Chronologies
India - East Asia
Chronology
: EAM Jaishankar visits Singapore to review bilateral cooperation, explore collaboration in emerging areas including digitalization and skills development under the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, and exchange views on regional and global developments. He calls on President President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean. He also meets Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.
: EAM Jaishankar visits Vietnam for the 18th Meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Economic, Trade, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation co-chaired with Bui Thanh Son, minister of foreign affairs of Vietnam, reviews the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He also meets members of the Indian community and unveils Mahatma Gandhi’s Bust in Ho Chi Minh City.
: 400;">: Modi meets South Korea’s President Yoon in Delhi on the sidelines of the India-hosted G20 Summit. “The leaders noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations. They reviewed progress on various areas of bilateral Special Strategic Partnership, including in trade and investment, defense production, semiconductors and EV battery technology.”
: 400;">: Modi chairs the 20th ASEAN-India Summit during which he declares, “ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East Policy,…India fully supports ASEAN centrality and ASEAN’s outlook on the Indo-Pacific,…[and] ASEAN holds a prominent place in India’s Indo-Pacific initiative… The 21st century is Asia’s century. It is our century.” Modi also “emphasized the need to complete the review of ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) in a time bound manner…[and] presented a 12-point proposal for strengthening India—ASEAN cooperation covering connectivity, digital transformation, trade and economic engagement, addressing contemporary challenges, people-to-people contacts and deepening strategic engagement…Two Joint Statements, including one on Maritime Cooperation, and the other on Food Security were adopted.”
: 400;">: Modi travels to Jakarta, Indonesia for bilateral visits including with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia and to attend the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit. This is the first ASEAN-India Summit since the elevation of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.
: 400;">: An Indian army contingent of 40 plus personnel participates in multinational joint exercise Ex Khan Quest in Mongolia followed by the 15th edition of the bilateral joint military exercise Nomadic Elephant-23.
: 400;">: EAM Jaishankar travels to Bangkok for the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Mechanism on 16 July, and attends the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on July 17.
: 400;">: EAM Jaishankar visits Indonesia for the Foreign Ministers’ Meetings under the ASEAN framework for the ASEAN-India summit, the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. He also meets with his bilateral counterpart.
: 400;">: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visits Malaysia to meet with counterpart Defense Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan to focus on further consolidating bilateral defense cooperation and the Enhanced Strategic Partnership.
: 400;">: India’s defense secretary pays official visit to Myanmar for meetings with the Chairman, State Administrative Council Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw, Defense Minister of Myanmar Gen (Retd.) Mya Tun Oo and held meetings with Commander-in-Chief, Myanmar Navy Adm. Moe Aung, and Chief of Defense Industries Lt. Gen. Khan Myint Than. According to an Indian press release, the focus of discussions was “maintenance of tranquility in the border areas, illegal trans-border movements and transnational crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling…[and] [b]oth sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.”
: 400;">: Norodom Sihamoni, king of Cambodia, makes his first state visit to India. Modi meets him and “resolve[s] to strengthen the bilateral partnership with Cambodia across diverse areas including capacity-building.” King Sihamoni thanked Modi “for India’s ongoing initiatives in development cooperation, and conveyed his appreciation and best wishes for India’s Presidency of G20.”
: 400;">: Modi visits Papua New Guinea for a bilateral meeting with PNG Prime Minister James Marape and the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation, co-hosted by PNG. This was the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Papua New Guinea, and Marape in a “special gesture” received Modi at the airport. conferred Prime on him the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL), the highest civilian award of PNG.
: 400;">: Modi, jointly with PNG Prime Minister Marape, hosts the 3rd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC III Summit). Launched in 2014, FIPIC involves India and 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs): Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
: 400;">: Modi meets for the first time with Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka. On behalf of Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere, Rabuka bestows Modi with the highest honor of the Republic of Fiji, the Companion of the Order of Fiji.
: 400;">: Modi holds a meeting with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins of New Zealand on the sidelines of the 3rd Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation, their first interaction.
: 400;">: Modi visits Australia for “discussions focused on cooperation in defense and security, trade and investment, new and renewable energy, green hydrogen, critical minerals, education, migration and mobility and people to people ties.” The prime minister notes that “I am visiting Australia within two months of my friend Prime Minister Albanese’s visit to India. This is our sixth meeting in the past one year.”
: 400;">: Modi attends G7 Summit in Hiroshima, and participates in the third in-person Quad leaders meeting.
: 400;">: Modi meets Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the sidelines of the G7 Summit and notes “the steady progress achieved in bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership…”
: 400;">: Modi meets President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol on the sidelines of G7 Summit to review “the progress of India-Republic of Korea Special Strategic Partnership and discusses ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas of trade & investment, high technology, IT hardware manufacturing, defense, semiconductors and culture.” The leaders note the 50th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations.
: 400;">: Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, the second bilateral meeting of the year following Kishida’s visit to India in March, where the leaders “agreed on ways to further strengthen the bilateral Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Discussions focused on areas of education, skill development, tourism, Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), green hydrogen, high technology, semiconductors and digital public infrastructure.”
: 400;">: India’s Defense Minister (Raksha Mantri) Rajnath Singh meets China’s State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Gen. Li Shangfu in New Delhi. The Raksha Mantri “categorically conveyed [emphasis added] that development of relations between India and China is premised on prevalence of peace and tranquility at the borders. He added that all issues at the LAC need to be resolved in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and commitments. He reiterated that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation.”
: 400;">: South Korea’s Foreign Minister Park Jin visits India to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and to review the “special strategic partnership.”
: 400;">: EAM Jaishankar meets Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi. Jaishankar said talks with his Chinese counterpart “focused on addressing current challenges to the bilateral relationship, especially peace and tranquility in the border areas.” “There are real problems in that relationship that need to be looked at, that need to be discussed very openly and candidly between us. That’s what we sought to do today,” Jaishankar told reporters.
: 400;">: Jaishankar visits Australia where he met counterpart Foreign Minister Penny Wong, as well as Minister of Defense Marles and Prime Minister Albanese and delivered the keynote address at the inaugural Raisina@Sydney Conference.
: 400;">: External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar makes his first visit to Fiji to speak at the 12th World Hindi Conference and meet Prime Minister Rabuka after which they held a joint press conference.
: 400;">: 11th India-Mongolia Joint Working Group meets for the first time in person since the pandemic in New Delhi to review bilateral defense cooperation.
: Jaishankar visits New York for events related to India’s December presidency of the UNSC. The three priorities are: “New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism” [NORMS]; “Global Approach to Counter Terrorism – Challenges and Way Forward”; “Group of Friends for Accountability for Crimes against Peacekeepers”.
: India-Malaysia joint military annual training exercise “Harimau Shakti -2022” is conducted at Pulai, Kluang, Malaysia.
: India-Australia bilateral training exercise “AUSTRA HIND 22” between contingents of the Indian Army and the Australian Army takes place at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan). This is the first exercise in the series of AUSTRA HIND with participation of all arms and services contingent from both armies.
: Indian DM Singh visits Cambodia to attend ASEAN Defense Ministers Plus Meeting and participate in the first India-ASEAN Defense Ministers meeting to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of India-ASEAN relations in 2022, which has been designated as “ASEAN-India Friendship Year.”
: Indian Naval Ships Shivalik and Kamorta, during their stay at Busan, Korea participate in multiple activities with the RoK Navy that include official and social interactions, cross-deck visits and sports fixtures.
: Modi holds bilateral meeting with Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong during which they reviewed the Strategic Partnership and various “regular high level Ministerial and institutional interactions, including the inaugural session of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, held at New Delhi in September 2022.
: Modi and Australian PM Albanese hold a bilateral meeting on the G20 sidelines during which they “expressed satisfaction at the excellent state of relations between the two countries under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the high-level interactions taking place on a regular basis between India and Australia.”
: Modi has bilateral meeting with Biden on the G20 sidelines during which the two leaders “reviewed the continuing deepening of the India – US strategic partnership including cooperation in future oriented sectors like critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, etc. [and] expressed satisfaction about the close cooperation between India and US in new groupings such as the Quad, I2U2, etc.”
: Modi holds trilateral meeting with Presidents Biden and Widodo on G20 sidelines.
: PM Modi travels to Indonesia for the G20 Summit on the sidelines of which he holds a number of meetings with Indo-Pacific leaders.
: India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, accompanied by External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, visits Cambodia to attend the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on Nov. 12, the 17th East Asia Summit, bilateral engagements with the Cambodian leadership including the Cambodian king, prime minister, president of senate, and other bilateral meetings.
: India’s Chief of Naval Staff Adm. R. Hari Kumar, makes official visit to Japan for the International Fleet Review (IFR) hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) off Yokosuka in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of its formation.
: India’s navy hosts the 29th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) at Visakhapatnam.
: Mongolia’s Defense Minister Saikhanbayar Gursed visits India for 12th DefExpo in Gandhinagar, Gujarat and has a bilateral meeting on the sidelines with Indian DM Singh.
: India’s Defense Minister addresses the 18th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting HACGAM which the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is hosting.
: Jaishankar visits Canberra and Sydney Australia for the 13th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue (FMFD) along with counterpart Penny Wong. He also meets Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles. EAM described the interactions with Australia as “a very, very useful, very productive, very comfortable…” though he said there is “great potential in terms of giving a greater, I would say, quality to our bilateral partnership.”
: Jaishankar visits New Zealand. A statement prior to the visit notes that this was his first visit to New Zealand where he would hold meetings with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta “to discuss and review the entire gamut of our relations.”
: India’s Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Adm. R Hari Kumar, visited New Zealand where he held discussions with Rear Adm. David Proctor, chief of Navy, RNZN. An Agreement on White Shipping Information Exchange was signed during this visit.
: Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy Cruise Training Task Group consisting of two naval ships, ROKS Hansando and ROKS Daecheong arrived in Chennai on a three-day visit.
: Modi travels to Japan for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. He holds a brief bilateral meeting with Kishida during which they “renewed their commitment towards further strengthening the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, and in working together in the region and in various international groupings and institutions.”
: Jaishankar visits Washington for bilateral meetings with counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken, senior members of the US administration, US business leaders, a roundtable focused on S&T and interaction with the Indian diaspora.
: Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting on the sidelines of the 77th UNGA. Quad countries promised “to deepen Quad multilateral cooperation in support of advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient” and agreed their “vision is for a region where the rules-based international order is upheld, and where the principles of freedom, rule of law, democratic values, peaceful settlement of disputes, sovereignty, and territorial integrity are respected.” They also signed guidelines to operationalize the Quad Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Partnership for the Indo-Pacific, looked forward to the counter-terrorism tabletop exercise being hosted by Australia later in 2022, and issued a statement on ransomware which calls on states to take reasonable steps to address ransomware operations emanating from their territory, and reiterated the Quad’s commitment to supporting regional partners’ efforts to improve their maritime security and domain awareness.
: PM Modi travels to the US for a bilateral summit with President Biden at the White House, a Quad leaders’ summit in New York, and UNGA meetings. He also held other Indo-Pacific related bilateral leaders’ meetings. This is the first in-person meeting between Biden and Modi.
: Jaishankar participates in the meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, including Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi. A press statement issued at the end of consultations did not mention Ukraine but included as a third bullet acknowledgement of “the annual UNGA resolution on ‘Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance’.”
: Jaishankar participates in the Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries (Brazil, India, Germany, and Japan) meeting to exchange views on reform of the UN Security Council. This meeting is another opportunity for a meeting between EAM and Japan’s FM Hayashi.
: Jaishankar visits the US for what a pre-departure statement describes as “plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India—Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats, such as India-France-Australia, India-France-UAE and India-Indonesia-Australia…and bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of the G20 and UNSC member states…” He also attends a high-level meeting of members of the L.69 group and other invited like-minded countries on “Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council.”
: Jaishankar and DM Singh visit Japan for the second iteration of 2+2 talks (the inaugural 2+2 was held in 2019) as well as a separate Defense Ministerial Meeting and Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Japanese counterparts Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu.
: India’s DM Songh makes first-ever visit to Mongolia including bilateral talks with Mongolia’s Minister of Defense Lt Gen. Saikhanbayar and calls on President of Mongolia U. Khurelsukh and chairman of the State Great Khural of Mongolia G Zandanshatar. An official press release describes the visit as “[g]iving push to strategic partnership with East Asian countries.” Specific outcomes included inauguration of a Cyber Security Training Centre and laying of a foundation stone of the India-Mongolia Friendship School, both built with Indian assistance.
