- 5 months ago
This episode of India First show examines global geopolitical shifts, focusing on China's largest ever military parade in Tiananmen Square, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening from the Dongfeng 61 intercontinental ballistic missile to the Yingji Eagle strike
00:09anti-ship missiles or carrier killers, from the J-35 stealth fighters to the J-15 DT electronic
00:15warfare aircraft and from the robotic dogs for surveillance and reconnaissance to the
00:22undersea drones. China's 70-minute long show of strength, its largest ever military parade
00:28and the signals to the West, is our top focus story on India First.
00:34China's largest military parade ever. China's nuclear triad unveiled.
00:50Fifth generation fighter jets displayed.
00:55Xi Jinping's parade of power play. Xi, Putin and Kim's show of force. Trump fires conspiracy
01:11charge. Xi's parade of power, theatre of politics. The big focus on India First.
01:21So, China showcased the future of warfare and its largest ever military parade to mark 80
01:33years of the end of the Second World War. So, there were 10,000 Chinese soldiers marked.
01:39They marched in perfect step to showcase China's military strength and their technological capabilities.
01:46The signal from the Tiananmen Square was multi-pronged. So, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the
01:52North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un flanked President Xi Jinping as he announced China will
01:59never be intimidated by bullies. And US President Donald Trump responded, accusing China, Russia and
02:06North Korea of conspiring against the United States. We get to the latest on this big story that's making headlines
02:14across the world. I'm Gaurav Savant. As always, let's get started with the headlines on India First.
02:21Death toll rises to 37 in Punjab. Land of five rivers becomes the land of floods. Schools and colleges in
02:34Punjab to remain shut till the 7th of September. All three 23 districts in Punjab have been declared flood affected.
02:43More than 3,50,000 people displaced in Punjab.
02:54GST council meet underway in New Delhi to discuss GST reform. Sources say new GST rates to come into effect
03:00from the 5th of September offering consumers relief on daily essentials.
03:11Congress versus Congress. Nataka escalates in Karnataka. Sacked Neta. K and Rajanna loyalists hit out at the DK
03:19Shivkumar camp. Rajanna camp alleges DK has conspired against him.
03:31Big CAA relief by the Modi government persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and Buddhists who fled to India
03:40from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh till December 2024 will not be sent back.
03:47Tamil Nadu debri chief minister Udayinadi Stalin's big claim on Sanatan Dharan controversy claims his words were twisted
04:00says the BJP is a fake news factory.
04:03China's largest military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War was a military strategic and diplomatic show of strength.
04:22From the DF-16 intercontinental ballistic missile, from the DF-61 ICBMs with MIRV or multiple independently targetable rifles,
04:32re-entry vehicles to the robotic dogs from the counter-drone systems to undersea drones including the AJX-002,
04:41that 60 feet long underwater stealth drone, to the HQ-29 space defense system.
04:48A missile aimed to bring down an enemy satellite.
04:52China's signal to the world was they've arrived on the world stage.
04:56Closing the gap with the United States of America, there are some who say when it comes to technology
05:01China may just be a step ahead in some aspects.
05:05There were several world leaders on the stage with the Chinese president.
05:08From the Russian President Vladimir Putin to the North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.
05:14What was also interesting, Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia.
05:18Incidentally, Slovakia is a member of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
05:23He also was on stage. We'll get you more in this report.
05:28China's largest military parade ever at the Tiananmen Square.
05:43A showcase of power that sent a strong message to the world.
05:4826 helicopters form huge numerical shapes of 8 and 0.
05:56Overhead helicopters form the number 80, marking 80 years of the end of the Second World War.
06:03President Xi Jinping wearing a Mao style suit inspected the parade from an open roof red flag limousine
06:22declaring China's rise was unstoppable.
06:25The Chinese nation is a great nation that does not fear violence and that stands independent and strong.
06:36In the past, when confronted with a life or death struggle between justice and evil, light and darkness, progress and reaction,
06:44the Chinese people stood united, rose up in resistance and fought for the survival of the country,
06:50the rejuvenation of the nation and the cause of human justice.
07:01China unveiled for the first time its nuclear triad,
07:05the Dongfeng 5C intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking almost across the world.
07:14Next, the DF-61 mobile ICBM and then the JL-3 submarine-launched missile.
07:26China also displayed its hypersonic anti-ship missiles tested against the US carrier mock-ups called the carrier killers.
07:36China also showcased its HQ-29 anti-satellite missile.
07:47For the first time, five variants of the stealth J-20 and the J-35 fighter jets appeared together.
07:55This included the twin-seater J-20s.
08:05And then there was a swarm of unmanned systems and stealth drones.
08:12Giant submarine drones and the robotic dogs designed for combat support.
08:18China's Navy also unveiled the KJ-600 early warning aircraft, a major boost to the carrier's strike power.
08:37More than 10,000 PLA troops marched in tight formations showcasing discipline and China's military might.
