On 24 June, India sent a “technical team” to Kabul to reopen the embassy for the first time after the Taliban takeover. It also sent humanitarian assistance after the earthquake which killed 1,000 people. The team and aid were sent in an Indian Air Force Ilyushin-76 aircraft.
The Indian embassy is the 15th mission to be opened in Kabul under the Taliban regime. Other countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, European Union, are already functioning. According to a statement by the MEA: “In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has reached Kabul today and has been deployed in our Embassy there,”
Sri Lanka: Prime Minister addresses parliament on economic crisis and visit by Indian delegation
On 22 June, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka addressed the parliament and called on all the parties to jointly work towards recovering the country from economic catastrophe. He also said that the country’s economic crisis was much more than the shortage of fuel, electricity, fertilizers, and food. He said: “Our economy has faced a complete collapse. That is the most serious issue before us today. These issues can only be resolved through the reviving of the Sri Lankan economy. In order to do this, we must first resolve the foreign reserves crisis faced by us.” On 23 June, an Indian delegation, including the Foreign Secretary of India, visited Sri Lanka and held discussions with the Prime Minister and President of Sri Lanka regarding the Indian assistance to Sri Lanka in reviving the economy. Sri Lanka is looking forward to USD 500 million as fuel aid from India.
The US: China’s Ministry of Commerce responds to ban on products from Xinjiang
On 21 June, the US Customs and Border Protection implemented the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and imposed a ban on products imported from China’s Xinjiang region. China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesperson accused the US of economic coercion for imposing the ban. The statement by the ministry spokesperson said: “The move will seriously damage the interests of Chinese and US consumers and enterprises, and will do no good for the stabilization of global industrial and supply chains, global inflation easing, or the promotion of global economic recovery.” The Ministry of Commerce further accused the US of practicing unilateralism, protectionism and bullying China in the name of human rights. The spokesperson also highlighted that the US behaviour violated the rules of the World Trade Organization and undermined the market principles.
About the authors
Akriti Sharma, Harini Madhusudan and Rashmi Ramesh are PhD Scholars in the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Avishka Ashok, Ashwin Dhanabalan, Abigail Miriam Fernandes, Apoorva Sudhakar, Padmashree Anandhan and Rishma Banerjee are Research Associates at NIAS.