: Jaishankar visits Thailand to co-chair the 9th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission (JCM) with Don Pramudwinai, deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs. He gives an address on “India’s Vision of the Indo-Pacific” at Chulalongkorn University. The JCM was preceded by the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on Aug. 16 where the two sides held discussions on areas of bilateral cooperation along with regional and multilateral issues. MoUs were signed Health and Medical Research Cooperation and Cooperation & Collaboration on Broadcasting.
: Jaishankar visits Cambodia for ASEAN-India ministerial meeting to review India-ASEAN relations.
: India’s DM Singh holds video conference with Malaysian counterpart Senior Defense Minister of Malaysia YB Dato ‘Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein on ways to enhance cooperation under the Malaysia India Defense Cooperation Meeting (MIDCOM) framework.
: Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles visits India and meets Defense Minister Singh to review defense cooperation and explore new initiatives to further strengthen bilateral engagements.
: A Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting celebrating the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations is held in Cambodia following which a joint statement is released.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visits Vietnam to hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Gen. Phan Van Giang on the historic occasion of 50 years of establishment of India-Vietnam Diplomatic relations and 75 years of India’s Independence.
: Modi attends a Quad Leaders Meeting “to review progress of Quad initiatives and Working Groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaboration.” In an opening statement at the Quad, Modi states that the Quad’s scope has become broader, its format more effective, it is giving new energy and enthusiasm to the democratic forces giving a boost to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region,” and will further strengthen the image of the Quad as a ‘Force for Good’. The Quad country leaders also issue a joint statement.
: In Japan, Modi has a bilateral meeting with President Biden following up on an April 11 virtual meeting to develop the India-US Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership. Of particular security significance was the launch of the “India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies. Modi “welcomed the launch of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and stated that India is ready to work closely with all partner countries to shape a flexible, and inclusive IPEF taking into consideration the respective national circumstances.”
: In Japan, Modi has a bilateral meeting with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Modi tweeted that “India’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia is robust and benefits not only the people of our nations but also the world…We discussed ways to add even greater momentum across key sectors.”
: PM Modi travels to Tokyo for a bilateral summit with PM Kishida and to attend the Quad Leaders Summit. The two prime ministers announce no new major security-related initiatives, saying only that they “agreed to further enhance bilateral security and [defense] cooperation, including in the area of defense manufacturing… [and] …concurred that the next 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting may be held in Japan at the earliest.” A particular focus of PM Modi’s Japan visit is for commercial relations “to realize 5 trillion yen [approximately $40 to $42 billion] in public and private investment and financing over the next five years from Japan to India” as agreed during an earlier India-Japan summit in March.
: India and Australia’s Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) conduct Coordinated Operations in Anti-Submarine Warfare and surface surveillance off Darwin, northern Australia. A press statement notes that the “maritime waters between Indonesia and Northern Australia is an area of mutual interest to both countries, being a gateway into the Indian Ocean Region.”
: India and Australia’s navies hold 14th round of staff talks in New Delhi at which they “agree[…] to enhance collaboration and interoperability towards ensuring maritime security in IOR [Indian Ocean Region].”
: Gen. M.M. Naravane, India’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) visits Singapore to discuss avenues for enhancing India-Singapore defense relations.
: Prime Minister Modi and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison hold virtual summit leading to a joint statement and the signing of multiple agreements
: Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio visits India for 14th annual India-Japan Summit—the first since October 2018—to advance the “Special Strategic and Global Partnership.” PM Modi gives a press statement which makes no reference to Japan-India security ties, instead focusing on commercial/economic issues and cooperation on energy. Of the MoUs and agreements announced during the visit most focused on commercial and economic development and only one was security related—on cooperation in cybersecurity. The joint statement issued by two leaders opened with security and defense cooperation, noting that they “appreciated the significant progress made in security and defense cooperation and reaffirmed their desire to further deepen it.” The joint statement makes no mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous month.
: Australia’s Lt Gen Richard Maxwell Burr, Chief of Army, visits India for talks with India’s chief of Army Staff, chief of Naval Staff, chief of Air Staff and other senior military officers “regarding measures for enhancing [defense] cooperation between both armies.”
: Australia’s vice admiral, chief of navy, Michael Noonan, visits India, including the HQ of Eastern Naval Command, to participate in Indian Navy’s biennial multilateral naval exercise MILAN 22, be a guest speaker during the International Maritime Seminar of MILAN, and hold talks with Indian navy counterparts about “avenues to strengthen the growing cooperation between the two nations and navies.” A press statement described the visit as “an important event in the continued and regular dialogue between Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy to cement and strengthen their comprehensive global strategic partnership further” and build on the ‘Joint Guidance for Australia—India Navy to Navy Relationship’ signed in August 2021.”
: Jaishankar makes his first visit to the Philippines as foreign minister to review relations with counterpart Teodoro L. Locsin Jr., secretary of Foreign Affairs. The meeting occurs two weeks after BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL), a joint venture with India’s Defense Research and Development Organization, signed a contract with the Philippines Department of National Defense to supply shore-based anti-missile system. A readout notes agreement “to further work towards strengthening engagement in counter-terrorism and defense and maritime security, covering defense capabilities as well as military training and capacity building.”
: India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar visits Australia to co-chair the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue with counterpart, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. The two launch the inaugural Foreign Ministers’ Cyber Framework Dialogue (FMCFD) and assess the progress made towards implementation of the India-Australia Framework Arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and the subsidiary Plan of Action signed in June 2020.
: India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla pays a two-day working visit to Myanmar for discussions on humanitarian support, security and India-Myanmar border concerns, and the political situation in Myanmar with the State Administration Council, political parties and members of civil society.
: Vuong Dinh Hue, president of the National Assembly of Vietnam leads a parliamentary delegation to India to mark the fifth anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to look forward to the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations to be celebrated in 2022. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addressed the delegation during their stay.
: Second Deputy Director of National Security of the Republic of Korea Kim Hyoung-zhin visits New Delhi for the Third India-Republic of Korea Strategic Dialogue between the National Security Council Secretariats of India and the ROK.
: Mongolian parliamentary delegation led by Gombojav Zandanshatar, chairman of the State Great Hural, visits India and meets India’s President Ram Nath Kovind who reportedly told the delegation that “As Mongolia’s ‘third [neighbor]’ and ’spiritual [neighbor],’ India looks forward to continued cooperation to further deepen its strategic partnership with Mongolia.”
: Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh holds virtual interaction with Hon. Kandhi A. Elieisar, Secretary (Minister), Department of Foreign Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia to review bilateral relations, development cooperation between India and FSM, including through the Forum for India-Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC), and climate action.
: 18th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation, the Republic of India, and the People’s Republic of China (RIC) is held via video-conference. A 35-paragraph communique was issued on issues ranging from the global pandemic to Syria.
: India and Vietnam hold the 11th round of Political Consultations and the eighth round of strategic dialogue between their foreign ministries. Both sides expressed “satisfaction over the sustained momentum in their multifaceted bilateral relations, despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, with frequent high-level engagements through virtual platform.”
: Modi meets President of Indonesia Joko Widodo on the sidelines of G20 Summit. The tone of bilateral relations was lukewarm, with a statement saying simply that the “leaders held discussions on the recent course of India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” and “emphasized the importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation.” India and Indonesia, along with Italy, will form the “troika” of the G20 during 2022-2023 when India will host the G20 Summit.
: Modi and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome, for their first in-person meeting in the post-pandemic period. Topics of discussion reportedly included “global efforts to combat climate change and the forthcoming COP26,” “efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic through expedited vaccination efforts and ensuring supply of critical medicines”, and “ways to enhance people to people ties, including early normalization of movement between both countries.”
: Along with the United States, India co-hosts the 4th Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) and India’s External Affairs Minister provides brief opening remarks.
: Modi virtually attends the 18th ASEAN-India Summit, hosted by ASEAN Chair Brunei Darussalam, marking his ninth “attendance” at the annual event. The two sides issue a final statement entitled “ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Cooperation on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity in the Region.”
: Modi attends the 16th East Asia Summit held virtually and makes brief remarks.
: Modi and Japan’s new Prime Minister Kishida Fumio hold a brief telephone call following the latter taking office. The two leaders reportedly “expressed satisfaction at the rapid progress in the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between India and Japan,” “agreed on the potential to further enhance cooperation in a variety of areas, including in high-technology and futuristic sectors,” and “discussed the increasing alignment of perspectives, and robust cooperation, between India and Japan in the Indo-Pacific region. They reviewed the progress of cooperation under the Quad framework in this regard.” Modi invited “Japanese companies to benefit from India’s economic reforms through greater investment” and Kishida to visit India at his earliest convenience for a bilateral Summit meeting.”
: Modi meets President Biden, during which they “exchanged views about the Indo-Pacific region, and reaffirmed their shared vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.”
: Modi has first in-person meeting with Australia’s PM Morrison while they both visit the United States.
: Modi has first in-person meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Suga.
: Prime Minister Modi travels to the United States to address the UN, participate in the first in-person leaders-level Quad Summit, and hold bilateral talks with the US, Japan, and Australia.
: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the 21st SCO Meeting of the Heads of State in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
: India-Australia first 2+2 Dialogue held in-person in New Delhi with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton. A joint statement is released, focusing on three broad topics: cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic; shared vision for the Indo-Pacific, regional, and multilateral cooperation; and strengthening bilateral cooperation. Following the dialogue, the two Australian ministers called on Prime Minister Modi during which bilateral relations were discussed and Modi “renewed his invitation to Prime Minister Morrison to visit India at his earliest convenience.”
: India and Japan hold their 6th Maritime Dialogue.
: India issues statement on India-China “Disengagement at Patrolling Point 17A” in the wake of the 12thround of Corps Commanders talks. It says “both sides agreed on disengagement in the area of Gogra” where troops have been in a face-off situation since May 2020 and that both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner.
: India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh leads India’s delegation to the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting held virtually.
: Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott visits India in capacity of Australian prime minister’s special trade envoy for India. On Aug. 5, he meets Modi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation to realize the full potential of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
: India and China conduct the 12th round of talks between their corps commanders at Chushul Moldo Meeting Point in Eastern Ladakh.
: Blinken makes first trip to India as secretary of State. He meets External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, national security advisor and holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Jaishankar said at a post-meeting media briefing that “On the other side of India, the Indo Pacific presents a different set of challenges to stability, growth and prosperity. Under the aegis of the quad framework, we are engaged on maritime security, HADR counterterrorism, connectivity and infrastructure, cyber and digital concerns, COVID-19 response, climate action, education, and resilient and reliable supply chains. The secretary and I discussed not only opportunities for further collaboration on all these issues, but also the importance of observing international law, rules and norms, including UNCLOS. Our ability to work more closely, bilaterally, in the Quad and elsewhere, benefits the international community as a whole.”
: India’s foreign secretary travels to New York for meetings at the United Nations, including a meeting with the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield.
: India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar holds meetings with Chinese Foreign MinisterWang Yi on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
: PM Modi has phone call with Pham Minh Chinh, prime minister of Vietnam. Modi congratulated Pham Minh Chinh on his appointment as prime minister, expressed confidence that the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to become stronger, that the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership can contribute to promoting regional stability, prosperity, and development, as well as their similar vision of an open, inclusive, peaceful, and rules-based Indian Ocean Region, thanking him for assistance during the second wave of COVID-19 in India, and noting that 2022 will mark 50 years of bilateral relations and invites the Vietnamese prime minister for a visit.
: MoS V. Muraleedharan, holds virtual interaction with Vice President and Minister of State, J. Uduch Sengebau Senior, of the Republic of Palau. The Ministers reviewed bilateral relations including through the Forum for India Pacific Island Cooperation (FIPIC).
: India and Indonesia hold sixth round of foreign office-level consultations following a gap of almost two years. They review the state of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and strengthen their Shared Vision of Maritime Co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.
: India and Fiji sign an MoU for cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors.
: MoS V. Muraleedharan and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Singapore Sim Ann hold a virtual interaction. MoS “thanked the Singaporean government for facilitating supply of relief material, especially oxygen tanks, which were sent to India for fighting the COVID19 pandemic.” They also “expressed commitment to further strengthen India-Singapore Strategic Partnership.”
: India’s Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan holds virtual meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia H.E. Mahendra Siregar. MoS thanked the Indonesian government for relief materials sent to India for fighting COVID19. Both leaders expressed commitment to further strengthen India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
: India and New Zealand hold the third round of foreign office consultations.
