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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit China from May 23-26 for talks.
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00:00Hello and welcome, you're watching Statecraft with me, Geeta Mohan.
00:03Now, can America's next confrontation shift from West Asia to the Caribbean
00:07while another superpower quietly builds a diplomatic empire in Beijing?
00:12Tonight on Statecraft, two unfolding stories that look separate but are deeply connected.
00:18In Washington's orbit, Donald Trump's escalating pressure on Cuba
00:21from indictments to military signaling raises fears of another regime-style confrontation
00:27just 90 miles from U.S. shores.
00:31Meanwhile, in the East, China turns Beijing into the world's diplomatic stage,
00:36hosting global leaders including Pakistan's Shahbaz Sharif
00:39as it positions itself as mediator-in-chief.
00:43One theater is loud, reactive and combustible.
00:46The other is calm, calculated and expanding its influence before crises even peak.
00:53Who is shaping the new world order?
00:55Who is escalating it?
00:57And who is hosting it?
00:59All of this and more, but first up, the headlines.
01:04Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is set to visit China from May 23rd to the 26th.
01:09During the visit, he will hold talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Chang.
01:13The visit has a special significance as the two countries are celebrating their 75th anniversary
01:18of diplomatic ties.
01:22Global Sumut Lottila activists released from Israeli custody trying to bring aid to Gaza
01:26were allegedly detained and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults,
01:31including rape by Israeli forces during their abduction and imprisonment.
01:36A participant in the Global Sumut Flotila, Adrian Vaughan,
01:40showed his back and arm covered in bruises after arrival in Istanbul.
01:44Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Ministry has given clarification
01:47that non-lethal means were used towards the flotilla vessels as a warning
01:51and that no protester was injured.
01:56The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, which was originally scheduled for May 28th to the 31st,
02:02and the inaugural International Big Cat Alliance Summit,
02:05which was planned for early June in New Delhi, have been postponed indefinitely.
02:10Both events were delayed by India and the African Union
02:13in response to a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.
02:19Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit North Korea as early as next week
02:23as reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
02:26President Jinping, who hosted President Trump in Beijing recently,
02:30will try to mediate between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
02:35Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Krista-Dilidis
02:39have shared a warm and candid selfie moment
02:41during the Cyprus President's state visit to India on X.
02:45The friendly gesture perfectly reflected the growing bilateral relations
02:49and developing trust between India and Cyprus.
02:52Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with the Cypriot President
02:55in New Delhi at Hyderabad House.
03:02Joining us now on this global exclusive interview
03:06on the eve of U.S. Secretary Barco Rubio's maiden visit to India
03:12is Ambassador Gaur.
03:13Ambassador Gaur, thank you so much for making time for us
03:16and doing it on such a short notice.
03:18It's truly global because I'm somewhere else in part of the world.
03:21You are in New Delhi.
03:22Secretary Rubio is somewhere else.
03:24All converging to be meeting in New Delhi tomorrow.
03:26Can you tell us, you know, what is the significance of this visit?
03:30Because there's been a lot being said about it.
03:32What can we expect from this visit?
03:34Well, Rahit, it's good to talk to you tonight.
03:36It's good to see you.
03:37I know you're on the way back to India.
03:39So we look forward to seeing you in person tomorrow.
03:42Look, the significance of this visit is
03:44that the United States cares about the relationship with India.
03:47And so you have the Secretary of State,
03:49who's also the National Security Advisor,
03:51who's coming to India for four days,
03:53which is quite unusual.
03:54When the Secretary travels, it's usually for one night, maybe two.
03:58He has yet to go to one place for four days.
04:02So when the Secretary visits here, he'll be going to Delhi,
04:04he'll be going to Kolkata, he'll be going to Agra,
04:06he'll be going to Jaipur.
04:07The significance is a lot.
04:09It's A, the relationship between our two countries.
04:11It's also a quad meeting.
04:13So we expect some big things to come out over the next few days.
04:18You know, you rightly said it.
04:21It's unusual.
04:21You know, he's beginning in Kolkata, you know,
04:23comes back to Delhi, does the bilateral,
04:25then does the Jaipur Agra comes back, does the quad.
04:28I mean, massive, massive, you know, a four-day event.
