thaw

Latest move underscores efforts to normalise ties and draw closer in wake of Trump’s policies, stiff tariffs.

India and China plan to resume direct flights this month between some of their cities after a five-year suspension as relations between the two countries begin to thaw, Indian authorities have announced.

The closer ties come in the face of the United States President Donald Trump administration’s aggressive trade policies.

Direct flights between the two countries were suspended during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and did not resume as Beijing and New Delhi engaged in prolonged border tensions.

On Thursday, India’s embassy to China said in a post on social media platform WeChat that flights between designated cities will resume by late October, subject to commercial carriers’ decisions.

The resumption is part of the Indian government’s “approach towards gradual normalization of relations between India and China,” the embassy added.

India’s largest carrier IndiGo announced on Thursday that it would resume flights from Kolkata, India, to Guangzhou, China, from October 26.

The resumption comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years to attend last month’s meeting of regional security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

There, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that India and China were development partners, not rivals, and discussed ways to strengthen trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty fuelled by Trump.

The US president raised the tariff rate on Indian imports to a stiff 50 percent last month, citing the nation’s continuing purchases of Russian oil. He also urged the European Union to slap 100 percent tariffs on China and India as part of his efforts to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.

Relations between China and India plummeted in 2020 after security forces clashed along a disputed border in the Himalayan mountains. Four Chinese soldiers and 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the worst violence in decades, freezing high-level political engagements.

Kim Yo Jong denies claims that Pyongyang has removed propaganda-blaring loudspeakers at the inter-Korean border.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister has accused South Korea of misleading the public about ties between the Koreas, denying claims that Pyongyang removed some propaganda-blaring loudspeakers from their shared border.

In a statement carried by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, Kim Yo Jong blasted the claim by South Korea’s military as an “unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring.”

“We have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them,” Kim said.

Kim accused Seoul of “building up the public opinion while embellishing their new policy” towards Pyongyang.

“It is their foolish calculation that if they manage to make us respond to their actions, it would be good, and if not, their actions will at least reflect their ‘efforts for detente’ and they will be able to shift the responsibility for the escalation of tensions onto the DPRK and win the support of the world,” Kim said, using the acronym of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Such a “trick” is nothing but a “pipedream” and “does not arouse our interest at all,” Kim added.

“Whether the ROK withdraws its loudspeakers or not, stops broadcasting or not, postpones its military exercises or not and downscales them or not, we do not care about them and are not interested in them,” she said, using the acronym of South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

“The shabby deceptive farce is no longer attractive.”

In a statement quoted by local media, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification did not directly address Kim’s claims, but said it would continue its efforts toward the “normalisation” and “stabilisation” of inter-Korean ties.

Kim’s broadside comes after South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Saturday that Pyongyang had removed some of the loudspeakers, days after the South Korean side took down similar speakers on its side of the border.

North Korea is highly sensitive to criticism of the ruling Kim family, which has ruled the isolated state with iron first for nearly eight decades and is treated with God-like reverence in official commentary.

Since the inauguration of left-leaning South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in June, Seoul has been seeking rapprochement with its reclusive neighbour, after years of elevated tensions between the Koreas under the conservative ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol.

But Kim Yo Jong, who oversees the propaganda operations of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, has repeatedly shot down the possibility of reconciliation between the sides.

In a scathing dismissal of Lee’s rapprochement efforts last month, Kim said there was no “more serious miscalculation” than believing that relations could be repaired “with a few sentimental words.”

In her remarks on Thursday, Kim also poured scorn on South Korean media reports suggesting that Pyongyang could use Friday’s summit between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to communicate with Washington.

“This is a typical proof that the ROK is having a false dream,” she said.

“If a dream is dreamed very often, it will be an empty one, and so many suppositions will lead to so many contradictions that will not be solved. Why should we send a message to the US side.”

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has held an unprecedented one-on-one meeting with United States President Donald Trump at the White House, where the two leaders spoke for more than two hours, according to the Pakistani military.

In a statement issued on Thursday by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing, the meeting, originally scheduled for one hour, was held in the Cabinet Room over lunch and then continued in the Oval Office.

After Wednesday’s meeting, the ISPR said, Munir expressed “deep appreciation” for Trump’s efforts in facilitating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. According to the ISPR, Trump welcomed Pakistan’s cooperation against “terrorism”.

While the White House did not release any statement on the meeting, which was held behind closed doors and without news media photo opportunities, Trump spoke to reporters briefly after his talks with Munir. He thanked the army chief and said he was “honoured to meet him”.

Yet amid the bonhomie and the promise of a sharp uptick in relations after years of tension between Washington and Islamabad, Trump also referred to the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, which the US president has said his country might join.

The Pakistanis, Trump said, “know Iran very well, better than most”, adding that they are “not happy”.

For Pakistan, analysts said, that comment underscored how the reset in ties with the US that Islamabad desperately seeks will be tested by two key challenges. Iran and the current crisis with Israel will force Pakistan into a diplomatic balancing act, they said. And Islamabad’s close relations with China could similarly pull Pakistan in conflicting directions.

