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Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-leader Sheikh Hasina warned Wednesday that holding elections without her party — the first since her overthrow — was “sowing the seeds” of further division in her country.In written responses to AFP, her first interview since being ousted, Hasina also condemned her crimes against humanity trial as a “jurisprudential joke”, adding she believed a guilty verdict was “preordained”.Toppled in August 2024 by a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year autocratic rule, Hasina fled by helicopter as crowds stormed her palace.The UN says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as she tried to cling to power — deaths now at the centre of her trial.The 78-year-old former prime minister has been in hiding ever since, hosted by old ally India.But she remains defiant, and, in comments likely to enrage the many who say she made a ruthless bid to maintain power at all costs, she said she “mourned all the lives lost during the terrible days” when students were gunned down in the streets.She warned that the ban on her Awami League by the interim government of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was deepening a political crisis in the country of 170 million people, ahead of elections slated for February 2026.”Elections without the direct participation of all major parties, including the Awami League, cannot be credible,” she said.While she has issued social media messages to supporters, her response to AFP marks her first direct communication with journalists since her overthrow.”Without the participation of the Awami League, he is sowing the seeds of future division in the country,” she added.”Yunus must reinstate the Awami League to give Bangladeshis the choice they deserve.”- ‘Capital crimes’ -Rights groups long accused her government of a litany of abuses, including the murder of rivals, suppression of opposition parties, rigged courts and one sided elections.Bangladesh’s interim government banned Hasina’s Awami League in May under amendments to the anti-terrorism act — a move Human Rights Watch condemned as “draconian”.”Free and fair elections require genuine competition, the ability of all parties to campaign, and the electorate’s right to choose between alternatives,” Hasina said.”Elections are a competition of ideas. You cannot ostracise a party because you don’t like their policies.”Her rivals, long crushed under her rule, are now resurgent.The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is seen as the frontrunner, while Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim-majority country’s largest Islamist party, is rising in popularity.Hasina meanwhile has defied court orders to return to attend her trial on whether she bears command responsibility for the deadly crackdown, charges amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam has accused Hasina of being “the nucleus around whom all the crimes were committed” during the uprising, and has called for the death penalty if found guilty.”The charges themselves are rejected in full and are not supported by any evidence,” Hasina said.”It has been appointed by an unelected administration consisting of my political opponents to try me in absentia for capital crimes.”A verdict is due on November 13.”A guilty verdict is pre-ordained, sadly, and I will not be surprised when it comes,” she said.- ‘Open fire on crowds’ -Hasina was defended by a state-appointed lawyer, but said she would only recognise an “impartial” process, such as one at the International Criminal Court (ICC). “The charge that I personally directed security forces to open fire on crowds is bogus,” she said, although she admitted that “some mistakes were certainly made within the chain of command”.”But on the whole, the decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life.”The prosecution, who insist the trial was fair, have played audio tapes verified by police that suggested Hasina directly ordered her security forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters.Hasina claimed the recordings had been “taken out of context”.She also pointed to a crackdown on her loyalists since her fall, including when security forces in February launched “Operation Devil Hunt”, arresting thousands accused of trying to “destabilise” the country.At the same time, she gave no information on the fate of the hundreds, if not thousands, of missing victims reported to have vanished into secret detention centres during her rule.Earlier this month, lawyers for the Awami League requested that the ICC investigate reported “retaliatory violence”.This includes allegations of “beatings and lynchings” which have “no realistic prospect” of being prosecuted in Bangladesh, senior British barrister Steven Powles KC said in a statement.As for the future, when asked by AFP if she plans a return to politics, Hasina replied: “My priority is the welfare and stability of Bangladesh.”