04:32Just tell us, you know,
04:33what could be some tangible outcomes
04:35that we could be looking out for?
04:36I mean, there's the cultural aspect of it.
04:38There is the bilateral aspect of it.
04:40There's also the quad.
04:41I mean, any tangible outcomes that we could be looking at?
04:44I don't want to preempt announcements,
04:46but there will be some announcements
04:48that relate to our bilateral relationship,
04:51but also some quad announcements.
04:52So as partners in the quad, we will have some deliverables
04:56that all four sides are very excited about.
04:59And so that'll come out over the next few days.
05:02Individually, between the United States and India,
05:04this is something that we've been building on
05:06over the last few months.
05:07I've been here now almost five months.
05:09The secretary has engaged with Dr. Jay Shankar
05:12on a very regular basis.
05:13They have met multiple times,
05:15both in the United States,
05:17on the sideline, at other events.
05:19So this is a continuation of that.
05:21But we do expect to see some results of that.
05:23Talk is good, but action is even better.
05:25And so since I have arrived in India,
05:27we have seen that on a monthly basis.
05:29In my first month, we worked on closing the trade deal,
05:32which is now in the final stages of getting signed.
05:34But for all intents and purposes,
05:37the trade deal is done.
05:38The legal language is what is being worked out on.
05:41The next month, India was added into Paxilica,
05:44one of the first 10 nations in the world that was added.
05:47The reason India was added
05:48is because it's a trusted partner to us.
05:51And so we've continued to build upon that.
05:53The secretary coming here is as big as it gets
05:56outside of the president.
05:57So we're beyond excited to have him here.
06:01Ambassador, you know,
06:02it is very interesting that you said that
06:03because Secretary Rubio,
06:05even when he was a scientist,
06:06was a big, you know,
06:07he wanted, you know,
06:09America to get closer to India.
06:11As you rightly said,
06:12he's an NSA and a secretary of state.
06:14You know,
06:15what message does he,
06:17is he carrying from the president of United States?
06:18Because as you said,
06:19I mean, you know,
06:20he is the biggest person after the president
06:22when it comes to the bilateral relationship.
06:24Any message you think,
06:25you know,
06:25he's carrying from the,
06:26from President Trump or India?
06:27Look,
06:27I think the message is that
06:28we want to work even closer with India.
06:31The president,
06:32as you know,
06:32as I've often said,
06:33holds the prime minister
06:33in very high regard.
06:35And the message will be clear.
06:37The United States and India
06:38are natural partners.
06:39And that's something
06:40we hope to build upon.
06:41I spoke to the president two days ago,
06:43just before the secretary left for Europe.
06:45He's in Europe tonight
06:46and gets into India tomorrow.
06:48And the president was very clear
06:50on what he wants to see happen
06:52and what,
06:52what he wants to see come out of this trip.
06:54And that is our two sides
06:55working along hand in hand
06:57and identifying those win-win situations
07:01for both of our countries.
07:02This is Secretary Rubio's first visit to India.
07:05So it's an incredible thing.
07:06Any one of those things that you mentioned
07:08would be worth the trip,
07:09a quad meeting,
07:10the bilateral meetings,
07:11but also the fact
07:13that he's able to experience
07:14the incredible culture and history
07:16and frankly,
07:17the warmth of the people.
07:19And Delhi's great,
07:20but it's also good
07:21that he's getting out of Delhi.
07:23Too many times,
07:23visitors come to India
07:25for a few hours,
07:26they have a meeting in Delhi
07:27and they depart.
07:28To me,
07:28that's not the full picture.
07:31That's,
07:32that's rightly said.
07:33And before I let you go, sir,
07:34one last question,
07:35you know,
07:36second Rubio,
07:36when he was boarding the plane
07:37from the U.S.,
07:39he talked about
07:39how India is an ally
07:41and a partner.
07:42You know,
07:42he talked about America first
07:43and he said,
07:44that doesn't mean,
07:44you know,
07:45America alone.
07:45Is this a relationship
07:47where you think
07:47it's America first
07:48and taking India forward?
07:50I think,
07:50I think as the secretary said,
07:52the two are not mutually exclusive.
07:54America first,
07:54not America alone.
07:55And so we do have
07:56identified partners
07:57that we do trust.
07:59There's a reason
07:59the quad is only four people.