08:46President Xi Jinping was joined on the podium by Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Supreme Leader King Jong-un.
08:57The striking image of three adversaries of the United States standing together.
09:03From Washington DC, US President Donald Trump hit out at the parade calling it a conspiracy against the United States.
09:13The parade was as much about remembrance of war glory as it was about signaling China's place in the new world order.
09:29Bureau report India today.
09:38And across the Pacific Ocean, US President Donald Trump is in the line of fire back home in the States and in parts of Europe.
09:45Edward Price, a senior US analyst and professor at the New York University said,
09:50US needs to remove the 50% tariff on India and get it down to something far more reasonable.
09:56His suggestion is 0% and also apologize to India.
10:00US Congressman Ro Khanna said tariffs are driving India closer to China and Russia
10:04and that the US cannot allow Donald Trump's ego to destroy a strategic relationship with India.
10:11That's key to ensuring America leads and not China.
10:15We get you more in this report.
10:22Prime Minister Modi's SCO power play has sent shockwaves in Washington.
10:28Modi shook hands with Putin and stood alongside Xi.
10:32And Donald Trump is losing his cool.
10:35The three leaders projected a new multipolar global order.
10:39But back in the US, Trump saw red.
10:44Under fire at home for slapping 50% tariffs on India, Trump is railing against India.
10:51India was charging us tremendous tariffs, about the highest in the world.
10:56They were about the highest in the world, number one.
10:58But we would not send in anything because they were charging us 100% tariffs.
11:03And, you know, I'll give you an example, Harley Davidson.
11:05Harley Davidson couldn't sell into India.
11:08There was a 200% tariff on a motorcycle.
11:11So what happens?
11:12Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant.
11:16And now they don't have to pay tariffs.
11:19But top American policymakers themselves are now questioning Trump's move.
11:25Ex-US NSA John Bolton accused Trump of destroying India-US ties,
11:30while retired US General Jack Keane said the disastrous tariffs have only shoved India closer to Russia.
11:40US experts say Trump's tariff ride is off track.
11:44Tariffs are hurting America more than India.
11:47He has imposed a 50% tariff on India, higher than any other country other than Brazil.
11:58It's a higher tariff than the tariff on China.
12:01It is hurting India's exports of leather and textiles into the United States.
12:06And it's hurting American manufacturers and our exports into India.
12:11It is also driving India towards China and towards Russia.
12:17India has the deciding vote in the 21st century.
12:20If India chooses the US versus China, or if India sits out of any US-China competition,
12:26it will effectively decide the outcome.
12:29So India is a super, super important player in the 21st century.
12:32It's only going to get more powerful.
12:33So I think the number one thing that we could do of two is remove that 50% tariff and get it down to something far more reasonable.
12:41I suggest 0%.
12:43And the second thing we can do is apologize.
12:45Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal says New Delhi won't buckle.
12:49We have reached a very advanced stage in our FTA with the European Union.
12:58Commerce Secretary, as we speak, is in meetings in Brussels with his counterpart, the DG of EU.
13:06We are making very active and significant progress.
13:09In terms of the Eurasian FTA, we have finalized the terms of reference.
13:13Now we'll set up the next steps and dates to start discussing.
13:20Trump may rail and rant, but for India, the message is clear.
13:26No deals under pressure and no compromise on national interest.
13:32Bureau Report, India Today.
13:35So a 70-minute long show of strength.
13:43Show of military strength, diplomatic strength and strategic power.
13:47Will the U.S. President Donald Trump read the writing on the China wall?
13:52Joining me on this India Today special broadcast is Ambassador Ajay Malhotra,
13:56former Indian ambassador to Russia.
13:57Left and General ESL Narsimman is former member of the National Security Advisory Board,
14:03former defense attache to China.
14:05Sandeep Unnithan is a senior journalist,
14:07has been watching this parade very closely and all the Chinese military hardware.
14:11Professor Andrew Latham is a distinguished scholar of international security studies and political economy.
14:17But I first want to cut across to Edward Price, adjunct professor at Center for Global Affairs
14:22and a senior fellow at the New York University.
14:25Professor Price, welcome.
14:28What, according to you, was the biggest signal from this 70-minute long parade at the Tiananmen Square this morning?
14:35The biggest signal for me was Modi's absence.
14:39So yes, we did see the Chinese and the Russians get together and hold quite an impressive military parade,
14:45although there's a difference between marching and fighting.
14:46But Modi's absence, I think, was a sign, a signal to China and Russia that despite the fact he was friendly the other day,
14:55he hasn't fully thrown in with the Russian-Chinese alliance.
15:00That was my biggest takeaway.
15:02Okay.
15:03And is China closing the military and technological gap with the United States of America?
15:08Is there merit in some analysts saying China's signal to the world is that it's ready to be on the global centre stage,
15:16perhaps to take the space being seated by US President Donald Trump?