What did Trump and Munir talk about?

According to the ISPR, Munir spoke to Trump about a range of areas where the two nations could strengthen cooperation, including “economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies”.

But the Pakistani military conceded that the two leaders also held “detailed discussions” on the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel with both Munir and Trump – according to Islamabad – emphasising the need for a peaceful resolution.

Munir was accompanied by Pakistan’s national security adviser, Lieutenant General Asim Malik, who also heads the country’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

On the American side, Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president’s top negotiator in the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Marvin Weinbaum, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI), said the lack of a media presence during the lunch could be interpreted as suggesting that “the nature of the conversation was such that neither party wanted photo opportunities”. Weinbaum told Al Jazeera that neither side likely wanted to reveal much about “what was discussed, though my read is it was perhaps the US wanting to know about Pakistan’s role on what follows in Iran during this ongoing situation”.

Later on Wednesday evening, Munir attended a dinner hosted by the Pakistani embassy with nearly three dozen figures from think tanks, policy institutions and diplomatic circles. Al Jazeera spoke to several participants, who all requested anonymity to discuss what Munir said at the dinner.

One participant said Munir did not divulge specifics from his meeting with Trump but he remarked that the conversation was “fantastic and could not have gone any better”. Munir added, according to this person, that Pakistan’s relations with the previous administration of President Joe Biden had been “among the worst” historically.

Another attendee told Al Jazeera that Munir said the US “knows what it needs to do regarding Iran” and reiterated that Pakistan’s view is that “every conflict is resolvable through dialogue and diplomacy”.

‘Significant upswing’

For the moment, experts said, the meeting represents a major gain for Pakistan in its bid to improve ties with the US.

Pakistan has been a close US ally since gaining independence in 1947. They worked closely together in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion in 1979 and then again after the US invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.

While the US has provided more than $30bn in aid in the last two decades to Pakistan, it has repeatedly accused Islamabad of “duplicity” and of not being a reliable security partner.

Pakistan, in turn, has argued that Washington constantly demands it “do more” without fully acknowledging the losses and instability Pakistan has suffered due to regional violence.

Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, said Munir’s visit marks a “significant upswing” in US-Pakistan ties under the Trump administration.

“Given President Trump’s central role in shaping foreign policy and his preference for personal relationships, this visit has allowed Field Marshal Munir to solidify a rapport built during the recent crisis,” she told Al Jazeera.

Sahar Khan, a Washington, DC-based security policy expert, said that while the meeting was significant, it doesn’t mean the two countries are “now friends”. However, it does indicate a “thaw in the relationship”.

She added that although Trump is unpredictable, Pakistan should consider striking a deal with him to prevent unrealistic demands regarding regional issues.

“For now, Munir’s message to the Trump administration is, take the time to understand Pakistan and stop viewing it through the lens of India, China or Afghanistan,” she said.

Making that message stick, though, won’t be easy, analysts said.

China, the real strategic dilemma

China remains Pakistan’s most critical partner, with whom it enjoys deep economic, strategic and military ties. But simultaneously, over the past three decades, Beijing’s rise as a global superpower has made it Washington’s principal rival.

Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia security researcher and China expert at the University of Technology in Sydney, said managing ties with both powers will test Islamabad’s commitment to a policy of “no-camp politics”.

China has invested $62bn in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a large infrastructure project connecting western China to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan.

On the military front, Pakistan procures more than 80 percent of its weaponry from China, and some of those products, particularly Chinese jets and missiles, showcased their worth in the recent conflict with India.

“In the long run, both [China and the US] are crucial for Pakistan in their own right,” Faisal told Al Jazeera. And while the US and China might each want Islamabad on their side, the fact that Pakistan is sought after by both has its own advantage. It “gives Islamabad considerable diplomatic space to expand cooperation with both Beijing and Washington”, he said.

The Iran challenge

Iran, currently under an intense Israeli assault that has targeted key infrastructure and senior military and nuclear figures, presents another sensitive challenge for Pakistan.

Analysts argued that Pakistan’s proximity and ties to Tehran position it as a potential mediator between the US and Iran.

“It is in Pakistan’s interest to play a mediating role. It cannot afford another adversary on its western border, given its internal challenges,” Khan said.

Last month, Munir travelled to Iran along with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During the visit, he met Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of General Staff of the Iranian military. In the first wave of strikes by Israel on Friday, Bagheri was one of the several military officials who were killed.

Since the Israeli strikes began, Pakistan has strongly defended Iran’s right to self-defence, describing the Israeli strikes as violations of Iran’s territorial sovereignty and calling them “blatant provocations”.

Home to nearly 250 million people, Pakistan has a significant Shia minority – between 15 percent and 20 percent of the population – who look to Iran for religious leadership.

Faisal noted that these demographic and geographic realities would constrain Pakistan’s public support for any US military intervention.