08:01Two of them
08:02are some of our biggest allies,
08:03right?
08:03Japan and Australia.
08:05And so to have India
08:06in that group,
08:07in that mix,
08:09it's not by coincidence.
08:11And so I do think
08:12there's a lot
08:13that we can build upon.
08:15India and the prime minister
08:17have a friend
08:17in the Oval Office.
08:18It comes down to that.
08:19And so it is my job
08:21to bring those opportunities
08:22and identify
08:23those win-win situations,
08:25both for America
08:26and things that also
08:28the Indian side
08:29would appreciate.
08:32All right,
08:32thank you so much.
08:33I know you have
08:34a busy schedule.
08:34We'll look forward
08:35to seeing you more
08:36in the next few days
08:37and we'll keep chatting
08:38with you
08:38as the trip progresses.
08:40Thank you so much.
08:41We'll see you tomorrow, Rohit.
08:42Safe travels.
08:43Thank you, sir.
08:44Take care.
08:44Goodbye.
08:50The Arsenal of Freedom
08:52initiative
08:52to drastically increase
08:54and modernize
08:55the nation's
08:56military arsenals.
08:57The effort is backed
08:58by a $1.5 trillion
09:00investment
09:01designated for
09:02military modernization
09:03and national defense.
09:05A video comes amid
09:07a fragile ceasefire
09:09between U.S., Iran
09:10and a continued blockade
09:11of the Strait of Hormuz.
09:12This initiative
09:14by Pete Hexit,
09:15the Secretary of War,
09:17to radically expand
09:19U.S. arsenal
09:20is a direct shift
09:21from general modernization
09:22strategy
09:23into high stakes
09:24of effort
09:25to sustain
09:26active combat operations,
09:28counter regional retaliation
09:30and maintain global readiness.
09:33U.S. Department of War
09:34has released this video
09:35to show Trump administration's
09:37ambitious military plans.
09:38The goal of this initiative
09:39includes four-point plan
09:41to increase the arsenal
09:42to defend the homeland,
09:44to increase maritime dominance
09:46to dominate the battlefield
09:48and include AI-powered arsenals
09:50in U.S. military
09:51to crush enemies' networks.
09:54This PR video
09:55anchored by U.S. Secretary of War
09:57Pete Hexit
09:58mocks Iranian Supreme Leader
10:00Ayatollah Mushtaba Khamenei
10:02as a handicapped person
10:03walking on crutches.
10:07To keep America safe
10:08in an increasingly dangerous world,
10:11we cannot rely
10:12on the weapons
10:13of the past.
10:14We have to build
10:16the weapons
10:16of the future.
10:18We are awakening
10:18the sleeping giant
10:19and building
10:21America's arsenal
10:22of freedom.
10:23First and foremost,
10:25we are defending
10:26the homeland.
10:27We're funding
10:28the Golden Dome,
10:29a next-generation
10:31multi-layered missile shield
10:33over the United States.
10:35It will protect
10:36our communities
10:36from airborne threats
10:38and ensure that America
10:39will never be held hostage
10:41by foreign powers.
10:44India is set to host
10:46the meeting of the Quad,
10:48that's Quadrilateral Security
10:49Dialogue of 2026,
10:51which will be chaired
10:52by India's foreign minister,
10:54external affairs minister,
10:55Dr. S.J. Shankar.
10:56It will be 26th of May
10:59when the top diplomats
11:00of all Quad nations
11:01will be coming together
11:02in the national capital
11:04of India,
11:04that's Delhi.
11:05The meeting will be joined
11:06by foreign ministers
11:07of not just India
11:09but also U.S. Secretary
11:10of State Marco Rubio,
11:11Foreign Minister of Japan
11:12Toshimitsu Motegi
11:14and Australian Foreign Minister
11:16Penny Wong
11:17with U.S. Secretary of State
11:18Marco Rubio's
11:20first visit to India.
11:22There's a lot to work on
11:23with India.
11:23They're a great ally,
11:24a great partner.
11:25We do a lot of good work
11:26with them and so
11:27this is an important trip.
11:28I'm glad we're able to do it
11:28because I think there'll be
11:29a lot for us to talk about
11:30and we'll also meet
11:31with the Quad there,
11:32which is important.