15:21Well, the United States is a ferocious military power, particularly in the air,
15:27and I don't think that that's going to change any time soon.
15:29My way of thinking about this is that there is no winning a war for either China or the US if the US and China go to war.
15:36Both sides would effectively destroy each other.
15:38That goes for Taiwan.
15:39That goes for a nuclear exchange.
15:41And by the way, we've seen this in history.
15:43The Korean War and the war in Vietnam had strong elements of Chinese intervention,
15:48and that intervention probably tipped the balance against US ground forces.
15:52So there is no winning a war between the US and China.
15:55And my hope is that as we build these militaries, as the world rearms,
16:00we enter into some form of mutual deterrence per the Cold War rather than fighting.
16:05Okay.
16:06Professor Price Prime Minister Narendra Modi was at the SCO summit.
16:09Your reading of his photographs with President Xi and President Putin.
16:13And are Trump's tariffs harming US interests?
16:16Because you've said not only should US bring down the tariffs perhaps to zero,
16:22also apologise to India.
16:24Why should the US do so?
16:28Well, let's think about this in really simple terms,
16:30which is all I think President Trump can do.
16:33If you are going to confront China as the United States in the 21st century,
16:38and if China has formed an alliance with Russia,
16:41then what you're doing is effectively competing with the Eurasian landmass
16:45and the biggest population in the world and a growing economy.
16:49In that context, you must do two things.
16:52One, you must invite labour from Latin America into your economy
16:57such that you can compete with manufacturing.
16:59And the second thing you have to do is foreign policy.
17:02You have to be nice to India.
17:04India is a growing superpower.
17:06And by mid-century or before,
17:08will compete with China and the US in all sorts of ways.
17:11And so for the life of me, I don't understand.
17:13If you accept the proposition that the US and China are in an economic competition,
17:18a diplomatic and perhaps military competition,
17:20the last thing that you can do is annoy or insult India.
17:24And I'm afraid that that's what we've done.
17:27And unfortunately, that's exactly what President Trump has done.
17:31India has clearly signaled to the US ties with Russia are non-negotiable.
17:37Will Donald Trump and his team look at a solution in your view?
17:42Are there any signals from the US that these ties can still be salvaged?
17:46Or will India have to ride out the storm for the rest of the Trump tenure?
17:50Well, look, this is about carrots and sticks.
17:54And in my opinion, the worst thing that the US can do with India is to use the stick.
17:59Because, of course, for all sorts of reasons, including historic reasons, including strategic reasons,
18:03India is not going to respond well to the threat of a stick.
18:07Instead, it should be the carrot.
18:09These two great democracies should talk to each other about how we work together, how we trade more, not less,
18:16and really get on the same page about the values that we do share, effectively, as I say, democracy.
18:22So for my money, look, it's very simple.
18:24The US needs to change its approach.
18:26I said 0% tariff.
18:28Maybe that was hyperbolic.
18:29But zero would be far, far preferable to 50%, which is an act of economic vandalism.
18:35And yet we see, you know, we see a very tense situation, though there are some in India,
18:42including the commerce minister, who said perhaps by November we should have a trade deal in place or worse to that effect.
18:49But is trust broken between India and the US?
18:52And can that situation be salvaged?
18:56I think the situation can be salvaged.
18:58I think that India is going to do whatever is in India's interest.
19:02By the way, that's how India always does geopolitics.
19:05It's always pretty smart.
19:06It doesn't necessarily throw in its power with any one side or another.
19:10And I think that there are reasons that the Indians and the Americans and the West more broadly should get on.
19:16But that's for India to determine.
19:18And all I can say as a US citizen, as a member of the West, is that we, the West, we, the Americans, are going around this the wrong way.
19:26And at some point in the future, after Donald Trump, hopefully there will be a more sensible individual in the White House.
19:32And that individual will be able to sit down with Modi or whoever it is running India and patch things up.
19:37That's my hope.
19:38OK, so that's very interesting.
19:42After Donald Trump.
19:43So the indications are this relationship will not return on an even keel as long as Donald Trump is in the White House.
19:52Well, let me put a caveat on that.
19:54Donald Trump can be in the White House and we can still have better relations.
19:58It probably comes down to the midterm elections, which are a little over 400 days away in the United States.
20:03And if the midterm elections give Donald Trump a slap on the wrist, if effectively the Democratic Party can wrest control of the Congress,
20:12or if different Republicans, Republicans that are willing to stand up to his autocratic behavior,
20:17if those Republicans and Democrats get together in Congress and tell Donald Trump, look, no more of this nonsense,
20:23perhaps they can wrest back control of tariff policy, which, by the way, according to the founding fathers, was the power of the Congress, not the president.
20:30So I'm hopeful that the Congress, if it gets its act together, can repair the relationship between the U.S. and India and the U.S. and other countries before Trump leaves.