: Jaishankar visits the US for discussions with Secretary of State Blinken, other Cabinet members and senior officials of the Biden administration dealing with bilateral relations. He has interactions with business forums on economic and COVID-related cooperation between India and the US.
: PM Modi and Australian PM Scott Morrison have a telephone call in which Modi “sought Australia’s support for the initiative taken at the WTO by India and South Africa to seek a temporary waiver under TRIPS in [the] context [of the second wave of COVID-19].”
: India issues statement noting US support for the initiative of India and South Africa at the World Trade Organization (WTO) for relaxation in norms of the agreement on TRIPS.
: India, Australia, and France hold their first-ever trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in London. A Joint Statement is released but not available on the Australia DFAT website as of Dec. 21, 2021.
: India’s EAM S. Jaishankar and China’s FM Wang Yi spoke by phone to discuss cooperation on the second wave of COVID-19 emergency in India, as well as border disputes.
: 23rd India-ASEAN Senior Officials meeting is held online.
: Prime Minister Modi and US President Biden have phone conversation on bilateral and international issues.
: Modi and Japan’s Prime Minister Suga speak by phone on a range of topics.
: 11th Round of the India-China Corps Commanders conference held online.
: Government of India issues a statement regarding the passage of United States navy ship, the USS John Paul Jones, through India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
: India and Vietnam hold second maritime security dialogue in a virtual format.
: ROK Minister of Defense Suh Wook visits India for talks with India’s Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh.
: India and China hold the 21st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Cooperation on Border Affairs via video.
: First Quad Virtual Leaders’ Summit releases a Joint Statement “The Spirit of the Quad” and the publication of a more detailed fact sheet.
: India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, and ROK’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chung Eui-yong, hold their first telephone consultation.
: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds telephone call with Japan’s Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide.
: India’s External Minister S. Jaishankar and China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi hold a 75-minute telephone call in which they discuss border disputes, dis-engagement after clashes in 2020, and agree to establish a hotline.
: India, Australia, and France Trilateral Senior Officials Meeting reviews and discusses cooperation on Maritime Security, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Blue Economy, Protection of Marine Global Commons, Combating Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing, and Cooperation in Multilateral forums.
: 10th Round of the India-China Corps Commanders Level meeting is held online.
: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Brunei Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohd. Yusof hold a telephone consultation “to take stock of bilateral relations.”
: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and foreign ministers of Australia, India, and Japan (the “Quad”) speak together for the first time since the Biden administration began.
: Ninth Round of India-Japan Consultations on Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Export Control are held virtually.
: India issues three-sentence statement on the military coup in Myanmar, noting “developments … with deep concern” and expressing the belief that “the rule of law and democratic process must be upheld.”
: India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar outlines stabilization of Sino-Indian relation’s three determinants (mutual respect, mutual sensitivity, and mutual interest) and eight principles (adherence to past agreements in their entirety; strict observance and respect for the LAC; maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas; recognition that a multi-polar Asia is an essential constituent of a multi-polar world; reciprocity in relationships; pursuit of aspirations by both with sensitivity; management of divergences and disputes; and taking the long view) in a keynote speech at the 13th All India Conference of China Studies.
: India and Japan hold 5th round of “Act East Forum,” which focuses on cooperation in India’s northeast states.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen, hold 5th India-Singapore Defense Ministers’ Dialogue. A statement issued after the meeting highlights “the Signing of the Implementing Agreement on Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation … between the Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy.”
: 13th India-Vietnam Defense Security Dialogue is co-chaired by Indian Defense Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar and his Vietnamese counterpart Sr. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, deputy Defense minister.
: First Korea-India High-level Policy Consultation on Global Issues is held.
: India’s Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Ms Riva Ganguly Das and South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun conduct a digital video conference. India continues to seek opportunities for defense industrial cooperation with Korea. In January 2020 South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering was named one of five companies shortlist for India’s P-75I submarine project.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh holds a telephone call with his Japanese counterpart and both ministers “welcomed the successful conduct of JIMEX 2020, MALABAR 2020 and also the recent successful visit of Chief of Staff, JASDF to India.”
: Modi and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hold a virtual summit in which they “provide guidance for the future development of India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
: India’s Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Ms. Riva Ganguly Das delivers the Keynote Address at the 5th Meeting of BIMSTEC Network Policy Think Tanks (BNPTT).
: India-Australia-Japan-United States, or “Quad,” Senior Officials Consultations take place via video conference.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the 14th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus hosted online by Vietnam.
: India’s Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Riva Ganguly Das conducts a virtual meeting with Stanley Loh, second permanent secretary of Singapore.
: India’s External Affairs Ministry Secretary (East) Ms. Riva Ganguly Das addresses the 3rd meeting of BIMSTEC Transport Connectivity Working Group.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Mongolia’s Chief Cabinet Secretary L Oyun-Erdene co-chair the 7th meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation.
: Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan speaks to the 6th India-CMLV (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam) Business Conclave.
: India’s Vice President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu chairs the 19th Session of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (which includes China and Russia).
: Modi speaks virtually at the 12th BRICS Summit (Virtual).
: India’s Ministry of Defense’s Department of Defense Production organizes a bilateral webinar and expo with Indonesia on Indian Defense Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnerships as part of a series of such interactions with friendly foreign countries in order to boost defense exports and achieve defense export target of $5 billion in the next five years.
: Modi and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc co-chair the 17th India-ASEAN Summit online.
: The 3rd India-United States 2 + 2 Meeting is held in person in India. The most important of the five agreements signed during the visit was the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) which provides the legal framework for exchanging geospatial data.
: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participates in the 13th Japan-India Foreign Ministers Strategic Dialogue.
: India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla travels to Myanmar along with India’s Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane for bilateral discussions on a range of issues.
: India and Myanmar, led respectively by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Permanent Secretary U Soe Han, hold the 19th round of Foreign Office Consultations virtually.
: Modi and Japan’s new Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide conduct a 25-minute Summit Telephone Talk.
: Senior officials of India, Australia, Japan, and the United States confer by video as part of ongoing quadrilateral consultations.
: Senior Ministry of Defense officials from India and senior army leaders from Cambodia participate in a webinar intended to boost India’s defense exports to achieve an export target of $5 billion in the next five years.
: Modi and outgoing Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo conduct a 30-minute Summit Telephone Talk.
: India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways. Piyush Goyal, and Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh co-chaired a virtual meeting of the 17th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations primarily regarding the ASEAN India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGIA).
: Modi speaks by phone to Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, primarily regarding the COVID-19 pandemic during which he highlights the historic and cultural links between the two countries including support for a World Heritage site and the Lao prime minister thanks India for supporting Lao’s development programs and capacity building for scholarships. Modi describes Laos as a “valued partner in India’s extended neighborhood.”
: Modi speaks by phone to President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines during which “[t]he leaders shared their satisfaction at the progress seen in recent years in all aspects of the bilateral relationship, including defense cooperation. Prime Minister Modi emphasized that India sees the Philippines as a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific Region.”
: Modi and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison hold a Leaders’ Virtual Summit and issue a Joint Statement on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Republic of India and Australia among other declarations and agreements.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Australia’s Minister of Defense Linda Reynolds consult by phone.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh conducts a telephone conversation with Japan’s Minister of Defense Kono Taro. The two ministers “conveyed their commitment to take forward the initiatives of bilateral security cooperation under the framework of the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.”
: Modi speaks by phone with Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during which he says Thailand “is a valued maritime partner in India’s extended neighborhood, with ethnic and ancient cultural links.”
: Modi speaks by telephone to President Jokowi Widodo of Indonesia regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and “underlined the fact that Indonesia is an important maritime partner in India’s extended neighborhood.”
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks by phone with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore regarding responses to COVID-19 and “[b]oth leaders stressed the importance of the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership in the present context.”
: President of Myanmar U Win Myint makes a state visit to India.
: New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters visits India for official consultations.
: India’s chief of navy staff, Adm. Karambir Singh, visits Myanmar for bilateral discussions with Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Navy and Commander in Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and other Myanmar officials.
: Vietnam’s Vice President Dang This Ngoc Thinh travels to Delhi for meetings with India’s president, vice president, and prime minister.
: India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and South Korea’s Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo conduct a ministerial defense dialogue in Delhi.
: Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne visits New Delhi for consultations on the bilateral Strategic Partnership.
: A high-level Indian army delegation led by Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh visits China to exchange views with Gen. Han Weiguo, Commander of People’s Liberation Army Ground Force, on measures to enhance peace and tranquility along their borders.
: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi visits Delhi for a combined session of the Delhi Dialogue XI and the Indian Ocean Dialogue VI as well as the sixth meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Commission.
: India and Australia hold a 2 + 2 Dialogue of their respective foreign and defense secretaries in New Delhi.
: Japan’s foreign and defense ministers, Motegi Toshimitsu and Kono Taro, visit India for the first India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting with counterparts Jaishankar and Singh. A joint statement is issued.
: Jaishankar visits Japan to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting.
: Singh and Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen co-chair the fourth Singapore-India Defense Ministers’ Dialogue in Singapore.
: Singh visits Bangkok to attend the 6thASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM+). On the sidelines, he meets US Secretary of Defense Dr Mark T Esper, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, Japanese Defense Minister Kono Taro, Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds, and New Zealand’s Defense Minister Ron Mark.
: Modi meets Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings in Bangkok.
: Modi meets Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Bangkok.
: Modi meets Thai Prime Minister M Prayut Chan-o-Cha on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings in Bangkok.
: Modi meets Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Su Kyi on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings in Bangkok.
: Modi meets Indonesia’s Widodo on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meeting in Bangkok.
: Modi visits Thailand for 14th East Asia Summit (EAS), 16th India-ASEAN Summit, and third RCEP Summit.
: Kovind makes a state visit to Japan for the enthronement ceremony of Japan’s new emperor.
: President Ram Nath Kovind makes a state visit to the Philippines on 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations—the first Indian presidential visit since 2006.
: Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping visits Chennai and meets Modi for the Second Informal Summit to “exchange views on deepening India-China Closer Development Partnership.”
: Foreign ministers of the US, Japan, Australia, and India meet on sidelines of the UNGA in New York. They discuss collective efforts to advance a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
: Modi meets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York.
: Modi inaugurates the India-Pacific Islands Developing States (PSIDS) meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Modi also invites PSIDS leaders to join Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
: Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga makes a state visit to India.
: Jaishankar visits Singapore to co-chair 6th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) with counterpart Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
: Modi and Abe meet at the Vladivostok Eastern Economic Forum.
: Jaishankar visits Indonesia to discuss the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
: Singh meets counterpart in South Korea. They agree to further defense educational exchanges and extend logistical support to each other’s navies and discuss “the ongoing co-operation at Service-to-Service level and prospects for enhanced co-operation between defense industries of India and Korea.” Singh invites South Korean defense manufacturing companies to invest in India.
: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visits Japan to co-chair the annual defense ministerial dialogue. Joint statement highlights six focus areas for further cooperation.
: Jaishankar visits China to co-chair, with State Counselor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the second meeting of the India-China High Level Mechanism on Cultural and People-to-People Exchanges.
: Jaishankar travels to Thailand to attend ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting, the 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (EAS FMM), 26th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and 10th Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Ministerial Meeting.
: Modi meets Indonesian President Joko Widodo on sidelines of G20 Summit.
: Modi has brief “pull aside” meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on sidelines of G20 Summit.
: Modi meets President Donald Trump and Abe in a trilateral format called the Japan-India-America Trilateral Summit Meeting (JIA) in Osaka.
: Modi meets Trump separately following the JIA Summit.
: Modi attends 14th G20 Summit in Osaka. India identifies only one security issue in its press release: “countering terrorism.”
: Modi meets Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Osaka.
: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu visits Vietnam to give a keynote address at the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak Celebration (Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death).
: Swaraj travels to China for the 16th meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India and China.
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes a state visit to the Republic of Korea to strengthen the special strategic partnership. Six MoUs are signed ranging from the release of commemorative postage stamp to an agreement between India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Korea’s National Police on transnational crime cooperation.
: Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar visits India for consultations with counterpart External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
: China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi travels to India for the third High-Level Media Forum.
: South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visits New Delhi for the ninth meeting of the India-ROK Joint Commission.
: President Kovind makes a state visit to Myanmar during which the two countries issue a joint statement.
: EAM Swaraj co-chairs the ninth India-Laos Joint Commission Meeting on Bilateral Cooperation in Vientiane.