11:33It's something,
11:33I think my first meeting
11:34as Secretary of State
11:35was with the Quad.
11:36The Quad has emerged
11:37as a significant strategic
11:38grouping focused on
11:39maintaining peace,
11:41security and stability
11:42in the Indo-Pacific region.
11:44The upcoming summit
11:45is expected to exchange
11:46views on advancing
11:48Quad cooperation
11:48across priority areas,
11:51review progress
11:51on ongoing Quad initiatives
11:53and reflect on
11:54recent developments
11:55in the Indo-Pacific region
11:57and other international issues
11:59of mutual concern
12:00based on the ministers,
12:03based on what the ministers
12:05will discuss
12:05and the discussions
12:07that were held in Washington
12:08on the 1st of July last year.
12:10Donald Trump's confrontation
12:12with Iran is still unfolding.
12:14But even before that conflict
12:15reaches any clear end,
12:17another geopolitical flashpoint
12:19is beginning to emerge,
12:20this time in America's
12:22own backyard, Cuba.
12:24Because over the last few days,
12:26Washington's rhetoric
12:27against Havana
12:28has intensified sharply.
12:30Indictments, threats,
12:32sanctions, military deployments,
12:34step by step,
12:35the signals are beginning
12:37to resemble a familiar
12:38American playbook,
12:40one that many now believe
12:41could be laying the groundwork
12:43for another regime change operation.
12:46The first major escalation
12:48came when the United States
12:49indicted Cuba's former president,
12:5194-year-old Raul Castro,
12:54on murder charges
12:55linked to the 1996 downing
12:57of two civilian aircraft
12:59near Cuban airspace.
13:01Those planes,
13:02operated by a Miami-based rescue group,
13:05were searching for Cubans
13:07attempting to flee the island.
13:09Three American citizens
13:10and one Cuban national
13:12were killed in the incident.
13:14Washington now claims
13:15Castro personally authorized
13:17the operation
13:18while serving
13:19as Cuba's defense minister.
13:21And the language coming
13:22from Trump administration
13:23has been unusually aggressive.
13:26Acting Attorney General
13:27Todd Blanche declared
13:28that Castro would eventually
13:30show up here
13:31by his own will
13:33or by another way
13:34and go to prison.
13:35A statement that many analysts
13:37interpreted not simply
13:39as legal pressure
13:40but as political signaling.
13:42Because this is not happening
13:43in isolation
13:44and many observers
13:45are now drawing
13:46direct parallels
13:47between Venezuela
13:48and Cuba.
13:50In Venezuela,
13:51Washington first isolated
13:52Nicolas Maduro
13:53diplomatically,
13:54escalated sanctions,
13:56increased military pressure
13:57and then eventually
13:59captured him
14:00during a special operation.
14:02Critics now fear
14:03Cuba may be entering
14:04the same sequence.
14:06The pressure campaign
14:07against Havana
14:08has been building rapidly.
14:10Donald Trump recently
14:11warned the Cuban government
14:13to make a deal
14:14before it is too late.
14:15He also signed
14:16an executive order
14:17targeting countries
14:18that supply oil to Cuba,
14:20threatening tariffs
14:21on their exports
14:22to the United States.
14:24The move could further
14:25cripple the island's
14:27already struggling economy.
14:28And the economic strain
14:30is becoming severe.
14:31Cuba has faced
14:33repeated nationwide
14:34power outages
14:35due to fuel shortages.
14:37Three United Nations
14:38special repertoires
14:39even warned
14:40that the American blockade
14:41was creating
14:42what they described
14:43as energy starvation
14:45with serious humanitarian
14:46and developmental consequences
14:49for the island.
14:50But the most striking shift
14:52came after the Castro
14:53indictment itself.
14:55Initially,
14:56Trump appeared
14:56to downplay
14:57the possibility
14:58of military escalation.
14:59He told reporters
15:00that Cuba was already
15:02falling apart
15:02and suggested intervention
15:04might not even be necessary.
15:06But within 24 hours,
15:08his tone changed dramatically.
15:10Speaking at the Oval Office,
15:12Trump openly suggested
15:13that he could become
15:14the American president
15:15who finally intervenes
15:17militarily in Cuba.