20:38If it can't, I'm afraid it's three and a half years of chaos.
20:42OK.
20:44Edward Price, for joining me here on India Today, many thanks.
20:48I now want to throw this open for a wider discussion with me on this special broadcast.
20:54General Narasimhan, your assessment of the military might showcased by China,
20:58has Beijing successfully reduced the gap, closed the gap, the strategic gap with Washington, D.C.?
21:06Or do you agree with Professor Price?
21:08He just seemed to indicate there's a big difference between military parades and warfighting capabilities on ground.
21:15Yes and no.
21:18Thanks for inviting me on this show, Gaurav.
21:20And it has always been a pleasure to discuss these things with you.
21:23Today's military parade threw up some new issues which we need to be looking into.
21:28Firstly, there is a shift towards a joint kind of warfare which you can see there,
21:34because the kind of equipment that got displayed here actually shows an improvement in the joint warfare capability of China.
21:41That is number one point.
21:44Two, there are some new equipment that was displayed today like DF-61 and also the kind of unmanned system that they actually projected here.
21:54Unmanned aircraft, unmanned drones and unmanned underwater vehicles.
21:59This is something which is actually getting into a new domain of warfare.
22:03And that is something which we need to take into account.
22:06The other one is the loyal wingman drone that they displayed today, which is again a very important thing,
22:11where it comes to what we call the mum team, man-unmanned teams.
22:15That is something which is going to be the future and they seem to be already moving on that.
22:20So, while these things may not have been tested on ground, but the capability exists and we need to take it at that value
22:28and then work on that particular kind of capability that Chinese have.
22:33Fair enough, Sandeep, the triad, the capability to deliver nuclear weapons, air, land, sea and underwater.
22:44Your take, Sandeep, because, you know, we saw this 70-minute long parade.
22:49This was a total show of strength by the People's Liberation Army, by China.
22:55Absolutely, Gaurav. And, you know, the first thing that hit me when I saw that parade this morning
22:59was what China is trying to convey to the world and indeed to the United States.
23:04It is deterrence across domains.
23:06And, you know, all of this triad business that's been put out there,
23:11for the first time you're seeing missiles like an air-launched ballistic missile, the JL-1, for instance.
23:18That's China's first aeroballistic nuclear-tipped missile that was displayed there.
23:23You've seen several series of Dongfeng long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles with MIRV capabilities.
23:31You're seeing hypersonic missiles.
23:33All of this points to China telling the United States that it's all about deterrence.
23:37So, it is like what we were in the Soviet Union and the United States, the confrontation during the Cold War.
23:44And we are looking at a new kind of Cold War as developing now,
23:49with China having finally arrived and becoming what the Soviet Union was not quite with the United States.
23:58It's an economic power and it's a military power as well.
24:02That's what China is literally signaling with this massive parade, Gaurav.
24:06The fact is that it is trying to show deterrence with that range of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
24:11It is telling the United States that we can checkmate you at every step,
24:16whether it is through the first island chain, across domains, underwater, space, long-range precision strike missiles.
24:24All of that was, you know, in that 70 minutes, Gaurav.
24:27That is what China and Xi Jinping are telling the United States.
24:31Okay. Ambassador Malhotra, past one week, the multiple, you know, writings, if I may, on the China wall.
24:39The images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Putin walking hand in hand, that warm hug, the long car drive, the conversation in the car.
24:47These images went viral worldwide, most searched images on Chinese social media too.
24:53Now, deliberate messaging that India won't let a third country dictate terms to India.
24:58But beyond this messaging, what is the signal?
25:02And can countries like China and Russia and more so Russia help mitigate the challenge posed by U.S. tariffs in terms of more market access?
25:13Thank you for inviting me. Yes, you have had a lot of protection in the media.
25:23And I think it is deliberate. I agree with you.
25:27To show friendship, warmth, bonhomie between the three leaders, they met more or less in the public eye.
25:34So it wasn't a formal meeting that took place. There was no conference or anything.
25:39As you know, the next day, the Russian, Chinese and Mongolian leaders met.
25:44That was a sit down, proper conference that took place, a meeting.
25:49But this was meant to really signal. I would say it shows a certain tactical recalibration or a rebalancing by India.
26:00Within the larger framework of its policy of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment, which it has been following for a long time.
26:11So, yes, they are things that we too want to project, that we are a re-emerging power, I think, but also one that is not a camp follower of anyone and not aspiring to be a junior ally or junior partner to anyone.
26:30Not USA, not Russia, not China. And I think that is part of the appreciation that the world should have in looking at India's participation in this meeting.
26:41As regards tariffs, let's see, there have been reports that Russia may be interested in picking up some of the items which could not be sold on or which were planned to be sold to the Americans, but due to the high tariffs will not be, you know, worthwhile sending that.
27:01But I think there would be many other opportunities. I don't think that would be the primary focus. There would be many other opportunities which we are exploring.