: President Kovind visits Australia, the first-ever visit by an Indian president.
: India’s President Ram Nath Kovind visits Vietnam.
: PM Modi travels to Singapore for the second RCEP Summit, 16th ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit and the 13th ASEAN Summit.
: PM Modi travels to Japan and meets PM Abe Shinzo.
: President Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in New Delhi for annual India-Russia summit.
: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Minister of External Affairs Swaraj and Minister of Defense Nirmala Sitharaman meet in New Delhi to conduct the first US-India 2+2 Dialogue.
: EAM Swaraj makes her first official visit to Cambodia.
: EAM Swaraj visits Vietnam to co-chair the 16th Joint Commission meeting and inaugurate the third Indian Ocean Conference.
: South Korean President Moon Jae-in makes a state visit to India.
: India’s Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visits Vietnam.
: PM Modi visits Qingdao, China to attend the SCO Summit. He also meets separately with President Xi.
: Pm Modi makes a brief visit to Kuala Lumpur to meet Malaysia’s newly-elected PM Mahathir Mohammad.
: PM Modi makes his second official visit to Singapore including delivering the keynote speech at the 17th Shangri-La Dialogue.
: PM Modi visits Indonesia, his first since becoming prime minister in 2014.
: EAM Swaraj travels to Myanmar to discuss “boundary and border related issues, peace & security matters, developments in the Rakhine State, including return of displaced persons, India’s development assistance to Myanmar, ongoing projects, and other issues of mutual interest.”
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China for the so-called “Wuhan Informal Summit.”
: EAM Swaraj visits Mongolia, the first by an Indian EAM in 42 years, to co-chair the sixth round of India-Mongolia Joint Consultative Committee (IMJCC) meeting.
: EAM Swaraj visits Beijing to meet State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.
: EAM Swaraj visits Tokyo to co-chair the ninth India-Japan Strategic Dialogue. In her remarks to the press, Swaraj refers to many aspects of India-Japan relations but does not mention defense or military ties.
: Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang makes a state visit to India during which MoUs are signed to enhance trade and economic relations, technical agriculture cooperation, and cooperation on peaceful uses of atomic energy.
: Leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries visit New Delhi for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on the occasion of India’s 69th Republic Day of India.
: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen makes a state visit to India during which four agreements of cooperation ranging from culture to water resource development and criminal matters and human trafficking were signed.
: India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj visits Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore. In Indonesia, Swaraj co-chairs the fifth India-Indonesia Joint Commission meeting and greets new ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi.
: Yang Jiechi, state councilor of the People’s Republic of China and special representative of China on the boundary question, meets PM Modi following the 20th round of Talks between Special Representatives of China and India on the Boundary Question.
: Fourth India-Japan-Australia Trilateral Dialogue is held in New Delhi.
: Inaugural India-Australia “2+2” Foreign Secretaries and Defense Secretaries Dialogue is held in New Delhi
: India-ASEAN Connectivity Summit is held in New Delhi. Japan is only non-ASEAN country with official representation at the summit.
: India hosts the 15th Russia-India-China (RIC) Foreign Ministers Dialogue.
: India’s MEA issues an explanation of a lost drone along the Sino-Indian border.
: India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar hosts first meeting of the Coordination Forum on Development of Northeast Region.
: Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen visits India for the second iteration of a new defense minister’s dialogue.
: PM Modi travels to Manila to attend the 15th ASEAN-India Summit, the East Asia Summit, and meets Philippine President Duterte separately.
: India-Australia-Japan-US consultations on the Indo-Pacific are held on sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Manila.
: Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visits India for the Joint Ministerial Committee meeting.
: India’s Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman makes first overseas visit since assuming office to participate in the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus in Manila.
: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits India after giving a major speech on US-India relations in Washington.
: PM Abe visits India to review the “Special Strategic and Global Partnership.”
: India’s Defense Minister Shri Arun Jaitley visits Japan for annual defense ministerial dialogue with Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.
: PM Modi makes a state visit to Myanmar.
: PM Modi travels to Xiamen for ninth BRICS Summit and meets President Xi Jinping separately.
: India’s Ministry of External Affairs releases Press Statement of Doklam disengagement understanding.
: India-Japan agreement on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy enters into force.
: Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visits India for the 11th India-Australia Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue (FMFD) described as the “main institutional bilateral mechanism between the two countries.” A notable development is Australia joining the India-initiated International Solar Alliance.
: The 21st edition of the naval exercise, MALABAR-17, is conducted in the Bay of Bengal with participation by the US, Japan, and India.
: PM Modi meets PM Abe for a 35-minute bilateral on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
: PM Modi joins Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Binh Minh visits India.
: Special South Korean Envoy Chung Dongchea visits India and meets PM Modi.
: INS Sahyadri makes a port visit to Port Moresby Papua New Guinea.
: Fiji’s Minister of Defense and National Security Ratu Inoke Kubuabola visits India and meets Minister of Defense, Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley to discuss an expanded defense partnership in maritime security and naval cooperation. They sign an MoU on defense cooperation.
: India’s Ministry of External Affairs explains its policy on China’s Belt and Road Initiative Forum.
: PM Modi telephones PM Turnbull to express “concern about the possible impact of the recent changes in Australian regulations for the skilled professionals’ visa programme.”
: Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull makes a state visit to India.
: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak visits India for the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations.
: Vice President Hamid Ansari visits Jakarta to participate in the first-ever leaders summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on its 20th anniversary. He also meets President of Indonesia Joko Widodo separately.
: A “restructured” India-China strategic dialogue is held in Beijing.
: Indonesia’s Prime Minister Joko Widodo makes a state visit to India.
: Prime Minister Modi makes a state visit to Japan.
: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key makes a state visit to India.
: President Xi Jinping of China travels to Goa to attend the 8th BRICS Summit and for a bilateral meeting with PM Modi.
: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong makes an official visit to India.
: Prime Minister Modi travels to Vientiane, Laos for the 11th East Asia Summit and 14th India-ASEAN Summit.
: Prime Minister Modi travels to Hangzhou for the G20 Summit. On the sidelines, he meets President Xi, attends a BRICS meeting in preparation for the India-hosted BRICS Summit, and meets Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
: Prime Minister Modi visits Vietnam.
: US Secretary of State John Kerry visits India for the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
: Myanmar President Htin Kyaw makes a state visit to India.
: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits India for consultations and preparations for the BRICS Summit in Goa.
: Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Ahmad Zahid Bin Hamidi visits India to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
: Vice President Ansari visits Mongolia for the Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM).
: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha makes a state visit to India. A joint statement is issued at the conclusion of the visit.
: President Mukherjee makes a state visit to China – his first as president and the first from India since 2000.
: President Mukherjee visits New Zealand and signs a bilateral air services agreement to increase direct connectivity between the two countries.
: Indian President Pranab Mukherjee makes the first-ever state visit to Papua New Guinea during which he declares that India “consider[s] our co-operation with the Islands of the Pacific to be a key component of our Act East Policy.” He expresses a diplomatic interest in PNG’s regional role, LNG resources, and offers to assist PNG coastal radar surveillance systems, coastal patrol vessels and assistance to secure EEZs, which PNG accepts.
: Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren visits India for the fifth meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation.
: Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar visits Beijing, the first such visit since 2013 by his predecessor.
: Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Hernani Coelho visits India for consultations with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
: India hosts Delhi Dialogue VIII, bringing together Indian and Southeast Asia officials and experts.
: Vice President Hamid Ansari becomes the first Indian vice president to visit Thailand in 50 years. He meets government officials and members of the royal family, and delivers an address on India’s Act East Policy at Chulalongkorn University. Thailand is India’s fourth most important trading partner in ASEAN after Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
: Vice President Hamid Ansari visits Brunei, becoming the first Indian Vice President to visit the country. Brunei’s importance to India derives from a 10,000-strong Indian community (mostly working as teachers and doctors), the country’s support for India’s stance on Jammu and Kashmir, support for a permanent UNSC seat, and a major source of crude oil (India is Brunei’s third largest export destination).
: Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo visits India.
: PM Modi makes an official visit to Singapore, the second since his attendance at the funeral of Lee Kwan Yew.
: PM Modi visits Malaysia for bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Najib Razak, and also to participate in the 10th East Asia Summit and the 13th ASEAN-India Summit.
: China’s Vice President Li Yuanchao visits India; beginning his trip in Maharashtra and proceeding to West Bengal before holding official meetings in Delhi.
: Vice President Ansari visits Indonesia where he delivers a speech entitled “Indonesia and India: Companion Souls, Strategic Partners.”
: India’s Cabinet approves an MoU between the India-Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in India for cooperation in the field of micro, small, and medium enterprises.
: Malabar-15, the 19th iteration of the US-India naval exercise, is held in the Bay of Bengal and for the second time includes Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF).
: Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. DelRosario visits India for the third Joint Commission Meeting on Bilateral Relations.
: Vivian Balakrishnan, minister of foreign affairs of Singapore, visits India to co-chair the fourth India-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee (JCM) Meeting.
: Adm. RK Dhowan, chief of the Naval Staff makes an official visit to Australia to participate in the annual Sea Power Conference and “to consolidate existing Maritime Cooperation initiatives as well as explore new avenues.”
: Vice President Hamid Ansari visits Laos where he signs two MoUs.
: Vice President Ansari visits Cambodia and meets Prime Minister Hun Sen.
: Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha visits Thailand and Vietnam.
: Australian Minister of Defence Kevin Andrews makes a four-day visit to India including to attend the second Australia-India Defense Ministers’ Dialogue.
: India hosts the second Summit of Forum for India-Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC) in Jaipur India.
: Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar Defence Services, calls on PM Modi.
: Myanmar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wunna Maung Lwin visits India for a meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission, including a meeting with PM Modi.
: EAM Swaraj travels to Thailand to co-chair the seventh meeting of the India-Thailand Joint Commission (JCM) and to attend the 16th World Sanskrit Conference.
: Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval travel to Myanmar to meet government officials following a June 9 Indian military action to attack insurgents along the shared border.
: Tommy Koh, co-chair of the India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue, leads a delegation to India and meets PM Modi.
: PM Modi visits South Korea and meets President Park Geun-hye.
: PM Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Mongolia; he addresses the Mongolian parliament.
: Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his first visit to China since being elected prime minister.
: EAM Swaraj visits Indonesia for the Asian African Summit and inaugurates the Indian Mission to ASEAN.
: Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar visits Seoul to co-chair the India-ROK Defense Ministerial Meeting.
: North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong visits India, the first ever visit from the DPRK to India, and meets Vice President Hamid Ansari.
: Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visits India for the 10th India-Australia Foreign Ministers Framework Dialogue, and also has separate meetings with India’s minister of finance and minister of defense.
: Defense Secretary R.K. Mathur visits China for the seventh China-India Defense and Security Consultation and meets State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan.
: The 17th ASEAN-India Senior Officials meeting is held in Delhi to follow up on the 12th ASEAN-India Summit and discuss the Plan of Action for 2016-2021 for ASEAN-India cooperation.
: India hosts the seventh Delhi Dialogue, a track 1.5 gathering of Indian, Southeast Asian, and ASEAN secretariat officials and experts.
: President Tony Tan of Singapore makes a state visit to India.
: External Affairs Minister Shushma Swaraj travels to China for the 13th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, and India.
: Myanmar’s First Vice President Sai Mauk Kham visits India with a high-level delegation of Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers.
: Japan’s Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio visits India for the eighth India-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue and gives a major policy speech at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).
: EAM Swaraj visits South Korea for the eighth meeting of the India-South Korea Joint Commission.
: Gen. Peter Cosgrove, governor general of Australia, and Lady Cosgrove visit India and meet President Pranab Mukherjee.
: PM Modi visits Fiji.
: PM Modi participates in the BRICS Summit held in Brisbane, Australia on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.
: PM Modi visits Australia.
: PM Modi travels to Myanmar for the EAS and India-ASEAN Summit.
: Vietnam’s President Nguyen Tan Dung makes state visit – his third – to India.
: President Xi Jinping makes a state visit to India.
: India’s President Pranab Mukherjee visits Vietnam; a Letter of Credit for $100 million from India to Vietnam for defense purchases is signed.
: Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott visits India.
: Prime Minister Modi visits Japan.
: EAM Swaraj travels to Vietnam to inaugurate the third Roundtable of the ASEAN India Network of Think Tanks.