15:18That statement
15:20immediately triggered alarm
15:21across Latin America
15:22because for decades,
15:24Cuba has occupied
15:25a uniquely sensitive place
15:27in American strategic thinking.
15:29from the Bay of Pigs invasion
15:31to the Cuban Missile Crisis,
15:32the island has long
15:34been viewed in Washington
15:35not merely
15:36as a neighboring state,
15:37but as a geopolitical challenge
15:39sitting just 90 miles
15:41off the Florida coast.
15:45There was an aircraft carrier
15:46that just arrived there
15:48just this week,
15:50an aircraft carrier.
15:51Are you sending that there
15:52to intimidate the Cuban government?
15:54No, not at all.
15:55The Cuba,
15:56look, it's a failed country.
15:57Everybody knows it.
15:58They don't have electricity.
15:59They don't have money.
16:01They don't have really anything.
16:02They don't have food.
16:03And we're going to help them along
16:05and we're going to help them
16:06because the people,
16:07because number one,
16:08I want to help them
16:09on a humanitarian basis.
16:11But we have the Cuban American population,
16:14much of it living in Miami
16:15and Florida.
16:16That's a great group of people,
16:18amazing group of people,
16:20industrious,
16:20just they're great Americans.
16:23They've wanted this to happen.
16:24They want to go back
16:25to their country.
16:26They want to help their country.
16:27I hope they're going to stay here,
16:28but they want to go back.
16:29They want to invest in their country
16:31and, you know,
16:32see if they can bring it back.
16:34Other presidents
16:35have looked at this
16:36for 50, 60 years
16:38doing something.
16:38And it looks like
16:40I'll be the one that does it.
16:41So we'd be happy to do it.
16:43We want to open it up
16:44to Cuban Americans
16:45where they can go back and help.
16:48And the military signals
16:49are also becoming
16:50harder to ignore.
16:51The USS Nimitz
16:52Aircraft Carrier Strike Group
16:54has now entered
16:55the Caribbean Sea.
16:57Alongside it
16:58are destroyers,
16:59refueling vessels
17:00and advanced combat aircraft,
17:02including
17:02F-18 Super Hornets
17:04and electronic warfare platforms.
17:06Officially,
17:08the deployment falls
17:09under routine
17:09regional operations
17:11overseen by
17:11U.S. Southern Command.
17:13But many analysts
17:14see deeper implications
17:15because the timing
17:17is difficult to overlook.
17:18The naval buildup
17:19near Cuba
17:19resembles
17:20the military posture
17:21the United States
17:22adopted near Venezuela
17:24before operations
17:25against Maduro
17:26escalated.
17:27At the same time,
17:28reports indicate
17:29that American air
17:30and naval forces
17:31conducted
17:32at least 26 reconnaissance
17:34and patrol flights
17:35within 100 kilometers
17:36of Cuban territory
17:38between February
17:39and May.
17:40Taken together,
17:42the pattern suggests
17:43increasing American
17:44military attention
17:45around the island.
17:46Not necessarily
17:47proof of imminent action,
17:49but certainly
17:50preparation
17:51for multiple contingencies.
17:53Cuba, meanwhile,
17:54is responding
17:55with open warnings.
17:56Havana has accused
17:57Washington of manufacturing
17:59a justification
17:59for aggression.
18:00President Miguel Diaz-Connel
18:03dismissed the charges
18:04against Raul Castro
18:05as politically fabricated
18:07and claimed
18:07the United States
18:08was building
18:09a legal pretext
18:10for military intervention.
18:12Cuba's foreign minister
18:14Bruno Rodriguez
18:15warned that
18:16any American military action
18:17would trigger
18:18what he called
18:19a bloodbath.
18:20Havana has also begun
18:22circulating
18:22a civil defense manual
18:24titled
18:24The Family Guide
18:26for Protection
18:26Against Military Aggression.
18:28The document outlines
18:30emergency responsibilities
18:31for Cuban families
18:32in the event
18:33of a possible U.S. attack.
18:35And there is another factor
18:36that makes Cuba
18:37very different
18:37from both Iran
18:38and Venezuela.
18:40Geography.
18:41Unlike conflicts
18:42thousands of kilometers away
18:43in the Middle East
18:44or West Asia,
18:45Cuba sits directly
18:46beside the American mainland.
