Chinese President Xi Jinping (extreme right) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sipping tea beside a lake in Wuhan, China on 28 April 2018 [Image: PMO, India]Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks all day on a range of bilateral and global issues in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Saturday.
The two leaders also pledged to open liaison offices in both capitals to fast-track better relations
China has lauded what it called the courageous summit between the leaders of the two Koreas.
On Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in stepped over the demilitarized line separating the two countries since an armistice was signed at the end of the Korean war in 1953.
Kim first stepped over the line and then invited Moon to do the same, with both holding hands.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is no longer being depicted by the White House as the insane leader of a rogue state. Here, he is addressing the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang [North Korean Central News Agency]
All eyes are on the Korean Peninsula this week as the leaders of the North and South prepare for a historic summit which comes after years of tensions and war rhetoric.
The summit is the third such meeting of Korean heads of state in the past 65 years.
The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey met on April 4 to preserve Syrian sovereignty [PPIO]
Turkish officials on Thursday announced that Moscow will host a meeting of Iranian, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers on April 28 to discuss the situation in Syria.
The three countries have positioned themselves as guarantors of the Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana and are calling for a global commitment to ensuring a lasting ceasefire in the war-ravaged country.
Iranian President Rouhani met Russian President Putin in Ankara, Turkey where the two leaders pledged to bring stability to Syria [PPIO]
Iran and Russia have agreed to work together within the framework of a Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) following three years of discussion and negotiations on free trade.
The agreement, which will require ratification in both countries, will bolster bilateral trade and investment and also open Iranian markets and investors to the other EEU members –
Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam.
Since President Michel Temer took power, Brazil has slowly climbed its way out of recession. However, he will not stand for election in October 2018 [PPIO]
Brazilian markets are cheering the International Monetary Fund’s revised growth forecast for their country.
In its April publication of the World Economic Outlook, the IMF said that it had revised its growth projects for Brazil among a slew of other emerging economies.
File photo of US President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has called on China and the US to resolve their looming trade disputes through the use of existing multilateral provisions and organizations.
Both countries have been locked in a war of words and threats over US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose substantial tariffs on Chinese goods entering US markets. China has responded by doing the same, largely focused on agricultural industries in the American heartland.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his UK counterpart Theresa May at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday April 18, 2018 [Image: PMO, India]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned to New Delhi after concluding a three-nation trip
He capped off his diplomatic tour with stop in Berlin where he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Although no details have been released about their talks, Modi’s visit with Merkel is seen as a testament to strengthening India-Germany cooperation.
Egypt was expected to host Sudan and Ethiopia in another round of negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Cairo on April 20, but senior officials said that neither country responded to the Egyptian invitation. Egypt maintains it is keen to reach consensus on the issue.
The Nile River is an agricultural and economic lifeline for 100 million Egyptians [Photo: Laila Sherif Said]
Putin and Xi Jinping have cemented not only trade ties but found common ground on political issues as well [PPIO]
Trade between BRICS allies China and Russia has increased about 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, Chinese officials said.
The uptick in exchange between the two economic giants will take their trade to $100 billion in 2018, Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng told reporters on Thursday.
Gao said that this year’s trade volume would surpass last year’s which was $84 billion – a 21 per cent rise over 2016.
