International Relations
Bilateral ties, multilateral forums, treaties and India's foreign policy
China moves to block entrance to disputed South China Sea shoal, images show
China deployed a 352-meter (approximately 1,150-foot) floating barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on April 10–11, 2026, acco...
Indian official team to visit Washington next week for trade talks
An Indian negotiating delegation is travelling to Washington for three-day trade talks from April 20-22, 2026, to resume discussions on an interim bilateral ...
India-UK trade agreement may come into force next month: Commerce Secy
India's Commerce Secretary confirmed that the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is expected to come into operation "sometime in May"...
India’s trade deficit narrows to $20.67 billion in March on West Asia risks
India's merchandise trade deficit narrowed to $20.67 billion in March 2026, compared to $27.1 billion in March 2025 — a significant contraction, but for reas...
Crude unlikely to return to pre-war levels soon; India's import bill may rise $70bn annually: Report
Brokerage Prabhudas Lilladher estimates India's annual oil import bill could surge by more than $70 billion due to persistently elevated crude prices stemmin...
Geopolitical tensions cripple India-Middle East trade in March
India's exports to Middle East fell over 50% in March 2026, with gems and jewellery exports to UAE down approximately 80%, following the temporary closure of...
India’s exports drop 7.44 pc to USD 38.92 billion in Mar amid disruptions due to West Asia crisis
India's merchandise exports contracted 7.44% year-on-year to USD 38.92 billion in March 2026, down from USD 42.05 billion in March 2025, as the West Asia con...
India achieves record exports of USD 860 billion in 2025-26: Piyush Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced that India achieved a record $860 billion in total exports (merchandise + services) in FY 2025-26, surp...
China surpasses US as India's largest trading partner in FY26; trade gap swells to USD 112.16 bn
China has surpassed the United States to become India's largest trading partner in FY2025-26, with bilateral trade reaching USD 151.1 billion for the full fi...
India unveils a power-packed FTA calendar: UK, Oman, New Zealand deals next
India is set to operationalise multiple major free trade agreements in 2026, marking one of the most active periods in the country's trade diplomacy history....
Implementation of Section 51A of UAPA, 1967: Updates to UNSC’s 1988 (2011) Taliban Sanctions List: Amendment of 04 Entries
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification (RBI/2026-27/12) on April 15, 2026, directing all regulated financial entities to implement amendments ...
Aatmanirbhar 2.0 in works to cushion India against supply chain, energy Pain
The government is working on a second phase of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative — informally called Aatmanirbhar 2.0 — specifically de...
Trump’s tariff rates could be restored by July, says US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the tariff rates introduced by the Trump administration could be restored to their earlier levels by early Ju...
China terms U.S. blockade of Strait of Hormuz 'dangerous and irresponsible' move
China's foreign ministry termed a potential US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz a "dangerous and irresponsible" move, signalling Beijing's opposition t...
India to host Foreign Minister-level meetings of BRICS and Quad in May
India will host Foreign Minister-level meetings of both BRICS and the Quad in May 2026, an unprecedented diplomatic double in a single month The BRICS Foreig...
GE Aerospace, HAL near final deal on co-production of F414 jet engines
GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) concluded technical negotiations for the co-production of the F414-GE-INS6 fighter jet engine in India, ...
Rajnath Singh to visit Germany from April 21; submarine deal likely high on the agenda
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Germany from April 21, 2026, with the Project-75I submarine deal expected to be the centrepiece of discu...
Lebanese and Israeli envoys to meet as Israel presses war on Hezbollah
Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors held direct talks in Washington D.C. on April 14, 2026 — the first direct bilateral diplomatic engagement between the two co...
Trump updates Modi on West Asia, focus on securing Hormuz; US envoy says incredible India-US deals in offing
US President Donald Trump telephoned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief him on developments in West Asia, including the fragile ceasefire with Iran...
Trump dials PM Modi for 40-minute call; PM says ‘stressed importance of keeping Hormuz open’
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump held a 40-minute phone call during which PM Modi stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and ...