Court thy neighbours 

Even as India prepares for the G-20 presidency, hosting over 40 diplomats and UN officials at a curt

Even as India prepares for the G-20 presidency, hosting over 40 diplomats and UN officials at a curtain-raiser held at a resort in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands this weekend, its considered engagement in the neighbourhood continues, even within the ambit of G-20.  

Out of all of India’s neighbours, the government invited Bangladesh alone as one of 10 guest countries during its Presidency of the G20 beginning December 1.  Bangladesh sees the invitation reflecting “the growing importance” of its economy. Read Suhasini Haidar’s interview with Deputy Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam.

Marking yet another milestone in India’s relations with Bhutan, a joint India-Bhutan satellite was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently. It marks a “new era” in relations between the two countries, Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has said.

Meanwhile, China convened the first ‘China-Indian Ocean Region Forum’, bringing together 19 countries from the region.  All of India’s neighbours, except for India itself, were invited to the forum that underlined China’s stepped up diplomacy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Australia and Maldives said they did not participate. Ananth Krishnan reports.

China is witnessing unprecedented protests against the government’s harsh COVID-19 lockdown measures across many university campuses. The protests against lockdowns were triggered by widespread anger at the death of at least 10 people in a fire in an apartment in the western city of Urumqi, with delays in extinguishing the blaze widely seen by the public as a result of lockdown policies. The Communist Party has not faced such a challenge, on such scale in decades - Ananth Krishnan tracks the developments.

Ahead of the scheduled sixth round of trade talks between India and the United Kingdom in December, the British government has said that finalising a trade deal with India is not contingent on New Delhi taking back Indians who are in the U.K. illegally. Sriram Lakshman reports.