Parties approved to participate in Myanmar’s junta-organised elections started campaigning on Tuesday, two months ahead of a poll being shunned at home and abroad as a ploy to legitimise military rule.Myanmar has been consumed by civil war since the military snatched power in a 2021 coup, deposing and jailing democratic figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi after her party won the last election by wide margins.The junta has lost swathes of the country to pro-democracy guerrillas and powerful ethnic-minority armed factions, but has touted elections as a path to reconciliation.Rebels have pledged to boycott the vote in huge enclaves they control, while human rights groups and a UN expert have denounced the poll’s restrictive conditions in junta-held zones.”This election means nothing to me,” said one 60-year-old man in Sittwe city, the capital of western Rakhine state. “It is not a genuine election and I see no one supporting it.””People are struggling with their own problems,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity for security concerns in a region where fighting has triggered a humanitarian crisis.”I see more and more beggars in town as people are starving. People have no jobs and so the election seems like a distant prospect. They have no time to be interested in it.”There will be 57 parties on the ballot when polls take place in phases beginning on December 28.State media said on Tuesday that the second round was set for January 11, but subsequent rounds and a result date have not been announced.Suu Kyi’s vastly popular National League for Democracy — which won 82 percent of elected seats in the last poll in 2020 — will not run because the junta dissolved the party after jailing her and making unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud.The gate was locked at the deserted party headquarters in Yangon on Tuesday, an AFP journalist said.- ‘Just want to go home’ -The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) began its campaign by unveiling election billboards in the capital Naypyidaw, where voting will be held in most constituencies in the first phase of the election.Several thousand USDP members and supporters attended a kick-off event in the city, including candidates Mya Tun Oo and Tin Aung San, both former generals and current ministers under US sanctions.Campaigning is expected to be generally low-key with high security amid the civil war.”It is unlikely I will go for voting and I have no idea if I am on the voter list,” said one civilian displaced by fighting to the central city of Mandalay, speaking anonymously for security reasons.”We are not very interested,” he added. “We just want to go home.”In Yangon, about 300 supporters of the pro-military party, dressed in green and white, gathered at its office, an AFP journalist saw.Red and green party flags lined the street, with around a dozen armed soldiers and police patrolling the area.Khin Maung Soe, Yangon regional chairman of the USDP, said his party planned to campaign in townships the Union Election Commission had designated and where security could be ensured, like Yangon.”There won’t be any parading on the street,” he said.The junta has conceded elections will not take place in one in seven national parliament constituencies, many of them active war zones, while martial law remains in place in one in five townships.The military government has introduced laws punishing those who protest against the election with up to a decade in prison, and new cybercrime laws police the internet for communications that “disrupt unity”.Diplomatic sources told AFP on Monday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not send election observers to Myanmar.Numerous rights groups lobbied the 11-nation bloc to hold back monitors, lest they lend legitimacy to a vote which they say will be neither free nor fair.

Defending champions Australia surged unbeaten into the Women’s World Cup semi-finals and are clear favourites to defeat hosts India in front of an expected sell-out crowd.Seven-time champions Australia won six of their seven league matches to underline why they are the team to beat in the 50-over tournament, the other game being a washout.India and Australia clash at the 45,000-capacity DY Patil Stadium on the outskirts of Mumbai on Thursday after the first semi-final between England and South Africa in Guwahati on Wednesday.India will have the crowd firmly on their side and the country of 1.4 billion is desperate to win a first women’s World Cup crown in its favourite sport.”You’re not just playing the XI on the field, you’re playing their whole nation, and the whole stadium is going to be a sea of blue,” Australia leg-spinner Alana King said.”But I think the biggest thing is just embrace it. We know not everything’s going to be on our side that night, but if we just stick together and stick to our processes and try to execute our plans that we’ve got with bat and ball, it’s going to put us in a better position.”Australia suffered a few scares in the first stage, including when Pakistan reduced them to 76-7 in a match they eventually won convincingly by 107 runs.India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, also tested Australia by posting 330 but the title-holders overhauled the total with three wickets and one over to spare.Australia are sweating on the return of skipper Alyssa Healy, who missed the last two league matches with a calf injury after scoring 294 runs including two centuries in four innings.In their previous victory, over South Africa, Australia were clinical with King starring with best-ever World Cup bowling figures of 7-18.- Australia beatable -In contrast, India had a patchy run in the league phase, where they lost three successive matches before clinching the last semi-final spot.Opener Smriti Mandhana is in top form and leads the tournament batting with 365 runs including one ton in seven matches.But the home team suffered a blow when another in-form opener, Pratika Rawal, went out injured in their last league match and has been replaced by Shafali Verma for the semi-final.India have twice been runners-up, in 2005 and 2017 — when they beat Australia in the semi-finals before losing to England.Since that semi-final defeat to India, Australia have been on a roll with 15 ODI World Cup wins in a row.Former India captain Mithali Raj said the current team can halt the Australian juggernaut. “I think now there is this thought that it’s a possibility to beat this Australian side despite all the strengths that they boast,” Raj told ESPNcricinfo.- Hot and cold -England, the most successful team historically behind Australia, take on perennial underdogs South Africa.Led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, England’s only defeat so far at this edition of the tournament was to Ashes rivals Australia.They are favourites against a South Africa team that was bundled out for 97 before Australia raced to their target in 16.5 overs in the league stage.Opener Laura Wolvaardt has led the Proteas with 301 runs and will be key to giving them a strong start in the knockout match.The South Africans have run hot and cold in the eight-nation tournament, including notching up a total of 312-9 in 40 overs in a big win over Pakistan.The final is on Sunday.