“Islamabad can continue to call for diplomacy and cessation of hostilities to contain the conflict. As a neighbour, instability in Iran isn’t in Pakistan’s interest,” he said. At the same time, Faisal added, “a spike in sectarian tensions [in Pakistan] can test internal security. Thus, Islamabad will be wary of pro-American public posturing.”

Top US and Chinese officials are meeting in London in a bid to defuse trade tensions over rare earth minerals and advanced technology after a phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping last week.

The two sides are aiming in Monday’s talks to build on a preliminary trade deal struck in Geneva in May, which briefly lowered the temperature between Washington and Beijing and offered relief for investors battered by months of Trump’s global trade war.

Since then, the agreement to mutually suspend most of the 100 percent-plus tariffs for 90 days has been followed by barbs and accusations from both sides.

But after reaching a tentative understanding with Xi on resuming the flow of critical minerals, Trump said on Thursday that he expected Monday’s meeting to go “very well”.

Who is leading the US and Chinese delegations?

The US delegation in London is headed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The Chinese contingent will be led by Vice Premier He Lifeng.

The venue of the meeting has not been disclosed.

What happened during last week’s call between Xi and Trump?

Monday’s meeting comes four days after Trump and Xi spoke by phone, their first direct interaction since Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

After the more than hourlong call on Thursday, Trump said the conversation was focused on trade and had resulted in a “very positive conclusion” for both countries.

In the first readout of the call, Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social: “I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal.”

“There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products. Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined. During the conversation, President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated,” he added.

For his part, Xi was quoted by Chinese state TV as saying after the call that the two countries should strive for a win-win outcome and dialogue and cooperation are the only right choice for both.

In recent weeks, both sides have accused the other of breaching their deal made in Geneva and aimed at dramatically reducing tariffs – an agreement Trump touted as a “total reset” after he announced tariffs on all US trading partners on April 2.

The tentative truce struck on May 11 in Geneva brought US tariffs on Chinese products down from 145 to 30 percent while Beijing slashed levies on US imports from 125 to 10 percent.

The agreement gave both sides a three-month deadline to try to reach a more lasting deal.

In what ways have US export controls played a role?

Renewed tensions between the US and China began just one day after the May 12 announcement of the Geneva agreement to temporarily lower tariffs.

The US Department of Commerce issued guidance saying the use of Ascend artificial intelligence chips from Huawei, a leading Chinese tech company, could violate US export controls.

The agency warned companies “anywhere in the world” against using AI chips made by Huawei, claiming they illegally contained, or were made with, US technology.

Beijing publicly criticised Washington’s move to limit access to American technology, accusing the US of trying to stymie China’s ability to develop cutting-edge AI chips.

On May 15, Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yongqian accused the US of “abusing export control measures”, adding that China would take steps to defend its business interests.

Lutnick wasn’t in Geneva last month, but he is a lead negotiator in Monday’s talks in London. His Commerce Department oversees export controls for the US, and some analysts believe his participation is an indication of how central the issue has become for both sides.

China issuing rare earth licences to US companies

In response to Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, Beijing suspended exports to all countries of six heavy rare earth metals and associated magnets on April 4.

The move upended global supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers and military contractors.

China produces 90 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals, which are essential components in permanent magnets – used in a swath of high-tech applications.

Without mentioning rare earths specifically, Trump took to social media last month to attack China’s trade restrictions.

“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted on Truth Social on May 30.

After Xi and Trump’s phone call last week, however, the Chinese government hinted that it is addressing US concerns, which have also been echoed by some European companies.

On Saturday, China’s Commerce Ministry said it had approved some rare earth exports, without specifying which countries were involved.

It issued a statement saying it had granted some approvals and “will continue to strengthen the approval of applications that comply with regulations”.

On Monday, the rare earth suppliers of three big US automakers – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis – got clearance from Beijing for a handful of export licences.

Washington wants access to as many rare earths as quickly as possible, Kevin Hassett, head of the National Economic Council at the White House, said on the CBS TV network’s Face the Nation programme on Sunday.

“We want the rare earths, the magnets that are crucial for cellphones and everything else to flow just as they did before the beginning of April, and we don’t want any technical details slowing that down,” Hassett said.

What challenges remain?

Student visas don’t normally figure in trade talks, but a recent US announcement that it would begin revoking the visas of Chinese students has emerged as another flashpoint between Washington and Beijing.

On May 28, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would begin to “aggressively” revoke the visas of Chinese university students.

He also said the US would revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.

China is the second largest country of origin for international students in the US after India.

More than 270,000 Chinese students studied in the US in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning criticised Washington’s decision to revoke the visas, saying it “damaged” the rights of Chinese students.

Other concerns continue to strain the bilateral relationship from the illicit fentanyl trade to the status of democratically governed Taiwan and US complaints about China’s state-dominated economic model.

Still, Trump’s geopolitical bluster goes well beyond China. While promising to reshape relationships with all US trading partners, Trump so far has reached only one new trade agreement – with the United Kingdom.

Trump’s reduction of US tariffs on Chinese goods runs out in August unless he decides to extend it. If deals aren’t reached, the White House said Trump plans to restore tariff rates to the levels he first announced in April.