: India’s External Affairs Minister visits Singapore for meetings.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj travels to Myanmar for the 21st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the 12th ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting, the fourth East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers meeting,
: Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam visits India.
: India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari visits China primarily to mark the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel or the five principles of mutual co-existence.
: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits New Delhi.
: Narendra Modi is sworn in as India’s new prime minister following a landslide victory in India’s national elections.
: India’s Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh visits Tokyo for bilateral consultations to “focus on the implementation of ideas and projects decided at the Annual Summits and maintain the momentum of the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership.”
: Third India-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue held in New Delhi.
: PM Singh visits Myanmar for BIMSTEC Summit.
: Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand visits historical and religious sites across India and meets Indian officials.
: Japanese PM Abe Shinzo visits India.
: State visit of President Park Geun-hye of Republic of Korea to India.
: State visit of emperor and empress of Japan to India.
: State visit of Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to both Delhi and Mumbai.
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits Australia to participate in the Indian Ocean Region Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) meeting in Perth. India concludes its chairmanship of the organization and Australia becomes chair.
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits Singapore for bilateral consultations.
: PM Singh visits China.
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits the Philippines for the second India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.
: PM Singh visits Indonesia.
: PM Singh visits Brunei to attend the 8th East Asia Summit and the 11th ASEAN-India Summit.
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits Laos for 7th India-Lao Joint Commission Meeting on Bilateral Cooperation and 2nd ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) Conference.
: Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh visits India for the 15th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation.
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits Singapore and addresses the Singapore India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SICCI).
: External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits Brunei for ASEAN-related meetings including the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference, East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting, and the 11th ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting.
: PM Singh visits Thailand.
: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits Japan for the annual summit of prime ministers.
: Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Keqiang makes a state visit to India and got to both Delhi and Mumbai.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Khurshid visits China for consultations on the proposed visit of Premier Li Keqiang.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid visits Japan for the 7th India-Japan Strategic Dialogue.
: Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr visits India.
: Vice President Hamid Ansari Visits Vietnam for closing ceremony of the India-Vietnam Friendship Year.
: Russian President Vladimir Putin visits India and meets Prime Minister Singh. Russia and India sign defense contracts valued at $2.9 billion in conjunction with the visit.
: India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit is held in New Delhi with leaders from each of the 10 ASEAN countries in attendance.
: EAM Salman Khurshid visits Myanmar to inaugurate the co-sponsored International Conference on Buddhist Cultural Heritage and for bilateral consultations.
: South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin visits India and meets Defense Minister A.K. Antony.
: Prime Minister Singh travels to Phnom Penh to participate in multilateral meetings and specific bilateral meetings with Singapore, the Philippines, and China.
: Aung San Suu Kyi, chair of the opposition National League of Democracy in Myanmar, visits India to deliver the Nehru Memorial Lecture.
: EAM Krishna travels to Laos for the 9th ASEAN-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
: Australia’s Prime Minister Julian Gillard makes her first state visit to India.
: EAM Krishna travels to New York for the 67th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting and a bilateral meeting with Secretary of State Clinton.
: Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa visits New Delhi for the fourth India-Indonesia Joint Commission Meeting.
: EAM Krishna travels to Phnom Penh to participate in the second East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Minister’s Meeting, the 19th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting, and 10th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting.
: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong makes a state visit to India.
: EAM Krishna travels to Tokyo for the International Conference on Afghanistan.
: EAM Krishna visits Washington DC.
: US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits India for consultations.
: PM Singh makes a state visit to Myanmar.
: Singapore’s Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam visits India.
: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Kolkata and New Delhi.
: Japan’s Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro travels to India.
: Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh visits South Korea for a bilateral visit and to attend the Nuclear Security Summit.
: EAM Krishna visits Singapore to address the regional conference of heads of Indian missions in ASEAN countries.
: EAM Krishna visits China.
: Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visits India as the chief guest on Republic Day.
: Myanmar’s Foreign Affairs Minister Wunna Muang Lwin, visits India for consultations.
: India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S.M. Krishna visits Vietnam.
: Japanese Prime Minister Noda visits New Delhi to reinforce relations and boost trade and investment based on a free trade agreement between the two countries that came into force in August.
: US hosts Japan and India for the first-ever trilateral dialogue to exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
: Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith visits India and meets counterpart A.K. Antony. They take steps to build on the strategic partnership under the framework of the 2009 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.
: President Barack Obama and PM Singh meet on the sidelines of the EAS in Bali; their first meeting since Obama’s visit to India in November 2010.
: PM Singh and Cambodian PM Hun Sen meet on the sidelines of the EAS.
: PM Singh attends the Ninth ASEAN-India Summit and the Sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bali.
: EAM Krishna visits Japan and meets Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko and Foreign Minister Gemba Koichiro.
: Myanmar President Thein Sein and 10 Cabinet members visit India.
: Vietnam’s President Truong Tan Sang visits India.
: President Pratibha visits Mongolia after a gap of 23 years and signs three agreements covering defense cooperation, media exchanges, and cooperation between India’s Planning Commission and Mongolia’s National Development Innovation Committee.
: Indian President Pratibha Patil visits Republic of Korea.
: EAM Krishna travels to Bali to participate in the 9th India-ASEAN Post- Ministerial Conference, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Consultations, and the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting.
: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits India (New Delhi and Chennai) for the 2nd India-US Strategic Dialogue.
: New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Trade Minister Tim Groser visit India.
: EAM Krishna makes first high-level Indian visit to Myanmar after newly established civilian government takes office.
: US and India conduct their first-ever homeland security dialogue.
: EAM Krishna visits Malaysia for the 5th India-Malaysia Joint Commission Meeting.
: Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh meets President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the 3rd BRICs meeting in Sanya, China.
: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao visits Japan to meet Japanese counterparts.
: Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva leads a delegation to India; his first visit since taking office in 2008.
: Albert del Rosario, secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines visits India for the inaugural meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.
: Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin visits Mumbai and New Delhi primarily to promote economic cooperation.
: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes a state visit to India as chief guest for India’s Republic Day.
: India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM) S.M. Krishna visits Australia to attend the Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue.
: China’s Premier Wen Jiabao makes a state visit to India.
: PM Singh travels to Seoul for the fifth G20 Summit.
: President Barack Obama visits India, the first stop in a four-country Asian tour. This is the first visit of a US president to India since President George Bush visited in 2006.
: PM Singh travels to Hanoi for the eighth India-ASEAN Summit and the fifth East Asia Summit (EAS). He also has bilateral meetings with a number of ASEAN and other leaders on the sidelines of the summits.
: PM Singh meets ROK President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the EAS.
: PM Singh meets Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the EAS.
: PM Singh visits Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for an official visit. The two countries issue a joint statement on a Framework for the India-Malaysia Strategic Partnership.
: PM Singh visits Tokyo and meets Prime Minister Kan Naoto for the annual India-Japan Summit.
: President Patil visits Cambodia and Laos. This was the first visit by an Indian president to these two countries since 1959.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya visits New Delhi for the fourth India-Japan Strategic Dialogue.
: Senior Gen. Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of the Union of Myanmar, visits India at the invitation of President Patil.
: US and India sign a Counter-Terrorism Initiative in New Delhi.
: Foreign Secretary Nirupam Rao and Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar hold talks with their Japanese counterparts in the first-ever 2+2 Foreign Policy and Security Dialogue.
: India’s National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon visits China as special envoy of PM Singh.
: India and Japan hold the first round of negotiations on an Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy in Tokyo.
: PM Singh and President Barack Obama hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Toronto.
: Foreign Minister Krishna and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton hold the inaugural US-India Strategic Dialogue in Washington. The focus areas of strategic cooperation are energy and climate change, education and development, economic trade and agriculture.
: Indian President Pratibha Patil makes a state visit to China, the first by an Indian president since 2000. In an official statement, President Patil said she “focused attention on India’s aspirations for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council.”
: US Undersecretary for Political Affairs William Burns visits New Delhi for talks with Foreign Secretary Nirupam Rao in preparation for the first India-US Strategic Dialogue.
: PM Singh meets Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) and Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) summits.
April 30, 2010: Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Naoshima Masayuki and India’s Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia issue a joint statement following the fourth round of the Japan-India Energy Dialogue.
: Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh visits Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit and for a bilateral meeting with President Obama.
: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visits India to launch the US-India Economic and Financial Partnership with Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
: India’s Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna visits China to inaugurate the Festival of India in China and for discussions with his counterpart Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi as well as meetings with Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councilor Dai Bingguo.
: Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith visits India for bilateral discussions and addresses the safety of Indian students studying in Australia.
: President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea (ROK) makes a state visit to India as the chief guest at India’s annual Republic Day celebration.
: US Secretary of Defense Gates visits India. He praises India for its “statesman like” behavior following the Mumbai terrorist attacks, refers to a “syndicate” of terrorism, and assures India that the US would not depart from Afghanistan precipitously.
: Indian Home Secretary G.K. Pillai holds talks with Myanmar about cooperation on the insurgency situation in northeast India.
: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak makes a state visit to India, the first in six years by a Malaysian leader.
: External Affairs Minister Mukherjee announces that India and China will have more rounds of border dispute talks without specifying any timeframe.
: India announces a “pause” in the peace process with Pakistan.
: About 200 people are killed and hundreds injured in a series of coordinated attacks by gunmen on the main tourist and business area of India’s financial capital Mumbai.
: More than 80 people are killed in Assam in northeastern India. Indian officials suspect separatists in the region and Muslim extremist groups.
: Prime Minister Singh makes an official visit to Japan.
: Malabar 2008, a bilateral U.S.-Indian naval exercise is conducted off India’s west coast.
: President Bush signs into law the nuclear deal with India.
: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travels to India for consultations with Indian officials. This is her first visit to India since March 2006.
: The Senate approves the U.S.-India Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123 Agreement).
: The U.S. House of Representatives approves the U.S.-India Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123 Agreement).
: The 12th round of India-China border dispute talks are held in Beijing.
: India’s Defense Minister A. K. Antony meets Secretary of Defense Gates and other officials in Washington.
: The Nuclear Suppliers Group agrees to provide an exemption that permits its member states to engage in civil nuclear cooperation with India.
: The IAEA approves an India-specific Safeguards Agreement.
: Sixteen bombs explode in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing at least 56 people and injuring 150.
: The Congress Party-led coalition government survives a vote of confidence brought after left-wing parties withdraw their support over a controversial nuclear cooperation deal with U.S.
: Prime Minister Mukherjee visits Beijing for talks with Chinese officials – the first visit by an Indian external affairs minister to China since 2002.
: Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee attends the fourth stand-alone trilateral meeting of foreign ministers from India, Russia, and China (RIC) in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. This is to be followed by a meeting of the foreign ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) on May 16.
: Eight bomb explosions kill nearly 70 and injure over a 100 persons in the center of Jaipur City, a popular tourist destination.
: The sixth U.S.-India Global Issues Forum is held in New Delhi. The Forum develops new and expanded areas for cooperation between the two countries on multilateral issues such as the promotion of democracy, health, environmental protection, and human rights.
: Gen. Maung Aye, Myanmar’s second most senior military leader and army chief, makes a state visit to India and meets all of the country’s top leadership.
: U.S., Secretary of Defense Robert Gates travels to India for discussions about military cooperation.
: Manmohan Singh makes his first visit to China as Indian prime minister and meets President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiaboa among other leaders.
: The first India-China Joint Military Training Exercise “Hand-in-Hand 2007” is held. One armed Reconnaissance Company of the PLA and an equivalent strength of Indian troops participate in the exercise that included establishment of a joint command post, joint battle decision making and conduct of anti-terrorism drills.
: Myanmar Deputy FM Kyaw Thu visits New Delhi. According to an official Indian statement, talks were “marked by the friendship and cordiality that mark relations between India and Myanmar as close neighbors.” The two sides also signed an MOU for the establishment of the India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of Information Technology Skills (IMCEITS) at Yangon.
: Cambodia PM Hun Sen, accompanied by 12 Cabinet members, makes a state visit to India during which six agreements are signed.
: The Second China-India Financial Dialogue is held in Beijing.
: India’s Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi announces that “The Cabinet at its meeting yesterday evening gave its approval for tariff elimination/reduction on 555 products through a protocol of amendment of India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).”
: EAM Mukherjee makes a statement to Parliament regarding a rally organized by the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The minister says “We have friendly relations with Malaysia and we are in touch with the Malaysian authorities in the related matter.”
: The India-U.S. joint working group on counter-terrorism meets to discuss bilateral cooperation in fighting the global menace of terrorism.