Thousands of devotees waded into the foul waters of the Yamuna river in the Indian capital Monday for a Hindu festival, amid political wrangling over the sacred but severely polluted waterway.At dusk, worshippers stood waist-deep in the river’s brown waters to offer prayers to the sun god Surya as the setting orb sank into the haze blanketing New Delhi’s skyline, marking the annual Chhath festival.Unlike previous years, the scene was free of the thick layers of white foam that have long symbolised the Yamuna’s toxic condition.”At least this time it feels like a river, even if dirty,” said 35-year-old homemaker Kanchan Devi.”Earlier it was like going into a filthy drain.”The Yamuna river, a major tributary of the Ganges, continues to suffer from severe pollution despite repeated clean-up pledges.At one location in south Delhi in 2021, faecal bacteria levels exceeded safe health limits by 8,800 times.The river’s dismal condition was a key issue in Delhi elections earlier this year that saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power in the sprawling megacity of more than 30 million people.One of the Hindu nationalist party’s main campaign promises was to clean the river.Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said Monday that becuase of her government’s efforts, “after many years, our brothers and sisters will be able to worship the sun on the banks of the Yamuna.” – ‘Cosmetic’ -“This water is now in such a condition that aquatic creatures can live very well in it, whereas earlier, even a mosquito could not thrive in this water,” Gupta told reporters.But opposition leaders have called the clean-up “cosmetic”, alleging that chemicals had been used to mask the froth without addressing the fundamental causes of the pollution: untreated sewage and industrial effluents.Laboratory analysis conducted earlier this month indicated that the faecal count in the river had reduced since last year but remained far from safe at most sites.”All said and done, it is certainly better than before,” said Sanjay Paswan, a carpenter.”I have been coming here for a decade. The difference is clear.”Delhi’s pollution crisis extends beyond its rivers.The capital is routinely blanketed by toxic smog each winter, a deadly combination of emissions from crop burning, factories and traffic.Despite years of government initiatives, little progress has been made, and the pollution is blamed for thousands of premature deaths annually.Earlier this month, air quality worsened sharply, following widespread use of fireworks during the Hindu festival of Diwali.Although bans have been imposed in previous years, enforcement has been weak due to the deep religious significance of fireworks for many devotees.This year, the Supreme Court eased restrictions, allowing the use of so-called “green” firecrackers that are designed to emit fewer particulate pollutants.At the Chhath festivities too, firecrackers lit up the sky, leaving the air acrid with the smell of burnt sulphur.Revellers, though, said they were not concerned.”At least the water is clean and so is the riverbank,” said daily wage labourer Sanjay Prasad.