27:12In the previous segment, I heard, for example, the free trade areas that we are exploring with other countries, and that's the right way to proceed.
27:20All these things will also pass, you know. Later on, when we look back, these tariff differences have been there for a long time, especially when
27:30Republican administrations have been there. And I would venture that even when Trump goes, you may still have some of this, because they do use tariffs as a weapon to fry open markets.
27:43Whereas with the Democrat administration, it was always child labor, bonded labor, you know, workers' rights, environmental conditionality.
27:51The Republicans are not interested in those matters to a large extent. The only difference is now it is being done in the public eye because you have
27:59Trump who puts out these social messages out there in social media, and that causes certain concerns which are not easy to address in a public setting.
28:12Okay.
28:13But I'm sure we'll find the solutions to this. And I agree with one of the previous speakers who said, what happens in the elections to the US Congress will determine also to what extent and how this moves forward.
28:27And let's see where we go. Fair enough.
28:29But there's no reason for us to feel bullied by the Americans. That is simply not going to happen.
28:35So, Professor Latham, that's a message that's gone out loud and clear from India. There is no way that India will be bullied by anyone.
28:44And let alone someone we've considered a very close, comprehensive strategic partner.
28:49But how would the US be reacting to this military parade?
28:54And I want you to see those images of the Dongfeng 61s and the unmanned systems and the undersea equipment that China put out on display, Professor Latham.
29:05And, you know, what do you make of President Trump saying words to the effect that, you know, my best wishes to President Putin and Kim Jong-un and you're all conspiring against the US?
29:18Your take on that, sir?
29:20Well, I think the parade, first of all, signaled that China is committed to competing both at a strategic level, at operational level, at a tactical level with the United States.
29:33There are some implications of that, one of which is optimistic, makes me optimistic.
29:38We have an assured second strike capability, which means no matter what the US does, no matter how intensive and extensive a first strike is, China will always have something left over to destroy a big chunk of America.
29:51In the Cold War, and this is not Cold War 2.0, but in the Cold War, we call that mutually assured destruction or MAD.
29:58And it made both sides very cautious when dealing with each other.
30:03However, here's the pessimistic note I want to sound.
30:06Cuban Missile Crisis, Operation Able Archer in 1984, the Berlin Crisis.
30:11We were on the verge of a nuclear war despite mutually assured destruction because rational actors will play the game of brinkmanship when important factors are in play, like Taiwan, equivalent to Berlin, perhaps, or Cuba.
30:26And so neither side wants to blink in that kind of brinkmanship.
30:31And when both sides are armed to the teeth with strategic nuclear weapons, that's a very frightening proposition.
30:38We barely survived the Cold War.
30:40I hope we're not going to do a rerun here.
30:43The other problem with the Cold War analogy is that once you say Cold War, you have to say containment.
30:48And once you say containment in the United States, that means they have to contain China the way the Soviet Union was contained.
30:54And that's not possible.
30:56That's not possible in part because India won't play that game.
30:59And if India doesn't play that game, then there's no containment possible.
31:02No, Professor Latham, before I bring in General Narsimhan, India won't play that game because India wouldn't be bullied.
31:10So, you know, President Trump can't think that he'll bully India and then expect us to play that game.
31:15I mean, if he thought we'd play, you know, we'll roll over and play dead, that's very poor reading of India.
31:21He was dead wrong.
31:23And I will say this, he, the President of the United States, is economically illiterate, but he's not entirely geopolitically tone deaf.
31:31He saw what went on with the SCO summit and he softened his rhetoric.
31:35He hasn't yet changed the policies, but he softened the rhetoric.
31:39And I rather suspect that in the foreseeable future, the policies will shift.
31:43Because even somebody as geopolitically inept as Donald J. Trump can see the writing on the wall and should act accordingly.
31:51And the people around him, to mix metaphors, must be saying, Mr. President, wake up and smell the coffee.
31:56We need India more or less, more aligned with us than with China.
32:01I won't say on team America, but more aligned with the U.S. than with China.
32:05And if he's open to that, I will say one last thing and then I'll pass the baton.
32:09The court system in the United States, soon to be the Supreme Court, is likely to declare these tariffs illegal.
32:16Illegal.
32:17Unconstitutional.
32:18That the President has exceeded his authority, he's usurped congressional powers, and none of these tariffs are going to remain in place.
32:25Now, he can put a positive spin on that and do a good deal with India, making a virtue of necessity, or he can throw another tantrum.
32:33One hopes, for the sake of both India and the U.S., that he reacts in a sensible way.
32:40Okay, Ambassador Malhotra, there are voices in India that seem to believe, including the Commerce Minister, that perhaps by November we should have some kind of a trade deal in place.
32:52But has trust been lost, or it's just been damaged?
32:57Can the situation still be salvaged?
32:59Or, you know, we've come to that realization that 25 years of investment can be thrown out of the window on the basis of one social media tweet by Trump.