: The 6th ASEAN-India Summit is held in Singapore on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Summit.
Nov. 21, 2007 Chinese Premier Wen meets PM Singh on the sidelines of the ASEAN and EAS Summits in Singapore and says that “We are happy to see that both sides have the willingness and resolve to settle their border issue left over from history.”
: Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and PM Singh meet following the EAS. This is the first meeting between the two since January 2006.
: India and China hold the first-ever defense and security consultations as called for in the MOU on enhancing defense cooperation signed in May 2006.
: Singapore FM Yeo meets EAM Mukherjee in New Delhi for discussion of bilateral relations.
: A delegation led by the Chief Justice of India, Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, visits China to return a visit by the President of the Supreme People’s Court of China to India from April 2-7, 2007.
: EAM Mukherjee speaks by telephone with Secretary of State Rice.
: Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, meet Indian National Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi.
: EAM Mukherjee visits Harbin, China for the third India-Russia-China Foreign Minister level meeting – the second such meeting in 2007.
: President Bush and PM Singh discuss the Doha Round and the India-U.S. Civil nuclear agreement by telephone.
: India and Singapore sign an agreement under which Singapore can use Indian military bases for five years in return for payment. The agreement is signed during a visit by Singapore’s Permanent Secretary for Defense Chiang Chie Foo with India’s Defense Secretary Vijay Singh at a defense policy dialogue in New Delhi.
: Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo makes a state visit to India accompanied by seven Cabinet ministers and a 41-member business delegation. The two countries sign a total of eight declarations, agreements and MOUs including an agreement on the establishment of a Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation and a Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism.
: EAM Mukherjee meets Myanmar FM U Nyan Win at a UN General Assembly meeting. According to an official Indian statement, “the External Affairs Minister expressed concern at the current situation in Myanmar, noting that as a close and friendly neighbor, India hoped to see peace, prosperity and stability in Myanmar. The Minister also expressed the hope that the process of national reconciliation and political reform, initiated by the Government of Myanmar, would be taken forward expeditiously. Further, he suggested that the Government could consider undertaking an inquiry into recent incidents and the use of force.”
: EAM Mukherjee leads the Indian delegation at the Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change, convened by President Bush.
: A U.S.-India Memorandum of Cooperation on public transportation is signed to facilitate cooperative activities to address India’s urban infrastructure needs.
: 24-26, 2007: The 11th round of the Special Representatives talks on India-China boundary question is held in Beijing.
: Foreign Secretary Menon meets Chinese FM Yang and State Councilor Tang to consolidate the India-China Strategic and Cooperative Partnership.
: EAM Mukherjee visits South Korea and co-chairs 5th ROK-India Joint Commission. Both countries express the hope of concluding negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the end of 2007 and meeting a $10 billion trade target before 2008.
: EAM Mukherjee visits Thailand for 5th Joint Commission meeting.
: India and Taiwan industry associations hold a collaborative exhibition in the south Indian city of Chennai to promote bilateral trade and commercial ties.
Sept. 5-12, 2007 India hosts a delegation of about 100 Buddhist pilgrims from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam as part of an initiative to promote cultural exchanges within the framework of Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC).
Sept. 4, 2007 India, the US, Australia, Japan, and Singapore begin a four-day naval exercise called Malabar 07-2.
: Japan’s PM Abe visits India. He becomes the first Japanese prime minister to address India’s Parliament and the two governments issue a Joint Statement on the Roadmap for New Dimensions to the Strategic and Global Partnership.
: Australia’s Naval Chief Vice Adm. Eric Shalders holds talks with Indian defense and military officials, the first visit by an Australian naval chief to India in 20 years.
: China National Tourism Authority (CNTA) opens office in New Delhi. This is the first Chinese tourism promotion office in India.
: India’s External Affairs Minister makes a statement to the national Parliament in which he provides the “factual position” regarding two concerns expressed by members – India’s right to test nuclear weapons and continuity of fuel supply. Regarding testing he says “There is nothing in the bilateral agreement that would tie the hands of a future government or legally constrain its options. A decision to undertake a future nuclear test would be India’s sovereign decision, resting solely with the Government of India.” Regarding continuity of fuel supply he says “The bilateral cooperation agreement contains elaborate provisions in Articles 5 and 14 to ensure the continuous operation of India’s reactors. These include fuel supply assurances, the right to take corrective measures, and a strategic fuel reserve for the lifetime of India’s reactors in case of cessation of cooperation.”
: President Bush calls PM Singh to convey the greetings of the government and people of the U.S. on the 60th Anniversary of India’s Independence.
: M. K. Narayanan, national security adviser of India, visits Japan to hold discussions on bilateral and international issues in preparation for the visit of PM Abe to India later in the month.
: MEA Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice make a Joint Statement on the completion of the civil nuclear negotiations between the two sides.
: , Japan’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Kohno Masaharu visits India for the first-ever Japan-India Strategic Dialogue on Economic Issues.
: Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Burns and Foreign Secretary Menon hold four days of meetings in Washington regarding outstanding issues in the 123 agreement. They announced that they “will now refer the issue to our governments for final review.”
: PM Singh and President Bush hold a telephone call in which they expressed satisfaction at the strong India-U.S. bilateral relationship and spoke about the forthcoming discussions between the national security advisers of both countries.
: Australian Minister of Defense Brendan Nelson makes the first trip by an Australian defense minister to India in two decades.
: Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung makes a state visit to India on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Vietnam.
: Japan’s Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Amari Akira visits New Delhi for wide-ranging discussions with Minister of Commerce Nath.
: Commerce & Industry Minister Kamal Nath visits Washington to give a special address at the ‘Global India Summit’ organized by the U.S.-India Business Council to mark its 32nd anniversary, meet senior U.S. officials, and deliver an address at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on “The Doha Agenda – Delivering on Development.”
: Thailand’s Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont makes a state visit to New Delhi to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. An MOU on Enhanced Cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy and a Cultural Program are signed.
: Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan leads a delegation to Australia, including Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. A prime purpose of the visit is to gain Australian support for Indian companies buying stakes in coking coal firms in order to ensure access to raw materials to support capacity-expansion in India’s steel sector.
: EAM Mukherjee visits Jakarta for the 3rd Joint Commission between Indonesia and India where he and Indonesian FM N. Hassan Wirajuda review bilateral relations since the establishment of the New Strategic Partnership in November 2005.
: EAM Mukherjee visits Singapore; a Joint Ministerial Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and an India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue are launched.
: First Japan-India High Level Policy Consultations on Economic Development are held in New Delhi. The discussions center on India’s development policy and Japan’s overall policy on economic cooperation for India.
June 12-14, 2007 India and Indonesia convene the First Joint Defense Cooperation Committee in Jakarta since the ratification of the Defense Cooperation Agreement between Indonesia and India in December 2006.
: Taiwan KMT leader and presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou visits New Delhi, the first KMT leader to do so since Chiang kai-shek visited in 1942.
June 7, 2007 Chinese Vice FM Dai meets a delegation of 100 young people from India headed by Indian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar.
: Chinese President Hu meets PM Singh in Berlin. State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan also attends.
: Subodh Kant Sahai, India’s minister of state for food processing industries, visits the U.S. for meetings with Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and discussions about the post-harvest and food processing initiatives in India and the India-U.S. Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture.
: Defense Minister Antony visits Singapore. The two countries agree to continue to expand defense links.
: Under Secretary for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns visits New Delhi for discussions on the proposed bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
: ROK Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo meets Indian Minister of Defense A.K. Antony in New Delhi. This is the first-ever defense ministerial talks between the two countries. Discussions reportedly focus on promoting defense cooperation including naval exercises and potential trade in defense materials.
: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee and Army Chief of Staff General Joginder Jaswant Singh visits China and meets FM Yang Jiechi. Following the visit, an announcement is made that India and China will conduct their first-ever joint army training exercise.
: President George Bush and PM Manmohan Singh discuss by telephone the G8 Summit scheduled for June. According to an official Indian statement, “[t]he Prime Minister conveyed India’s commitment to work with other countries to deal with the problems of climate change and global warming. The two leaders also emphasized the importance of a successful conclusion of the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations.”
: Japan’s Minister for Land, Transport and Infrastructure Fuyushiba Tetsuzo visits New Delhi and launches the Japan-India Tourism Exchange Year and discusses a new initiative to ease visa procedures for Indians traveling to Japan.
: Foreign Secretary Menon visits Washington for the 5th Meeting of the India-U.S. Global Issues Forum as well as numerous other meetings with senior U.S. officials on a range of issues including the bilateral civilian nuclear agreement.
: India and Japan hold the first Japan-India Energy Dialogue in Tokyo. Japan’s side is headed by Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Amari Akira and India’s by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
: To promote greater cooperation between the U.S. and Indian aviation sectors, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), in cooperation with the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and other organization from both countries sponsor a high-level U.S.-India Aviation Partnership Summit in New Delhi.
: The 10th round of India-China border talks are held in New Delhi with China represented by Vice FM & Special Representative Dai Bingguo and India by National Security Advisor & Special Representative M K Narayanan.
: The first U.S.-India Defense Joint Working Group meeting is held in New Delhi. The working group was envisaged in the New Framework for the U.S. and India Defense Relationship signed in June 2005. It conducts a midyear review of the work overseen by the Defense Policy Group, which is the apex dialogue mechanism for the India-U.S. defense relationship.
: India and the U.S. sign an MOU to renew their commitment to work cooperatively on environmental issues. The MOU focuses on air quality, water quality, toxic chemicals and waste, and the management of environmental agencies.
: Shyam Saran, special envoy of India, visits Australia to meet senior officials regarding India’s proposed nuclear deal with the U.S. Saran also exchanges views with the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
: MEA Mukherjee travels to Tokyo for the first foreign minister-level strategic dialogue. He also holds talks with Minister for Defense Fumio Kyuma.
: Asano Katsuhito, senior vice minister for foreign affairs, visits India to attend an India-Japan symposium and to discuss bilateral relations.
: The U.S. and India Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism meets to discuss strategies for fighting global terrorism. Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Frank Urbancic chairs the U.S. delegation and Additional Secretary for International Organizations at the Ministry of External Affairs K.C. Singh heads India’s side.
: The 13th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, chaired by the two countries’ foreign ministers, is held in New Delhi.
: Australian Government Minister for Trade Warren Truss leads a 50-member business delegation to India for the 16th Joint Business Council. Truss opens a new Consulate-General in Chennai and announces the launch of Utsav Australia (Celebrate Australia), marketing and promotions program to raise awareness of Australian business and industry among the Indian business community.
: India’s Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon visits the U.S. where he co–chairs, with Deputy Secretary of Commerce David Sampson, the 5th Meeting of the Indo-U.S. High Technology Cooperation Group that brings together industry and government experts in the areas of information technology, bio-technology, nanotechnology, and defense technology.
: The 4th Session of the India-Malaysia Joint Commission is held in New Delhi with Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar and India’s MEA Mukherjee heading their respective delegations.
: India-China-Russia Trilateral Foreign Minister’s Meeting held in New Delhi.
: Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal visits Myanmar to meet his counterpart Brig. Gen. Phone Swe on a range of bilateral issues including action against militant groups operating against India from bases in Myanmar.
: Mori Yoshiro, former PM of Japan, visits India as special envoy. He attends the opening ceremony of the Japan-India Friendship Year – Year of Japan in India 2007 and the 34th Joint Meeting of India-Japan Business Cooperation Committee.
: Chinese FM Li Zhaoxing visits India and kicks off the Year of Friendship through Tourism. Li and EAM Mukherjee announce the formal start of a bilateral hotline and the opening of new consulates in Kolkata and Guangzhou as well as tourism offices in New Delhi and Shanghai.
: India and U.S. sign a letter of intent in New Delhi on promoting linkages between small and medium enterprises of the two countries.
: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee visits Myanmar.
: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo visits India with stops in Bangalore, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Amritsar. He meets senior Indian officials and speaks to an Indian business conference.
: The 9th round of talks on the India-China Boundary Question is held in New Delhi.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets Indian PM Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the East Asian Summit.
: India participates in the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines as an ASEAN dialogue partner and as a member of the East Asian Summit (EAS).
: Singapore Deputy PM Jayakumar leads a delegation of officials and businesspersons to India to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The annual event brings the overseas Indian community to India for networking opportunities and seminars.
: U.S. imposes sanctions on two Indian chemical firms for selling WMD-related materials to Iran.
: U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act signed by President Bush.
: U.S. Congress approves U.S.-India nuclear agreement.