Optimism grew Monday that Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping will end their bruising trade war during talks this week, as the US president touched down in Tokyo on the latest leg of an Asian tour.Trump said en route to close US ally Japan that he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Xi on Thursday, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to I think… come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, adding that he aimed to go to China “in the earlier part” of 2026.The optimism boosted stock markets, with Japan’s Nikkei surpassing 50,000 points for the first time.As dozens of people gathered at Haneda Airport to take photos, the presidential plane — also bearing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — landed at sunset.Sporting a golden tie, Trump boarded a helicopter to take him into the bright lights of the Japanese metropolis in time for an evening audience with the emperor.”A great man,” Trump said afterwards.On Tuesday, Trump was expected to meet new conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and make a speech on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, docked at the US naval base Yokosuka.”I hear phenomenal things. (Takaichi) was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend,” Trump said, referring to the assassinated former premier.- ‘Framework consensus’ -Trump’s Asia trip, his first tour of the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.He also moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but not with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, ruling out a meeting any time soon.”Canada has been ripping us off for a long time and they’re not going to rip us off any more,” Trump said.The greatest prize for Trump — and for global markets — remains a China deal.Trump is due to meet Xi on Thursday in South Korea for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to the White House.Before Trump’s arrival in Malaysia, Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed.”The two sides… reached a framework consensus on reciprocal solutions to current pressing economic and trade issues,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, according to a state media readout of his Monday call with Rubio.Earlier on Air Force One, Bessent said they had “a framework for President Trump (and) President Xi to decide”.- ‘Hot’ trucks -On Friday, Takaichi announced in her first policy speech that Japan would be spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this fiscal year.But Washington, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened.However, Trump also wants Japan to import more American products like rice, soybeans and cars, including “hot” Ford F-150 pickup trucks.Questions also surround Japan’s commitment to invest $550 billion in the United States, as specified in their July trade deal.”What I expect is that, since he (Trump) is someone who acts decisively, things might move in a positive direction for Japan,” said Tokyo resident Sayaka Kamimoto, 45.- Kim meeting? -Trump is due in South Korea on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet President Lee Jae Myung.Trump has also fuelled speculation that he could hold face-to-face talks with North Korea’s Kim while on the Korean peninsula.The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.”I would love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me,” Trump said on Air Force One.Asked if he would extend his trip to enable a meeting, he said: “Well, I hadn’t thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would, I would do that, sure.”

Donald Trump headed to Japan on Monday, the next leg of an Asia tour that could see the US president and China’s Xi Jinping end the bruising trade war between the world’s largest economies.Speaking on Air Force One, Trump said he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Xi on Thursday in South Korea, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip in order to meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.”I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to I think… come away with a deal,” he told reporters en route from Malaysia, where comments from US and Chinese trade negotiators raised hopes of an accord.Trump was due in Tokyo in time for an evening audience with Japan’s emperor. Dozens of people gathered at Haneda Airport hoping to take photos of Air Force One. On Tuesday, Trump is expected to meet new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and make a speech on the USS George Washington.”I hear phenomenal things. (Takaichi) was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend,” Trump said, referring to the assassinated former Japanese premier.”That really helps Japan and the United States, I think she’s going to be great.”Takaichi said she told Trump ahead of their meeting that strengthening the Japan-US alliance was her administration’s “top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.On Friday, she announced in her first policy speech that Japan would be spending two percent of gross domestic product on defence this fiscal year.But Washington, which has some 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend even more, potentially matching the five percent of GDP pledged by NATO members in June.Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 percent, less painful than the 25 percent first threatened.But Trump also wants Japan to import more American products, including rice and cars, particularly “very beautiful” Ford F-150 pickup trucks.Questions also surround Japan’s commitment in their July trade deal to invest $550 billion in the United States. Japan says only 1-2 percent of this will be actual investments.- ‘Going to be great ‘ -Trump’s Asia trip, his first tour of the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements.That included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.He also agreed a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.”I’m convinced that in a few days we’ll have a definitive solution…. so that life can continue well and happily,” Lula told reporters afterwards.The greatest prize for Trump remains a China deal.He is due to meet Xi on Thursday for their first face-to-face talks since the 79-year-old Republican’s return to the White House.Before Trump’s arrival in Malaysia, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.China’s vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.”It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.- ‘Would love’ to meet Kim -Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi on Thursday can halt the trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing’s rare earth curbs.Trump has also fuelled speculation that he could meet North Korea’s Kim while on the Korean peninsula.The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.”I would love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me,” Trump said on Air Force One.Asked if he would extend his trip to enable a meeting, he said: “Well, I hadn’t thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would, I would do that, sure.”