18:48That proximity
18:49changes military calculations
18:51for both sides.
18:53which is why
18:54this moment matters
18:56far beyond Cuba itself.
18:57Because if tensions
18:58continue rising,
19:00the world could soon
19:00witness the opening
19:02of yet another
19:02American confrontation.
19:04This time,
19:05not in West Asia,
19:07not in Eastern Europe,
19:09but in the Caribbean.
19:10And the political optics
19:11are impossible to miss.
19:13Donald Trump
19:14came back to power
19:15promising strength,
19:17pressure,
19:17and decisive action
19:19against America's adversaries.
19:21Iran has already
19:22become one front
19:23in that strategy.
19:24Venezuela became another
19:26and now Cuba
19:27appears to be entering
19:28the same crosshairs.
19:30Because what began
19:31as sanctions
19:32and indictments
19:32is now steadily
19:34moving into the language
19:35of military power.
19:37And history has shown
19:38many times before
19:39when Washington
19:40starts talking
19:41about deals
19:42before it's too late,
19:43aircraft carriers
19:44are usually
19:45not very far behind.
19:48Inside Israel's government,
19:50tensions are rising
19:52after Itamar Ben-Gavir's
19:54actions in Ashdod airport.
19:56Why did Gideon Saar
19:57publicly attack
19:58his own colleague?
19:59How long can
20:00Benjamin Netanyahu
20:01hold this fragile
20:02coalition together?
20:03And why can't
20:04any minister
20:05or the government
20:07remove Ben-Gavir
20:08despite public outrage?
20:09The internal rift
20:10is widening,
20:11but power politics
20:12is keeping everything
20:13in place.
20:14Here is our next report
20:16by Jodi Shukla.
20:23Imagine being a minister
20:25in your own government
20:26and your colleagues
20:27go on social media
20:28to publicly tell you
20:29you are not the face
20:30of this country.
20:31That's exactly
20:32what happened in Israel
20:34and it's uglier
20:35than it sounds.
20:36On May 20th,
20:37Israel's
20:38national security minister,
20:39Itamar Ben-Gavir,
20:41visited Ashdod port
20:42where over 430
20:44flotilla activists
20:45were being detained
20:46after Israeli forces
20:47intercepted
20:48their Gaza-bound ships.
20:50Ben-Gavir didn't
20:51just observe,
20:52he posted it.
20:53He waved an Israeli flag
20:55over zip-tied,
20:56kneeling detainees
20:57while the national anthem
20:59blasted over loudspeakers.
21:00When one woman
21:01shouted Free Palestine,
21:03a guard shoved
21:04her head to the ground.
21:05Ben-Gavir kept walking.
21:07He told the camera,
21:08welcome to Israel,
21:09we are the landlords.
21:11He then urged Netanyahu
21:12to lock them up
21:13for a long, long time.
21:15The footage went global.
21:16France,
21:17Italy,
21:17Canada,
21:18the Netherlands.
21:18They all summoned
21:19Israeli ambassadors.
21:21The world was watching.
21:22And then something rare happened.
21:24Israel's own government
21:25started tearing itself apart,
21:27online,
21:28in public,
21:29for everyone to see.
21:30Foreign minister,
21:31Gideon Saar,
21:32went straight to X.
21:33He told Ben-Gavir directly,
21:35you knowingly caused harm
21:36to our state
21:37in this disgraceful display
21:38and not for the first time.
21:40You have undone
21:41tremendous professional
21:42and successful efforts
21:43made by so many people.
21:44No,
21:45you are not the face of Israel.
21:47Then Netanyahu's own office
21:49issued a statement
21:50calling Ben-Gavir's conduct
21:51not in line
21:52with Israel's values
21:53and norms.
21:54Even the US ambassador
21:55called it despicable.
21:57But here's the thing,
21:58nobody fired him.
21:59Nobody will.
22:00Because this is a coalition
22:01government on life support.
22:03Ben-Gavir's far-right
22:04Jewish power party
22:05is the glue
22:06holding Netanyahu's
22:07government together.
22:08Netanyahu knows it.
22:09Saar knows it.
22:10Every minister
22:11in the cabinet knows it.
22:13They can scold him on X.
22:14They can distance
22:15themselves publicly
22:16but privately
22:17they need him.