33:09Or just because he hasn't been recommended for a Nobel Prize, it just goes on to show how fragile words like,
33:17comprehensive, privileged, comprehensive strategic partners may still mean, sir.
33:23Well, I think there's more to it than just that, or a, you know, offhand tweet that he might have put out there.
33:32I think even, he would have been noting how we were behaving in the Biden years, and even in the election process.
33:40And his outreach to the Pakistanis is also of interest, and their outreach to him.
33:46So all of these things have to be borne in mind.
33:48But can we find solutions?
33:49I absolutely have no doubt that through quiet diplomacy, we can find these solutions.
33:55So my first suggestion would be that he should stop this sort of posturing in social media, and let diplomacy find its level.
34:04And in the past, we have had many such occasions where on tariffs, we have negotiated at the very highest level with the Americans and found solutions.
34:13I have absolutely no doubt that we can do it again.
34:16And if there's a desire to do so on their part, well, we are ready and available.
34:20But I think one thing should be clear that we are not ready to be part of a world which is dominated by any power, any one power, no matter how friendly it may be to us.
34:32And I think this is an opportunity for us to present in turn our message to them, and let them also appreciate that we won't be your running dog or we won't be your junior ally or camp follower.
34:44And I think once that understanding seeps in appreciation of positions of both sides, then you can find better solutions.
34:51And I do believe it is eminently possible.
34:54Okay, because Sandeep, as Ambassador Malhotra was pointing out, it's quite alarming for a cryptocurrency deal with Pakistan, President Trump for a personal or a family deal.
35:07He can throw out 25 years of strategic partnership out of the window, it would just show that they're really not very reliable partners.
35:14But I'll come to America in just a bit, Sandeep.
35:17I want to come back to that military parade at the Tiananmen Square.
35:21Because Operation Sindoor Sandeep, we saw the capabilities of Chinese low-earth orbiting satellites, their real-time intelligence given to Pakistan, the PL-15s, air-to-air missiles, the J-10Cs, the JF-17s, the Honky-9s, the HQ-16 radars.
35:38But by the 10th May morning, India had punched holes across Pakistani air defense, bombed nine terror camps, including Mureetken Bahawalpur, 11 air bases, six radars.
35:51So, you know, the difference that, you remember Professor Price and Andrew Latham both seem to indicate, the difference between parade weapons and weapons of war.
36:00Absolutely, Gaurav. And, you know, I think the Chinese military industrial complex would have been extremely disappointed with what happened on the 10th of May.
36:07I'm sure they might have been overjoyed on the 7th of May for what happened, the reverses that we suffered.
36:13But by the 10th of May, it was very clear that all the missiles, all the radars, all the data links, all the long-range missiles,
36:20all of that would not do anything to prevent Pakistan getting the beating that it did in that short span of time.
36:28In less than 30 minutes, we had basically forced the PAF away from the frontline air bases.
36:35And these air bases, Gaurav, as you know, are where the special weapons storage sites as well.
36:43And they had to run into their depth bases. They had to vacate their frontline air bases.
36:48Their air defense shields were shattered. You know, and it is kind of one of those situations which they had completely not expected.
36:56It was an out-of-syllabus question, if you can call it that. And they had no answer to that.
37:02So, the Chinese military industrial complex, Gaurav, has taken a beating in Op Sindhur.
37:08And we have seen the way, the kind of propaganda that was put out to target Indian weapons,
37:14to target Western weapons that were used by us, by the Chinese military industrial complex.
37:18But of course, Operation Sindhur kind of, you know, has raised question marks about the effectiveness,
37:24the efficacy of many of these tactical weapons that the Chinese have sold to the Pakistanis, Gaurav.
37:31General Arseman, would you like to weigh in? Because the kind of weapons the Chinese had sold the Pakistanis,
37:38the HQ-16s and the HQ-9s after what India did in Balakot.
37:43So that entire air defense shield, India was able to punch holes in it and bomb where we wanted, when we wanted, how we wanted.
37:52In the light of that. Or are we to think, because Pakistan doesn't really pay good money, they don't get the best equipment?
38:01The thing I think we need to look at is the kind of equipment that Pakistan has got from the Chinese.
38:07There have been issues with that. Like for example, the frigates that they had supplied had issues.
38:13The other weapon system that they had served that had had issues.
38:17So you find this kind of a Chinese equipment not performing well when they are exported is a thing which has already been seen.
38:24Bangladesh had issues earlier. Myanmar had issues earlier.
38:27And so this is a normal phenomena that you get to see.
38:30Having said that, two things I would like to mention here.
38:33One, Chinese are very, very good in learning from others and learning from other conflicts that happen otherwise.
38:43So any conflict happening in the world, they study it in great amount of detail and take the lessons from it and then implement it.
38:50So that is one issue.
