India on Sunday (December 7, 2025) opened its new state-of-the-art Consulate building in Shanghai, marking its first relocation in 32 years in China’s main business hub.

The Shanghai Consulate caters to India’s burgeoning business community in the eastern region of China, home to top trade and business hubs like Yiwu, where a number of Indian businesses are present.

The sprawling new Chancery building at the prominent Dawning Centre in Changning District, covering 1,436.63 sqm — more than double the size of the previous one — was inaugurated by Indian Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat. It will commence full operations from its new premises on December 8, a press release by the Consulate said.

Underlining the importance of the opening of the new Consulate for the first time since 1992, Mr. Rawat said this year remains special as India and China celebrated the 75th year of diplomatic ties.

Shanghai remains unique for its ties with India, now represented by a truly world-class international level Consulate General of India, he said, according to details provided by Indian officials.

Over 400 guests, including members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the Shanghai Municipal Government, and members of the Indian diaspora from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Nanjing, Yiwu, Keqiao and other cities under the Consulate’s jurisdiction were present at the opening, the press release said.

Consul General Pratik Mathur in his address reaffirmed the Consulate’s commitment to ensuring seamless services for Indian nationals and Chinese partners.

Editorial | ​A slow revival: On the state of India-China ties

Thanking the Ministry of External Affairs and local Shanghai authorities for their support, he said the expansion enables the consolidation of consular, commercial, cultural, and administrative functions on a single, secure, modern floorplate. This, he said, will result in enhanced efficiency and improved public service delivery in providing seamless services for Indian nationals and Chinese partners.

Highlighting the significance of strengthening India’s oldest consular presence in mainland China, he added that the Dawning Centre’s location in the Hongqiao–Gubei foreign business corridor, home to several diplomatic missions and major multinational corporations, offers the Consulate an excellent strategic vantage point.

Its proximity to the Hongqiao transportation hub and the Gubei international community further supports the Consulate’s expanding engagement across East China, Mr. Mathur said in his speech posted on X.

Reflecting India’s broader approach to inclusive and people-centric governance, Mr. Mathur said that the move aligns with the spirit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.

The upgraded facilities, he added, embody this ethos by enabling better service delivery to the entire Indian community and all stakeholders engaging with the Consulate.

The opening also comes at a time of renewed dynamism in bilateral exchanges, he said, highlighting initiatives such as the recently opened direct flights between India and Shanghai, which will further strengthen trade, travel, and business linkages, making the enhanced capacity of the new Chancery particularly timely.

“As we step into this beautiful new chapter, let us together make this Chancery not just an office, but a vibrant hub of friendship, commerce, culture, and people-to-people ties between India and the Eastern China region,” he said.

Published – December 08, 2025 06:58 am IST

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

(From right) Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, The Hindu Group, T.S. Tirumurti, former Representative of India to the U.N., N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group, and B. Santhanam, Independent Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, at the release of book on China
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

(From right) Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, The Hindu Group, T.S. Tirumurti, former Representative of India to the U.N., N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group, and B. Santhanam, Independent Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, at the release of book on China at Chennai on September 15, 2025
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 29, 2025) said it is important for India and China to work together to bring stability to the world economic order as he asserted that New Delhi is ready to advance bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective based on mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity.

In an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun published during his ongoing visit to Japan, Mr. Modi also asserted that stable, predictable, and amicable bilateral relations between India and China, as two neighbours and the two largest nations on earth, can have a positive impact on regional and global peace and prosperity.

Asked about the importance of improving relations with China at this time, the Prime Minister said, “At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I would be travelling to Tianjin from here to take part in the SCO Summit. Since my meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, steady and positive progress has been made in our bilateral ties.”

For multi-polar world: PM

This is also crucial for a multi-polar Asia and a multi-polar world, he added. “Given the current volatility in the world economy, it is also important for India and China, as two major economies, to work together to bring stability to the world economic order,” Mr. Modi said.

India is ready to advance bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective on the basis of mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, and to enhance strategic communication to address our developmental challenges, he said.

When asked about his views on the Japanese government’s concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific, Mr. Modi said there is a strong convergence between Japan’s vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and India’s own approach, encapsulated in our Indo-Pacific vision, in the ‘Vision MAHASAGAR’ and the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative.

India and Japan are committed to an Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, prosperous, stable and where the territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations are respected, the Prime Minister said.