US President Donald Trump headed to Japan on Monday, the second leg of an Asia tour, in advance of a meeting with China’s Xi Jinping aiming to end the bruising trade war between the world’s largest economies.Washington and Beijing sounded hopeful notes at the weekend over the chances of sealing a deal, which helped on Monday to push Japan’s Nikkei above 50,000 points for the first time.Trump is expected to land in Tokyo in time for an evening appointment with the Emperor of Japan, before a meeting on Tuesday with the nation’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump had close ties.Takaichi said she told Trump ahead of the meeting that strengthening the Japan-US alliance was her administration’s “top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are “ripping off the United States”.- ‘Going to be great ‘ -The trip, Trump’s first in the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements.That included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.He also agreed was a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moves to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after months of bad blood.”I think we’ll be able to do some pretty good deals,” Trump told the leftist leader.Trump squeezed in a meeting with Qatar’s leaders during a refuelling stop on the way to Malaysia, where they discussed the fragile truce in Gaza.It was Trump’s first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted by two Malaysian F-18 jets, before a red carpet welcome where he gave his trademark arm-waving dance.The greatest prize for Trump remains a China deal.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.China’s vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.”It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.- ‘Open’ to meet -The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since returning to office.Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi on Thursday can halt the trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing’s rare earth curbs.Trump has also added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was “open to it”.The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.South Korea’s reunification minister has said there is a “considerable” chance that Trump and Kim will meet.Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.burs-pjm/jm

Passengers of the first direct flight between India and China in five years touched down on Monday, after Asia’s giants lifted a long-term air travel suspension as they cautiously rebuild relations.IndiGo flight 6E1703 from Kolkata touched down in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou shortly before 4:00 am (2000 GMT), officially resuming nonstop air links that had been suspended since 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequent geopolitical tensions.The neighbours and world’s two most populous nations remain strategic rivals competing for regional influence, but ties have eased gradually since a deadly Himalayan border clash in 2020.India’s government said the resumption of flights will boost “people-to-people contact” and aid the “gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges”.Passengers aboard the first flight — among them many Indians in search of cross-border business opportunities — told AFP in the Guangzhou airport about the convenience of the resumed links.”It was such a smooth and easy, lovable trip,” said Rashika Mintri, a 44-year-old interior designer from Kolkata.”I could come again and again,” she said.Warming relations with Beijing come as India’s ties with key trade partner Washington falter, following US President Donald Trump’s order imposing punishing 50 percent tariffs.Trump’s aides have accused India of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying Moscow’s oil.There are already regular flights between India and Hong Kong, while additional services from the capital New Delhi to Shanghai and Guangzhou will begin in November.Abhijit Mukherjee, the captain of the flight that arrived Monday in Guangzhou, told AFP that without the new nonstop, passengers would need to travel through other airports, such as in Bangkok or Singapore.”It adds up,” the 55-year-old pilot said of the transfers.But the direct flight he had just completed was “very smooth” he said, holding a bouquet of flowers presented to him upon arrival.India’s eastern port city of Kolkata has centuries-old ties with China dating back to British rule, when Chinese migrants arrived as traders. Indo-Chinese fusion food remains a beloved staple of the city’s culinary identity.”It’s great news for people like us, who have relatives in China,” said Chen Khoi Kui, a civil society leader in Kolkata’s Chinatown district of Tangra. “Air connectivity will boost trade, tourism and business travel.”- ‘First step’ -India runs a significant trade deficit with Beijing, relying heavily on Chinese raw materials for industrial and export growth.The thaw between New Delhi and Beijing followed meetings between their leaders in Russia last year and in China in August.The resumption of direct flights is a “first step” in repairing ties, said passenger Athar Ali, a 33-year-old businessman from India, as he waited to check in for IndiGo’s Monday flight returning the aircraft to Kolkata.A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the check-in counter, where a long queue had formed for the first direct flight from mainland China to India since 2020.Nonstop services between the two countries were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, halting roughly 500 monthly services.Relations then plummeted after the 2020 border skirmish between the nuclear-armed nations, when at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.New Delhi responded by tightening restrictions on Chinese investments and banning hundreds of apps, including TikTok.India then deepened ties with the US-led Quad alliance — also including Japan and Australia — aimed at countering China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific.Both sides have troops posted along their contested 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude frontier.But this month, soldiers on each side exchanged gifts of sweets on the Hindu festival of Diwali, “marking a gesture of goodwill”, said Yu Jing, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India.The Indian Express, in an editorial after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met in August, said improving ties with Beijing “sends an appropriate signal” to Washington.But relations still have far to go.”Managing an increasingly assertive China remains India’s long-term challenge,” the newspaper added.