38:51Second thing, having suffered the adverse, adverse, adverses in of Sindor, I am sure Pakistan and China must be now thinking and working on how to overcome those shortcomings.
39:04So in any of the future conflicts, we should not be under the impression that there will be weaknesses in that system.
39:10And then we should work on that. No, I think we should work to their capabilities so that if there are weaknesses, we always stand to benefit out of it.
39:18So I think that is the way we need to see it.
39:21They both are good learners and they both will be working together now to overcome the shortcomings that they faced in Operation Sindor between May 7th and May 10th.
39:29I think that is the kind of equipment that was displayed today in the parade.
39:34That is something that we need to take note of.
39:36See, the multidimensional warfare capability that China displayed today is something that we have to sit back and take note of and then start working on how to deal with this.
39:47Because this kind of a display has not happened before. This is the first time this kind of display is happening.
39:53True.
39:54So this is something I think we need to take note of.
39:56Professor Latham, is that also your understanding, the kind of weapons, multidomain operations that China land, sea, air and undersea, underwater drones, underwater long range drones, winged, manned, unmanned aerial vehicles, combat aerial vehicles, your appreciation of the weapons that they displayed.
40:17Or is that it's all shiny and glitters, but on ground India was able to get the better of the Chinese equipment during Ops Sindor?
40:26Two quick comments, one of which is China hasn't fought a war since 1979 against Vietnam and it lost.
40:34And combat experience is actually very, very important.
40:38Second point, more importantly, I think, the Operation Sindor was conducted against Pakistani forces armed largely with last generation Chinese weapons.
40:49They're outdated. The S-400, really? I mean, that's an antique now.
40:53What's on display in Beijing yesterday were next generation weapons, the J-36, still a concept, but these these aircraft are designed.
41:05You're right. They've reverse engineered some high tech American kit, but they're looking to compete at the high end with American opposition forces on the ground, on the sea, under the sea and in the air.
41:19And those next generation weapons, if they come to fruition, are really, really impressive.
41:26Arguments have been made that they are better than America's next generation fighter aircraft, for example.
41:32So I think it would be a mistake to read too much into Pakistan's abysmal failure on the battlefield during Operation Sindor.
41:39I'm glad that the side that prevailed, prevailed. But I wouldn't look backward. I think I'd be inclined to look forward.
41:49Next generation.
41:50Oh, absolutely.
41:52Because the S-400s, you know, from Russia that India has performed superbly during during Op Sindor, including getting a hit 324 kilometers deep inside Pakistan, a defensive weapon and an offensive role.
42:05But Ambassador Malhotra, Merit, you know, General Narasimhan said China learns very quickly in terms of what's happening in the Russia-Ukraine war, the kind of drones and anti-drone systems that they had clearly next generation.
42:21And that would pose a threat to the world.
42:23Yes, I agree. But as General Narasimhan pointed out, we also have to learn very quickly, and we probably are.
42:30If you see the Russians also learned on the job.
42:33I mean, when the war started, they really weren't very good at drones or anti-drone capabilities.
42:40But now I think, and with their performance in the field, and they are a significant fighting force.
42:50So wherever these conflicts take place, I think everyone is monitoring and seeing how does the weapon system of the other side perform on both sides.
43:01And that helps you then gauge what else you need to do.
43:04A thing like this parade gives you a peep into what a country, and in this case a country with which we have some issues, might be up to.
43:14And I think it is incumbent on the Indian authorities now, in the interest of the Indian citizens.
43:21Ambassador Malhotra, the last 30 seconds I have on this part of the show, there's a question that was repeatedly asked, you know, by friends from China and Russia about RIC.
43:33You know, from the times, if I remember correctly, from Premier Primakov to current Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
43:38The current conversation around RIC, Russia, India, China, trilateral, is gaining ground.
43:44You've been our ambassador to Russia.
43:46Your appreciation of RIC, is it an idea whose time has now come?
43:52Or that's clearly not happening.
43:54This was just, you know, a handshake.
43:57And this is not something that India is very keen to move forward on.
44:00I wouldn't exaggerate its importance.
44:03RIC has never really had a stand-alone summit meeting.
44:07Whenever they have met, and they have met twice in more recent times, 2018, 2019,
44:13it has always been on the sidelines of other multilateral conferences.
44:17Yes, it is good for us on some issues to talk with these two countries.
44:23And we do so at the foreign minister level.
44:25And all three countries believe that that's probably the right level at which to keep it.
44:29So I don't see, even up here, if you saw, and I pointed it out, it wasn't a sit-down sort of a meeting of the three.
44:36Yes.
44:37Which would be something that might cause more concern to others.
44:40But it was to show that, look, there are possibilities out there.
44:46And if there's anyone looking to harm any of these three countries, they need to think about it.
44:51I would leave it at this moment for that.
44:54Under BRICS, you probably have much more to do.
44:56Again, that is in the economic context.
44:59Yes.