22:18The moment Ben-Gavir walks,
22:20the government falls.
22:21So Israel's ministers
22:23are stuck,
22:24publicly humiliated
22:25by one of their own,
22:26unable to remove him,
22:28unable to ignore him.
22:29That is the chaos
22:30inside Israel's government
22:31right now,
22:33today.
22:33With Jyoti Shukla,
22:35Bureau Report,
22:36India Today Global.
22:38China suddenly looks like
22:40the world's busiest
22:40diplomatic waiting room.
22:42Over the last two weeks,
22:43Beijing hosted
22:44U.S. President Donald Trump,
22:46then Russian President
22:47Vladimir Putin,
22:48and now Pakistani Premier
22:50Shahbaz Sharif
22:51is preparing to land there too.
22:53At a time when
22:54West Asia looks like
22:55a pressure cooker
22:56and tensions between Iran
22:57and the U.S.
22:58remain dangerously high,
23:00China suddenly wants
23:01the image of the calm
23:02adult in the room.
23:03Beijing now talks peace,
23:06mediation,
23:07stability,
23:08basically everything
23:08except made-in-China
23:10calculators and smartphones.
23:12And Shahbaz Sharif's
23:13visit matters
23:14because both China
23:15and Pakistan
23:16now want a bigger role
23:17in this crisis,
23:19acting like diplomatic
23:20firefighters
23:21in a region
23:21full of gasoline.
23:23So why does
23:24every major power
23:25suddenly end up
23:26in Beijing?
23:26And what exactly
23:28is Xi Jinping
23:28planning behind
23:29all these
23:30carefully staged meetings?
23:32And should India
23:33be worried?
23:35Why is every major power
23:36suddenly flying to Beijing?
23:38Because the U.S.
23:39under Trump 2.0
23:40feels like a business partner
23:42who changes the contract
23:43every Tuesday.
23:45Tariffs today,
23:46sanctions tomorrow,
23:47a tweet the day after.
23:49Nobody,
23:50ally or rival,
23:51knows what Washington
23:52wants next.
23:53So countries
23:55did what they could
23:56to safeguard their interests
23:57and diversify
23:58their supply chains.
23:59And China offered
24:01exactly that.
24:02a massive market,
24:03cheap financing,
24:05infrastructure
24:05through the
24:06Belt and Road Initiative,
24:07ports,
24:08railways,
24:09power plants.
24:11Here's the analogy.
24:12Imagine a bazaar
24:13where one shopkeeper,
24:15America,
24:16suddenly started
24:17charging unpredictable prices
24:18and shouting
24:19at customers.
24:20Right next door,
24:21China opened a calm,
24:23well-stocked shop
24:24with long-term
24:25payment plans
24:26and no drama.
24:27Guess where
24:28the crowd moved.
24:29Over 120 countries
24:31count China
24:32as their largest
24:33or second largest
24:34trading partner.
24:35You don't skip a meeting
24:36with someone
24:37who holds
24:38that kind of weight.
24:39So Trump came,
24:41Putin came,
24:42and Shahbaz Sharif
24:43got his ticket book too.
24:45Beijing also
24:46made a very deliberate choice.
24:48It stopped sending
24:49Xi abroad
24:50and started pulling
24:51leaders to China instead.
24:53The message?
24:54You want deals,
24:56investment,
24:56or diplomatic cover.
24:58You come to us.
24:59And they did.
25:01What does Shahbaz Sharif's
25:02Beijing trip reveal
25:03about Pakistan's
25:04new global role?
25:05Washington and Tehran
25:07have been at
25:07each other's throats
25:09since U.S. and Israeli
25:10strikes on Iran
25:11in late February.
25:13A ceasefire
25:14landed on 8th of April.
25:15But Trump already
25:17warned this week
25:18that the diplomatic window
25:19is closing fast.
25:23Somebody needs to
25:23keep both sides
25:24from blowing
25:25that window shut
25:26permanently.
25:27Enter Pakistan.
25:28Islamabad hosted
25:29U.S.-Iran negotiations
25:30last month.
25:32Pakistan's interior minister
25:33met Iran's chief
25:34negotiator in Tehran.