: President Bush and PM Singh in a phone call exchange views on current matters and express satisfaction at the current state of U.S.-India relations.
: India and the U.S. signed a $39 million military sales agreement on Indian navy’s purchase of six former U.S. Navy H-3 Sea King helicopters.
: Sixth annual joint U.S.-India naval exercise, Malabar held in the Arabian Sea. U.S. and Indian infantry also hold joint counterterrorism drills in Karnataka State.
: Pranab Mukherjee is named India’s foreign minister. A.K. Antony is named defense minister.
: President Bush and PM Singh in a phone call exchange views on Doha trade negotiations, the civilian nuclear agreement, and regional developments in Pakistan and North Korea.
: Joint U.S.-India army exercise is held in Hawaii.
: Sixteen U.S. nonproliferation experts and former government officials send an open letter to the U.S. Congress to redress “serious flaws that still plague the U.S.-India nuclear trade legislation.”
: Shyam Saran is named Indian special envoy for negotiations on U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
: New Dehli approves a $44 million plan to purchase the USS Trenton, a decommissioned U.S. amphibious transport dock.
: U.S.-India Financial and Economic Forum is held in Washington, D.C. to discuss Indian efforts to liberalize the financial sector and other issues.
: U.S. H.R. 911 condemns the July 11 bombing in Mumbai.
: U.S. Senate Energy Committee holds hearings on U.S.-India Energy Cooperation agreement.
: President Bush meets PM Singh on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg to discuss the Mumbai bombings and the nuclear cooperation deal.
: Senate bill 1950 is passed that promotes global energy security through increased cooperation between the U.S. and India on nonnuclear-related energy issues.
: House International Relations Committee holds hearing on U.S.-India “global partnership.”
: NASA and Indian Space Research Organization agree to include two U.S. scientific instruments on India’s Chandrayaan lunar mission planned for 2007.
: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation grants U.S. and South Korea observer status.
: House and Senate committees hold hearings on U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation.
: U.S. officials in Vienna fail to obtain Nuclear Suppliers Group agreement to consider proposals for nuclear cooperation with India for May 2006 session.
: U.S. Chamber of Commerce sends a letter to Congress to support the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal. The letter states that the cooperation would “foster deeper strategic ties that will yield significant commercial opportunities for U.S. companies.”
: U.S.-India Economic Dialogue is held in New Delhi. The group will report out to President Bush and PM Singh March 2.
: President George Bush travels to India and meets Prime Minister Singh to discuss growing partnership. March 4 President Bush travels to Pakistan.
: Under secretary Burns arrives in India to negotiate civilian nuclear energy deal.
: U.S. State Department’s Bureau of South Asian Affairs is reorganized to include Afghanistan and five Central Asian states and is renamed the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
: Second meeting of the India-U.S. Energy Dialogue Steering Committee.
: Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky leading the U.S. delegation for a fourth meeting of the U.S.-India Global Issues Forum held in New Delhi.
: U.S.-based Dell, Inc. announces plans for 5,000 new jobs to be added to India operations.
: Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns comments while in India that the U.S.-India relationship stands on its own and is not directed at a third nation.
: U.S. and India meet for the inaugural Civil Nuclear Working Group as part of the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue. India and China also agree to cooperate on overseas acquisition of energy.
: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf says he is ready to put aside its demand for a referendum in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
: India matches Pakistan’s ceasefire offer and offers to extend it to Siachen Glacier in the north.
: Pakistan offers ceasefire in Kashmir.
: Lt. Gen. Mohinder Singh, commander of 4th Corps of the Eastern Military Region of the Indian Armed Forces, leads delegation to Chinese military facilities in Tibet.
: Indian naval ships make port call in Shanghai prior to a one-day joint exercise “aimed at ensuring the safety of maritime trade and improving coordination in search-and-rescue at sea.”
: Indian VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat travels to Myanmar to push for closer economic ties.
: Destroyer and missile corvette from the Indian Navy arrive in Malaysia for a three-day goodwill visit.
: Indian and Chinese special representatives hold talks on the resolution of the boundary dispute.
: PM Vajpayee becomes the first Indian PM to visit Thailand in a decade and the first foreign leader to address the Thai Parliament. India and Thailand announce completion of a free trade agreement.
: Following a meeting between PMs Vajpayee and Wen, Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal announces that Beijing has removed Sikkim as an “independent country” from the official website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
: India and the Philippines agree to exchange information and intelligence to combat terrorism and to sign an extradition treaty on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit.
: Assistant Secretary of State Rocca holds talks in New Delhi.
: Speaking to the first-ever India-ASEAN Business Summit in New Delhi, PM Vajpayee calls for India-ASEAN trade to increase to $15 billion over the next two years and to $30 billion by 2007.
Sept. 26, 2003: A Singapore-India joint statement announces the two countries have reached the “mid-point” in their negotiations for a comprehensive economic agreement that includes a free- trade agreement.
Oct. 2, 2003: Visiting Indian Army Chief Gen. Nirmal Chander Vij and Philippine counterpart Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling agree to boost bilateral military exchanges and cooperation.
: Indonesian FM Hassan Wirayuda and Indian counterpart Sinha co-chair inaugural meeting of India-Indonesia Joint Working Group.
: U.S.-India Defense Policy Group meets in Washington, D.C.
: India and China trade charges of border intrusions across the Line of Actual Control in the northeastern sector of the disputed border.
: Thailand’s Ambassador to India Chirasak Thanesnant identifies India as a hub for its “enhanced economic co-operation in South Asia.”
: India rejects dispatch of troops to help stabilize Iraq despite what India’s foreign minister says is “our growing dialogue and strengthened ties with the U.S.”
: A 58-member high-level Chinese air force delegation visits Indian airbase.
: PM Vajpayee visits China, the first Indian PM to do so in a decade.
: Deputy PM Advani visits Washington for a range of talks with U.S. officials, but gives no assurance on Indian troops for stabilizing Iraq.
: Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage holds consultations in India with his counterparts.
: Shigeru Ishiba becomes the first Japanese Defense Agency director general to visit India.
: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meets Indian Defense Minister Fernandes in Beijing.
: Singapore PM Goh Chok Tong visits Delhi to launch talks on a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) that will include a Free Trade Agreement.
: Indian foreign minister says “India has a much better case to go for pre-emptive action against Pakistan than the U.S. has in Iraq.”
: Indian foreign minister rejects U.S. calls for India-Pakistan talks after a March 23 massacre in Kashmir, saying, “[a]dvice to India about resuming dialogue with Pakistan in the aftermath of the killings of Hindus in Kashmir this week was just as gratuitous and misplaced as we asking them to open a dialogue with Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.”
: India’s Foreign Ministry spokesman tells reporters that “[t]he military action begun today [against Iraq] thus lacks [United Nations] justification” and suggests it was “avoidable.”
: Using unusually harsh language, Indian PM Vajpayee says “[i]f the United States can’t make Pakistan keep its promise [to halt cross-border infiltration], it shows its weakness” and “[i]f assurances given to us are not honored, we will factor this in while formulating our policy in future.” President Bush calls PM Vajpayee the next day.
: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard A. Meserve and Indian nuclear officials agree to resume nuclear safety cooperation with the country.
: Thai FM Surakiart Sathirathai and Indian counterpart Yashwant Sinha led delegations to meeting of the Joint Commission, held after a gap of seven years.
: Arunachal Pradesh state education minister Takam Sanjay tells journalists “Our chief minister, Mukut Mithi, recently called on Defense Minister George Fernandes and informed him that the Chinese army has restarted the construction of roads along the international border.”
: U.S. and India sign a Statement of Principles for U.S.-India High Technology Commerce during Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal’s three-day visit to Washington.
: India and the U.S. hold second meeting of their joint Global Issues Forum. This session focused on a range of issues including environment; health and infectious diseases, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS; human rights and democracy-related issues.
: U.S. Army Chief Eric Shinseki arrives on two-day visit to India, the first by a U.S. army chief.
: Deputy PM L.K. Advani visits Thailand and Singapore to strengthen economic relations and counterterrorism cooperation.
: Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Win Aung visits India to bolster bilateral cooperation – the first visit in 15 years.
: Singapore President S.R. Nathan visits Hyderabad, India to encourage high-technology business ties.
: Chinese President Jiang Zemin meets Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi in Beijing.
Jan. 7-8, 2003: Visiting Japanese FM Kawaguchi announces the resumption of fresh yen loans to India.
: India becomes one of 14 countries to sign an agreement with the U.S. under which they agree not to send each other’s nationals to an international criminal court.
: India and the U.S. hold the seventh in a series of Executive Steering Group (ESG) meetings in Honolulu, Hawaii to plan further defense cooperation.
: Militants storm Raghunath Temple in Jammu killing 12 persons and wounding 50.
: In a speech to the Confederation of Indian Industry, Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill criticizes the Indian economy as “most restrictive” by several “various indices” and said lack of “good governance, corruption, and bribery are widespread, frightening away honest businessmen and investors.”
: India and China conduct the 14th joint working group meeting on their border dispute.
: The U.S. pledges $120 million over five years to combat HIV/AIDS in India.
Nov. 7, 2002: Alan Larsen, U.S. under secretary for economic, business and agricultural affairs, initiates the U.S.-India economic dialogue on finance, trade, commerce, and energy as well as cooperation in curbing money laundering and combating terror funding.
Nov. 12-13, 2002: The U.S. and India agree to establish a joint “high technology cooperation group” following Under Secretary for Commerce Kenneth I. Juster’s talks in New Delhi.
Nov. 7, 2002: Alan Larsen, U.S. under secretary for economic, business and agricultural affairs, initiates the U.S.-India economic dialogue on finance, trade, commerce, and energy as well as cooperation in curbing money laundering and combating terror funding.
Nov. 12-13, 2002: The U.S. and India agree to establish a joint “high technology cooperation group” following Under Secretary for Commerce Kenneth I. Juster’s talks in New Delhi.
: PM Vajpayee visits Laos, which is set to become ASEAN’s “country coordinator” for India beginning in June 2003. India announces plans to establish and information technology center in Laos. Agreements are signed on drug trafficking, defense, visa exemptions for official passport holders, and a $10 million credit line for Laotian infrastructure development.
: The inaugural ASEAN-India summit is held in Cambodia.
: U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad travels to New Delhi for discussions about the situation in Afghanistan.
: Under Secretary for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal hold the first U.S.-India “global issues forum.”
: Director of State Department’s Policy Planning Staff Richard Haass consults with Indian officials in New Delhi.
: U.S. Ambassador Robert Blackwill delivers a strong critique of India’s economy in a speech to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
: U.S. and Indian Air Forces hold joint exercise Cope India 02 near Agra.
: India’s CCS decides to pull back troops from positions along the international border with Pakistan.
: State Department spokesman Richard Boucher calls Jammu and Kashmir elections “successful” and “credible,” but characterizes them as “the first step in a broader process” and calls for “an early resumption of diplomatic dialogue [between India and Pakistan] on all outstanding issues…” The statement also “welcome[s] the Indian government’s commitment to begin a dialogue with the people of Jammu and
Kashmir and…hope[s] this dialogue will address improvements in governance
and human rights.”
Kashmir and…hope[s] this dialogue will address improvements in governance
and human rights.”
: India’s Finance Minister Jaswant Singh says that each country has the right to take preemptive action to protect itself.
: U.S. and India conduct the fourth in the “Malabar” series of naval exercises – the previous three were held before U.S. sanctions were imposed on India after its 1998 nuclear tests.
: U.S. and Indian air forces begin two-week exercise code-named Geronimo Thrust in Alaska – their first joint exercise in 40 years.
: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Non-Proliferation John Wolf and India’s Joint Secretary for Disarmament S.K. Sharma hold talks on nonproliferation in New Delhi. The U.S. “expressed its readiness to broaden relations in civilian space cooperation” and “[t]he two sides also exchanged views on civilian nuclear cooperation. To this end, the two sides identified proposals which could be
operationalized in the near term” according to a joint statement.
operationalized in the near term” according to a joint statement.
: President Bush releases The National Security Strategy of the United States of America in which he calls for a transformation of bilateral relations with India but notes differences over India’s nuclear and missile programs, and the pace of India’s economic reforms.
: Elections take place in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 800 are killed during the period, and overall election turnout is estimated at 44 percent.
: PM Vajpayee and Japan’s PM Koizumi Junichiro meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual meeting in New York.