45:00That is expanding its purview.
45:01So, it probably, with a wider phalanx, it probably does a better job.
45:08But again, it's not political, and it's not an alliance.
45:11Very often you read, BRICS alliance, BRICS alliance, these are not alliances.
45:14No SSCOs.
45:15Okay.
45:16We will never be in alliance with China, given the situation that persists on our border and the differences we have at the moment.
45:23Absolutely.
45:24Absolutely.
45:25Gentlemen, many thanks for joining me.
45:27You know, this is a conversation.
45:28I'd love to have a longer conversation with you on this.
45:30But there's breaking news that's coming in.
45:32It's a big, big India Today exclusive.
45:36In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Germany's foreign minister has said,
45:41Donald Trump is using tariffs as a tool to finance the American budget.
45:47The German foreign minister said that the Trump administration will be using similar tools in future as well.
45:55And the world needs to be prepared for the future.
45:59Now, India Today had reported that the U.S. is now putting pressure on the European Union to put sanctions on India, similar to the U.S. tariffs.
46:08But the German foreign minister has made one thing very clear.
46:11The European Union will not put pressure on India.
46:15There will not be any sanctions.
46:18Listen in to this exclusive conversation.
46:20My colleague Geeta Mohan gets us more.
46:25Tariff war and President Trump and how he looks at and views at tariffs and weaponizing tariffs.
46:32How do you see it?
46:33I don't think that this will end with the situation we are now in.
46:40We have to expect that these tools will be used by the American administration further on.
46:47So we have to prepare us for the future.
46:50We are not in favor of putting tariffs between countries and between markets,
46:56but to make it easier to have trade between countries.
47:03We will talk about the long war, but are you telling me, Minister Wanderfull,
47:06that this is a long economic war also that the world will be dealing with?
47:11That it is not going to end any time soon?
47:13I wouldn't say it is a war, but it is a specific tool this president is using
47:22in the end of the day to finance his own budget.
47:27India is feeling the pressure, the economic pressure of sanctions.
47:31I would call them sanctions because secondary tariffs amount to economic sanctions.
47:35Is Germany feeling U.S. pressure to sanction India as many other European countries are?
47:41No, we are not.
47:44Okay, so there is a big parade at the Beijing's parade.
47:48There was a hot mic moment between President Xi Jinping and the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
47:54King Jomong was also there and that hot mic moment has gone viral.
47:58So the three strongmen were caught talking about not war,
48:03not challenging the United States of America,
48:06but longevity, biotech, and how to live long.
48:11Listen in.
48:13Let me now tell you something about the deep tech initiative in our country.
48:18Deep Tech India 2025 initiative.
48:19Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated
48:23Samanvai 2025.
48:24Now, this was a meet of tech people.
48:26It was a meeting in the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
48:28It was a meeting in the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
48:29The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated Samanvai 2025.
48:36Now, this was a meet of tech experts at IIT Kanpur.
48:42And he's called it the first summit to drive research and innovation and collaboration in deep technology.
48:48So the Chief Minister also launched the Samarth Uttar Pradesh portal designed to drive research and innovation and collaboration in deep technology.
48:59So the Chief Minister also launched the Samarth Uttar Pradesh portal designed to connect skilled professionals with jobs and strengthen UP's AI system.
49:12Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted the importance of aligning technology with what the society needs today.
49:19He said the strength of a nation lies in the balance of Shastra and Shastra.
49:26Listen in.
49:29now
49:30the
49:37the
49:52the
49:53ڈیسٹی سے جس کو لے کر کے آج بھارت جن چنوٹیوں کا سامنا کر رہا ہے
49:59جو چنوٹیاں ہمارے سامنے ہیں ان چنوٹیوں کا سامنا کرنے کے لیے
50:05ہم لوگوں کو کیسے کارے کرنا ہے اس پر اوض سے ہمیں بیچار کرنا
50:12ہوگا اور یہ ہے اس لئے بھی مہتفون ہے بھارت نے اس سے پہلے یہ
50:16سب کر کے دکھایا ہے mathematics کا کرما کر تھیوری بھارت کی ایک
50:23گنتگیا نے دی ہے اور مجھے لگتا ہے کہ کرما کر اس سمیں کافی
50:35بڑی عمر کے ہو چکے ہیں اور میرا پریاس ہوگا کہ میں انہوں
50:41ایٹ کانپور کے ساتھ جوڑوں آپ دیکھنا کوانٹم کمپیوٹر سے بہتر
50:45کمپیوٹر دو دینے کی سامرتے رکھتے ہیں ان کی تھیوری کو تھڑا آپ دیکھے کبھی
50:50so getting the shastra weapons and shastra knowledge together for a better india
51:00that's the effort that uttar pradesh chief minister yogi adhitanath is talking about
51:05that is all i have for you on this india first special broadcast
51:08many thanks for watching news and updates continue on india today
Be the first to comment