25:35The army chief
25:36flew to Tehran
25:37and now Shahbaz
25:38heads to Beijing
25:39where China told him
25:41directly,
25:42and I quote,
25:43we support Pakistan's
25:44fair and balanced
25:45mediating role.
25:47Pakistan turned
25:48its awkward position
25:49friendly with America,
25:51friendly with China,
25:52not enemies with Iran,
25:53into a full-blown
25:55diplomatic asset.
25:56China's foreign ministry
25:57said Beijing and Pakistan
25:59will make positive
26:00contributions
26:00to the early restoration
26:02of peace and stability
26:04in the Middle East.
26:05Translation,
26:06China wants credit
26:07for peacemaking,
26:08Pakistan does the
26:09actual legwork,
26:10and both get elevated
26:12global standing.
26:13What worries India
26:14the most about this
26:15Beijing-Islamabad
26:16closeness?
26:17Everything.
26:18But let's be specific.
26:20India's nightmare
26:21isn't a dramatic war.
26:23It's a slow,
26:24structural trap,
26:25and that trap
26:26already got built.
26:28China supplies Pakistan
26:30with fighter jets,
26:31submarines,
26:32missile systems,
26:32and surveillance technology,
26:34often cheap,
26:35often with technology
26:36transfers,
26:37so Pakistan can
26:38build its own.
26:39Last May,
26:40during Operation
26:41Sindhu,
26:42Pakistan used
26:43Chinese-made jets
26:45against India.
26:46That wasn't a coincidence.
26:48That was a preview.
26:51Now,
26:51layer in the
26:52China-Pakistan
26:53Economic Corridor
26:54or what we call
26:54CPEC.
26:55Billions of dollars,
26:57roads,
26:57pipelines,
26:58and a ported
26:59Gwadur on the
27:00Arabian Sea.
27:00It physically runs
27:02through Pakistan-occupied
27:03Kashmir,
27:04which is Indian
27:04territory.
27:05China treats it
27:07as a strategic
27:08highway.
27:09Every truck on
27:09that road is a
27:10quiet statement
27:11that India's claim
27:12means nothing
27:14on the ground.
27:14Then add the
27:16diplomatic cover.
27:17Whenever India
27:17tries to hold
27:18Pakistan accountable
27:19internationally for
27:21cross-border terrorism,
27:23China steps in
27:24at the UN
27:24and waters it
27:25down.
27:26Every time.
27:27India cannot
27:28build a coalition
27:29against Pakistan
27:30without China
27:31blocking the exit.
27:33The result?
27:34India faces
27:35a two-front
27:35problem that
27:36never fully
27:37goes away.
27:38Any confrontation
27:39with China
27:40along the
27:40Himalayas
27:41could trigger
27:41simultaneous
27:42pressure from
27:43Pakistan
27:44in the West.
27:45Two fires,
27:47one fire brigade.
27:48India has to
27:49spend more
27:50on defense,
27:51more on diplomacy
27:51and still gets
27:52less room to
27:53maneuver.
27:54That is Beijing
27:55and Islamabad's
27:56greatest gift to
27:57each other
27:57and India's
27:58permanent headache.
28:00Xi's guest list
28:01isn't just
28:02diplomacy,
28:02it's architecture.
28:04And India
28:04can see exactly
28:06what gets built.
28:08That's all in
28:09this edition of
28:10Statecraft,
28:10but before we
28:11go here,
28:11something straight
28:12out of the
28:13internet age.
28:14Yesterday,
28:15we spoke of
28:15India's
28:16Cockroach
28:16Janta Party
28:17which went
28:17viral as a
28:18satirical protest
28:19movement.
28:19A similar idea
28:21has now surfaced
28:22across the border.
28:23In Pakistan,
28:24the Cockroach
28:25Awami Party
28:26has appeared
28:27online,
28:27borrowing both
28:28the name
28:28and the metaphor
28:29of survival
28:30against a
28:31broken system.
28:32From
28:33unemployment
28:33into inflation,
28:34it reflects
28:35the same
28:35Gen Z
28:36frustration
28:37only wrapped
28:38in parody.
28:39Whether it's
28:40protest or
28:40pure meme
28:41politics,
28:42the Cockroach
28:42has officially
28:43entered South
28:44Asia's
28:44political imagination.
28:46Watch,
28:47goodbye,
28:48and take care.
29:25and take care.
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