US President Donald Trump heads to Japan on Monday for the second leg of an Asia tour expected to culminate in a meeting with China’s Xi Jinping.The trip, Trump’s first swing through the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements.That included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.He also inked a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moved to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after months of bad blood.”I think we’ll be able to do some pretty good deals,” Trump told the leftist leader.Before arriving in Southeast Asia, Trump had already squeezed in a meeting with Qatar’s leaders during a refuelling stop, where they discussed the fragile truce in Gaza.It was Trump’s first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted on its final approach by two Malaysian F-18 jets, before a red carpet welcome with a sea of Malaysian and US flags.A beaming Trump responded to cultural performers with his trademark arm-waving dance.But the greatest prize for Trump remains a China deal.- ‘Going to be great’ -US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.China’s vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.”It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.Before that, however, Trump will head to Tokyo on Monday morning, landing in time for an evening appointment with the emperor of Japan, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with the new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump had close ties.Takaichi said she told Trump ahead of the meeting that “strengthening the Japan-US alliance is my administration’s top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are “ripping off the United States”.- ‘Open’ to meet -The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since returning to office.Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi on Thursday can halt the trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing’s rare earth curbs.Trump has also added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was “open to it”.The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.South Korea’s reunification minister has said there is a “considerable” chance that Trump and Kim will meet.Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.burs-pjm/jhe/lb

India and China resumed direct flights on Sunday after a five-year suspension, a move important both for trade and a symbolic step as Asia’s giants cautiously rebuild relations.Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the flight, operated by India’s largest commercial airline IndiGo, took off from Kolkata’s Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in eastern India at 10:00 pm (1630 GMT) for Guangzhou in China.The neighbours — the world’s two most populous nations — remain strategic rivals competing for regional influence, but ties have eased gradually since a deadly Himalayan border clash in 2020.India’s government said the resumption of flights will boost “people-to-people contact” and aid the “gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges”.Warming relations with Beijing come as India’s ties with key trade partner Washington falter, following US President Donald Trump’s order imposing punishing 50 percent tariffs.Trump’s aides have accused India of fuelling Russia’s war in Ukraine by buying Moscow’s oil.There are already regular flights between India and Hong Kong, while additional services from the capital New Delhi to Shanghai and Guangzhou will begin in November.”The direct air link will reduce logistics and transit time,” said Rajeev Singh, head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, telling AFP it would benefit businesses.India’s eastern port city of Kolkata has centuries-old ties with China dating back to British rule, when Chinese migrants arrived as traders. Indo-Chinese fusion food remains a beloved staple of the city’s culinary identity.”It’s great news for people like us, who have relatives in China,” said Chen Khoi Kui, a civil society leader in Kolkata’s Chinatown district of Tangra. “Air connectivity will boost trade, tourism and business travel.”- ‘Long-term challenge’ -India runs a significant trade deficit with Beijing, relying heavily on Chinese raw materials for industrial and export growth.The thaw between New Delhi and Beijing followed meetings between their leaders in Russia last year and in China in August.India’s imports from China surged to more than $11 billion last month, up more than 16 percent compared with September 2024, according to New Delhi’s commerce ministry.Exports from India to China were $ 1.47  billion, modest by comparison, but up around 34 percent year-on-year.Direct flights between the two countries were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, halting roughly 500 monthly services.Relations then plummeted after the 2020 border skirmish between the nuclear-armed nations, when at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed.New Delhi responded by tightening restrictions on Chinese investments and banning hundreds of apps, including TikTok.India then deepened ties with the US-led Quad alliance — also including Japan and Australia — aimed at countering China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific.Both sides have troops posted along their contested 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude frontier.But this month, soldiers on each side exchanged gifts of sweets on the Hindu festival of Diwali, “marking a gesture of goodwill”, said Yu Jing, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India.The Indian Express, in an editorial after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping met in August, said improving ties with Beijing “sends an appropriate signal” to Washington.But relations still have far to go.”Managing an increasingly assertive China remains India’s long-term challenge,” the newspaper added. “These fundamental realities remain unchanged, regardless of Trump’s whimsical diplomatic actions.”