India's Proximity Archives
Date: July 17, 2024
South Asia
KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on July 15, inducting a 22-member Cabinet including two Deputy Prime Ministers. Oli had submitted signatures of 165 lawmakers in his support (Nepali Congress Party’s 88 and UML’s 77) to President Paudel, more than the majority mark in the 275-member House of Representatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated KP Sharma Oli on his appointment, saying he looked forward to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Nepal on July 15, inducting a 22-member Cabinet including two Deputy Prime Ministers. Oli had submitted signatures of 165 lawmakers in his support (Nepali Congress Party’s 88 and UML’s 77) to President Paudel, more than the majority mark in the 275-member House of Representatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated KP Sharma Oli on his appointment, saying he looked forward to expanding mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
Southeast Asia
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, Maris Sangiampongsa, made his first official visit to India for the 2nd BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in New Delhi from July 11-13, 2024. During the visit, he held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar. The two ministers reviewed progress across various areas of partnership covering political exchanges, defence and security ties, trade and investment opportunities, connectivity, science and technology collaboration, health cooperation, culture and people-to-people interaction.
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East Asia
After months of unexplained delays, China’s Communist Party commenced the third plenum to review a plan intended to shake the world’s second-biggest economy out of its malaise on July 15. Third plenums are closely watched due to their historical impact on economic reforms. The closed-door meeting will last for four days and aims to set the direction of economic policy for the next five years and beyond. On the economic front, plenums are an opportunity to communicate China’s strategic objectives to the world. While an official communique will be released a day after the meeting concludes, many analysts suggest that it will lay out a “strategy for self-sufficient economic growth in an era of heightened national security concerns and restriction on access to American technology”.
West Asia
Israel conducted an airstrike in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza on July 13, targeting Hamas' military chief Mohammed Deif, the mastermind of the terror attack on October 7, 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed that he was not yet “absolutely certain” whether Mohammed Deif had been killed in the airstrike in Gaza. He reiterated that due to Israel’s military campaign, cracks were widening in Hamas and that the IDF would dismantle Hamas leadership. Argentina has designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation, as President Javier Milei seeks to align his nation with the US and Israel.
Central Asia
On July 15, China’s Embassy in Tajikistan denied reports that Beijing was building a military base in the Central Asian country. The Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied these claims. However, several media outlets continue reporting that China deceived Tajikistan by establishing a full-scale military base instead of a joint counter-terror facility as originally planned. Last week, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that China was constructing a secret military base in Tajikistan, citing satellite images.
Indian Ocean Region
The Indian Navy ships INS Aditya and INS Visakhapatnam conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with the US Naval Carrier Strike Group, comprising the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Daniel Inouye, in the Arabian Sea on July 12, 2024. The exercise included Replenishment at Sea, Cross Deck Flying Operations, Air Defence exercises, and maritime manoeuvres, demonstrating seamless interoperability between the Indian Navy and US Navy while enhancing their ability to undertake complex joint maritime operations.