: PM Vajpayee visits U.S. for Sept. 11 memorial, the United Nations General Assembly meeting, and consultations with President Bush.
: Secretary of State Powell and Indian Minister of External Affairs Singh meet in Washington to prepare for PM Vajpayee’s upcoming trip to the U.S. Secretary Powell reiterates warning against Pakistan interference in scheduled Jammu and Kashmir elections.
: Indian Navy chief Adm. Madhvendra Singh visits Washington for talks with U.S. officials. He describes U.S.-Indian defense ties as “developing day by day.”
: Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrives in India for talks with Indian officials.
: India’s FM Sinha and Japan’s FM Kawaguchi meet on the sidelines of ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference meetings in Brunei.
: Secretary of State Powell visits India and then Pakistan. In India he says “[w]e look forward to concrete steps by India to foster Kashmiri confidence in the election process. Permitting election observers and freeing political prisoners would be helpful.”
: The Washington Post reports that the State Department opposes the sale by Israel of the Arrow weapon system, which allows Israel to defend against short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles, to India.
: Assistant Secretary of State Rocca says the U.S. does not favor a plebiscite in disputed Kashmir – a position long-held by India. An Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson responds that “The statement from Washington vindicates our stand.”
: U.S. and India hold fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group on Terrorism.
: India’s new foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal, in a speech to the Confederation of Indian Industry, harshly criticizes Washington for exaggerating the threat of nuclear war, issuing travel warnings to India, and rewarding Pakistan despite its sponsorship of terrorism.
: Defense Minister George Fernandes visits Japan for meetings with FM Kawaguchi Yoriko.
: India’s Ambassador to Japan rejects Japan Defense Agency chief’s request to India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
: India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decides to study the possibility of U.S. technical assistance on electronic sensors along Kashmir’s Line of Control (LoC) to monitor cross-border infiltration. The CCS rejects the start of a dialogue with Pakistan on Kashmir until infiltration ceases, and reiterates that foreign troops will not be allowed to patrol the LoC.
: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in India says that “We feel that there are steps being taken which are constructive and I must say that the leadership here in India has demonstrated their concern and their interest in seeing that things are resolved in an appropriate way.” He also says there is no proof of al-Qaeda presence in Kashmir – rejecting Indian suggestions to the contrary.
: Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, in New Delhi after a visit to Islamabad, says that “President Musharraf clearly told me he is intent on doing everything he can to avoid a war consistent with the honor and dignity of Pakistan…The
commitment to the United States [emphasis added] of President Musharraf was to end permanently cross-border, cross-LoC [line of control] infiltration.”
commitment to the United States [emphasis added] of President Musharraf was to end permanently cross-border, cross-LoC [line of control] infiltration.”
: Indian PM Vajpayee, in Almaty, Kazakhstan for the 16-nation Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and responding to Washington’s call for de-escalatory steps, says that “[India] have repeatedly said that we are willing to discuss all issues with Pakistan, including Jammu and Kashmir, but for that, cross-border terrorism has to end.”
: National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says, “We take the assurances and the commitments that President Musharraf made, not just to the President but in an open speech, that they would end activity across the Line of Control from the territory of Pakistan [and] they would deal with the infrastructure of terrorism. We take those quite seriously, expect them to be fulfilled. We expect the Indian Government to recognize that war will help no one here…And we recognize the statesman-like stance that India has taken in recent months, starting with the attack on Indian Parliament.”
: India’s Defense Secretary Yogendra Narain and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith hold annual Defense Policy Group (DPG) talks aimed at increasing U.S.-India military cooperation. Agreement is reached to conduct a joint study of India’s missile defense needs.
: India, “for the sake of parity of representation,” orders Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi to return to Islamabad.
: Home Minister Advani, speaking in Parliament, expresses “deep disappointment” over what he says is Washington’s “encouragement” to Pakistan by making it a key ally in the international war against terrorism.
: An attack in Kashmir on a bus and Indian army camp kills nearly 40 persons hours after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca arrives in India.
: U.S. Special Operations Forces and Indian paratroopers hold the largest-ever joint army and air exercises called Balance Iroquois near Agra.
: Assistant Secretary of State Rocca affirms that “non-proliferation remains an important item on our bilateral agenda…”
: At a ceremony to release respective commemorative stamps of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Japan’s ambassador to India says, “Both India and Japan are more than well qualified for a seat in the enlarged [United Nations] Security Council.”
: India purchases its first major U.S. weapons system in decades when agreement is reached to buy eight AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery artillery radar sets and related equipment valued at $146 million.
: PM Vajpayee visits Cambodia. India offers to send a judge to serve on a tribunal for the possible trial of Khmer Rouge leaders if the United Nations decided not to take part in the tribunal. India also reaffirmed its commitment to the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation program – an infrastructure development project between Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and India established in 2000. India and Cambodia also sign agreements on direct flights between the two countries, renovation of Ta Prohm temple in Angkor Wat, and visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders.
: The first ever private undersea cable between India and Singapore is commissioned.
: PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee visits Singapore. India and Singapore sign two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the telecommunications and culture sectors and agree to establish a Joint Study Group (JSG) to explore an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that would cover trade as well as intellectual property, customs cooperation, and the financial sector.
: India, Burma, and Thailand hold their first trilateral talks on trade, tourism, and a proposal for building of a highway linking the three countries.
: External Affairs Minister Singh visits South Korea.
: Indonesian President Megawarti Sukarnoputri visits India. Memoranda of Understanding on cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space, visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, and a vocational center for the construction sector are signed. India and Indonesia also sign an agreement for New Delhi to build a railway line and a port terminal in South Sumtra in exchange for coal, timber, and crude oil. Several private sector business agreements are also signed on projects ranging from vegetable oil to computers.
: External Affairs Minister Singh visits China. Agreement is reached to activate a joint working group on economic and trade relations and establish a first-ever counterterrorism dialogue.
: India and China launch the first direct commercial airline route between the two countries.
: The Singapore and Indian navies begin their annual anti-submarine warfare exercise – the ninth in a series of exercises between the two navies since 1993.
: PM Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand visits India.
: The 4th ASEAN-India Joint Consultative Committee meeting is held.
: The India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism meets for the fourth time.
: India tests the Agni II missile a day after the departure from India of Li Peng.
: Secretary of State Powell travels to India for discussions with Indian leadership.
: Indian Defense Minister Fernandes meets Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld in Washington and signs a bilateral general security of military information agreement (GSOMIA), paving the way for greater defense and technology cooperation.
: China’s Premier Zhu Rongji visits India. Zhu’s visit follows a 10-year gap since the last Chinese premier’s visit. India and China agree to establish a bilateral dialogue mechanism against terrorism, to accelerate the process of clarification and confirmation of the Line of Actual Control, and dedicate the seventh meeting of the ministerial level Joint Economic Group to strengthening trade and economic cooperation. Six MOUs and agreements are signed relating to science and technology, cooperation in outer space, tourism, phytosanitary measures, and supply of hydrological data by China to India regarding the Brahmaputra river during the flood season.
: Indian Home Minister L. K. Advani meets President Bush in Washington. He says he has “a measure of assurance” that the American government will stand by its promises to oppose terrorism against India.
: PM Vajpayee becomes the second Indian leader to visit Japan in a decade. His first stop is Osaka, where he asserts that India offers a “congenial atmosphere” for foreign investment. India and Japan agree to hold a dialogue on counterterrorism in the framework of their Comprehensive Security Dialogue.
January 2002-December 2002
January 2001-December 2001
: India-Japan 21st Century Eminent Persons’ Group meets for the second time to draw up a proposed list of cooperative activities for the two governments to consider. Among the proposed activities are regular talks on the safety of regional sea lanes and joint infrastructure development.
: At the Seventh ASEAN Summit held in Brunei Darussalaam, ASEAN decides to upgrade its relations with India to the summit level.
: Japan announces that it will “discontinue the measures on India and Pakistan taken in May 1998” in response to their countries nuclear tests. India is now eligible for grant aid and yen loans for new projects as well as Japanese support for loans by multinational development banks.
: Singapore Telecommunications and India’s Bharati Enterprises announce plans to build India’s first fiber-optic undersea cable linking Singapore to the Indian coastal cities of Mumbai and Chennai.
: External Affairs Minister Singh telephones Chinese foreign minister to discuss cooperation following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
: PM Vajpayee visits Singapore.
: India announces plans to establish a strategic command in its Andman and Nicobar Islands.
: Army Chief Gen. Padmanabhan becomes the first Indian army chief to visit Japan.
: The Eighth Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is held in Hanoi, Vietnam. India, represented by former Minister of Defense K.C. Pant, proposes that trade ministers from India and Southeast Asia should hold an annual meeting to boost economic cooperation.
: India and Japan hold security and defense discussions as part of their efforts to establish a regular dialogue. Subjects of discussion included participation in each other’s military exercises, studies in the areas of defense and security, and disaster relief, and search and rescue operations.
: The BBC reports that at least 50 Burmaese soldiers are killed in heavy fighting with separatist Indian rebels inside Burma.
: Indian and Japanese coast guard ships conduct joint anti-piracy exercises.
: India and Burma begin a joint military offensive on the bases of three rebel groups in India’s northeast.
: PM Vajpayee is the first Indian leader to visit Malaysia in six years.
: One of India’s largest listed software firms, Satyam Computer Services, which has an estimated market capitalization of $4 billion (S$7.26 billion), officially opens its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore.
: Japan announces that it will extend official development assistance for two ongoing Indian infrastructure projects. However, measures prohibiting loans for new projects in response to India’s 1998 nuclear tests will remain in place.
: India, as host of the International Fleet Review, a four-day maritime exercise, calls for a joint action by Asian naval powers to combat growing piracy, drug trafficking, and gun-running in the region’s troubled sea lanes.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visits Burma, the first senior Indian official to do so since PM Rajiv Gandhi visited in 1987 and since the crackdown on democracy in Burma in 1990.
: India and China hold a second round of talks on regional security as part of an effort to maintain an institutionalized and regular dialogue.
: India grants refugee status to the 17th Karmapa Lama, a youth who is one of the holiest figures in Tibetan Buddhism, more than a year after he fled from his homeland. China warns India not to let the Karmapa Lama engage in political activities.
: PM Vajpayee’s scheduled visits to Malaysia and Japan are postponed due to the Gujarat earthquake on Jan. 26, 2001.
: PM Vajpayee visits Indonesia where he signs five notable agreements on defense cooperation, the establishment of a Joint Commission, science and technology, cultural exchange, and agricultural cooperation.
: Former Premier and Chairman of the National People’s Congress Li Peng is the highest ranking Chinese official to visit India since President Jiang Zemin in 1996 and New Delhi’s nuclear tests in May 1998. The two sides agreed to form India-China Parliamentary Friendship Groups in their Parliaments.
: Indian Prime Minister (PM) Atal Behari Vajpayee becomes the first Indian leader to visit Vietnam since 1994.
: India’s Navy announces plans to set up a Far Eastern Naval Command based in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue says that “China’s development does not constitute any threat to any country including India. We are confident that India’s development, similarly, does not constitute a threat to China.”
: India cautiously welcomes a pledge by China to enforce strict export controls against missile proliferation.
: Burma’s Gen. Maung Aye, vice chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, receives a “red carpet” welcome during a visit to India.
: India and the PRC hold the eighth round of Expert Group (EG) talks on their border dispute and agree to accelerate the talks on the clarification of their disputed border, the LAC. Both sides exchange maps of the middle sector of the disputed border.
: Inaugural meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) grouping takes place in Laos and issues the “Vientiane Declaration” regarding tourism, transportation, cultural, and information exchanges among India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
: Indian President K.R. Narayanan is the first Indian president in 30 years to visit Singapore. Singapore’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong says that Singapore would propose, “without being aggressive,” that India become one of ASEAN’s four summit partners along with Japan, China, and South Korea.
: India’s External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visits Vietnam and Laos. Vietnam offers support to India’s candidacy for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and bid for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation membership.
: After completing his one-day visit of border posts, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes says that “[o]ur border with China is well protected and well guarded and there is no need for any concern. We need to improve infrastructure and roads along the border with China.”
: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhu Bangzao rejects Indian allegations about Chinese incursions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
: Chief minister of the Indian state Arunachal Pradesh, Mukut Mithi, suggests that Chinese forces inadvertently may be crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries.
: Indian Union Minister for Labour Dr. Satyanarayan Jatya states that India and China will work toward a joint strategy to oppose any link between labor standards and trade issues in the World Trade Organization.