lose its right to compete if it tries to change its name for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, from Chinese Taipei to Taiwan. The Chinese Taipei name was agreed upon in 1981.Every country must deal with Taiwan considering the Chinese consequence.Beijing, which claims sovereignty over self-ruling democratic Taiwan, is sensitive to the island’s use of names, emblems and flags at international events.The IOC wrote to the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) and the government saying that any name change was “under its jurisdiction” and warned of consequences of name change. According to the Olympic Charter, the IOC has the right to suspend a national Olympic committee if its activities are “hampered” by regulations or acts of government.Australia was the first to follow Washington in blocking Huawei telecom devices. Other western countries followed. How will China take revenge? Will China ban Cisco or Ericsson telecom devices?The latest victim of China’s revenge is Canada after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies on Dec. 1 2018, while changing planes in Vancouver. The U.S. wants her extradited. It alleges Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran. Canada is caught in the cross fire as China cannot take direct action against USA as ongoing trade war has impacted China badly.Meng’s arrest could fuel U.S.-China trade tensions at a time when the two sides are seeking to resolve a dispute over Beijing's technology and industrial strategy. Both sides have sought to keep the issues separate. "This is a criminal justice matter," U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said to media. Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng summoned Canadian Ambassador John McCallum and American Ambassador Terry Branstad next day. He called Meng's detention "extremely egregious" and demanded that the U.S. vacate the arrest warrant. Le warned both countries that Beijing will take steps based on their response.Realising trouble, Canadian province of British Columbia canceled a trade mission to China amid fears China could detain Canadians in retaliation for Meng's detention. Telecom giant Cisco advised its executives to avoid visiting China. Huawei, the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies, has become the target of U.S. security concerns because of its ties to the Chinese government. How China should take revenge against US instead brow-beating Canada? There is no clear answer to that.China is clearly conveyed to Canada that in its political and trade war against US, if it picks the US side, it will inevitably be injured by China's counterattack.China subsequently arrested three Canadian citizens.US President Donald Trump on 19 December 2018 signed the Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act into law. According to the Act, China must allow American journalists, diplomats and tourists unrestricted access to Tibet. In last three decades, Chinese authority never allowed any US citizen of Tibetian origin to visit Tibet to meet their relatives. They ask extensive list of relatives and their personal details to make social profiling and then Chinese authority reject the visa application. The US State Department shall report to Congress annually, identifying Chinese officials who were substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies to restrict the access of Americans to Tibetan areas. These officials will be denied entry into the US.The logic is simple: Why cannot Americans enjoy the right to freely go to Tibet in the same way Chinese are allowed unrestricted access to the US? If China restricts Americans, why can't the US do the same thing? The reason is also simple: Tibet is a disputed territory. Chinese officials loose nerve even if a western socialite like Lady GaGa meets Dalai Lama! The US Act has a limited impact on Chinese officials engaged in Tibet-related affairs, in that access to the US is of little value to them. The US target is Tibet-related affairs this time. Next time it might be Xinjiang (han Chinese name for West Turkestan) or other affairs in China. How China will take revenge?China has warned the US that it would take "forceful measures" to resolutely safeguard its own interests against American citizens access to Tibet act.Tibet regional authorities have published a series of articles urging the public to completely understand the 14th Dalai Lama's "reactionary essence in politics," "hypocrisy in religion" and fraudulence in his tricks. The 14th Dalai Lama is the prime culprit of separatist political groups pursuing "Tibet independence," the loyal tool of international anti-China forces, the root cause of riots in Tibet, the biggest obstacle for Tibetan Buddhism to establish normal order and a politician under the disguise of religion, according to the articles. The justice department of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region posted three articles on its WeChat account. The articles were first published on the front page of Tibet Daily from December 12 to December 14 2018.It's important to raise public awareness of Dalai Lama’s moves at a moment when Western countries including the US increased pressure on China which in the Dalai Lama's view would be an opportunity for his separatism."We've got to see that the 14th Dalai Lama changed his tricks but stay unchanged in his reactionary essence to pursue 'Tibet independence.' He played tricks in an attempt to separate his country and turn back the wheel of history, which is bound to fail," read one of the articles propagated by Communist party owned media. Chinese officials regularly conduct these ‘education’ classes for Tibetians because The Dalai Lama has a certain influence (still after 50 years in exile!) on some people of Tibet who don't know the truth (only Chinese communists know the truth) and revealing and criticizing him could let these people sharpen their eyes.It is amply clear now, Chinese minorities like Tibetians and Muslims of West Turkistan will be the main victim of western economic and political pressure. China can take revenge against Japan, India, Australia, Canada individually but when all these countries take revenge against China collectively (read QUAD), China will face extreme difficulty.