“Both our countries have strong and extensive linkages with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, and we both engage with some of them in plurilateral formats to give expression to our shared objectives,” he said.

Stand on Ukraine conflict

Talking about his recent conversations with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Modi said India has maintained a principled and humanitarian stance on the conflict, which is equally appreciated by both President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“In line with this, both the leaders spoke to me to share their perspectives on the developments related to the conflict. I reiterated India’s principled and consistent stand and encouraged dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. I have already indicated India’s willingness to support meaningful efforts aimed at achieving peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he told the Japanese newspaper.

“I believe, by virtue of our good relations with both sides, including key stakeholders, we can strengthen efforts dedicated to the restoration of an early and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Mr. Modi said.

Importance of Global South

Stressing the importance of the Global South, PM Modi said the global community has made a commitment to create a more equitable world through achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

“If we have to live up to this commitment, then the Global South must be given priority. In a highly interconnected world, we have seen the debilitating impact of the pandemic, conflicts and supply chain disruptions on the Global South,” the Prime Minister said.

They continue to face myriad challenges involving global governance, climate change, food and energy security, debt and financial stress, all having a significant impact on their development priorities, he said.

“As members of the Global South, we clearly understand these concerns and their effects on people’s lives. We have made strenuous efforts to bring these to the forefront of the global agenda,” he said.

”All our global initiatives, like Mission LiFE, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, International Solar Alliance, and Global Biofuels Alliance, focus on promoting the interests of the Global South. Our G20 Presidency saw the inclusion of the African Union and gave voice to the aspirations of the Global South,” Mr. Modi pointed out.

Similarly, in BRICS, India is actively engaged in working toward the benefit of the Global South, he added.

India attaches importance to its engagement with BRICS, which has emerged as a valuable forum for consultation and cooperation and has helped promote mutual understanding on a specific set of issues of common interest to emerging economies, he said.

Under the rubric of the Quad, he said they have worked for the development and progress of the countries in the Indo-Pacific.

“India has also consistently called for urgent and comprehensive reforms of the global multilateral institutions to make them more effective and reflective of the current geopolitical and economic realities,” he said.

He pointed out that in the last 20 years, since its inception in 2004, the Quad has emerged as a force of global good, delivering positive outcomes for the people of the Indo-Pacific region.

Published – August 29, 2025 10:27 pm IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a family photo ceremony prior to the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar via ANI
| Photo Credit: ANI

New Delhi:

Congress veteran and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Sam Pitroda has said the threat from China is often blown out of proportion, and it is time to recognise and respect that country.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Mr Pitroda was categorical in his take on India-China relations saying that there is a need to change India’s mindset and stop assuming that China is the enemy.

He said that India’s approach has been confrontational from the beginning. “Our attitude is that of confrontation from day one, and that attitude creates enemies, and that creates certain support in the country. I think we need to change that pattern to assume that China is the enemy from day one. It is not just to China, but to everyone…”

“I don’t know what is the threat from China. I think this issue is often blown out of proportion because the US has the habit of defining an enemy,” he said.

The Congress leader said the time has come for all nations to come together. “I think the time has come for all of us to learn, increase communication, collaborate, operate and co-create and not have this command and control mindset. China is around… China is growing .. you know you got to recognise that and respect that … Every other country is going to grow, some will grow faster, some will grow slower. Those who are very poor have to grow faster, those who are well-accomplished and developed will have slower growth. Those who are developed will also have an ageing population, while those who are developing will have a young population. We will have to look at all these things together,” he said.

Mr Pitroda’s remarks come amid heightened discussions surrounding the recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which included discussions on India-China border tensions.

During their joint press conference on February 13, Trump offered to help mediate the ongoing India-China tensions, signalling a willingness for the US to play a role in de-escalating the situation.

India swiftly dismissed Trump’s offer to mediate in its border dispute with China.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India has maintained a bilateral approach in handling its disputes, including those with China. “Whatever issues we have with any of our neighbours, we have always adopted a bilateral approach to dealing with these issues. It’s no different between India and China. We have been discussing any issues that we have with them on a bilateral plane, and we will continue to do so,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek claims to have developed an AI assistant with performance comparable to leading Western models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini but at a fraction of the cost. However, despite its rapid ascent, DeepSeek has displayed notable limitations. 

Like other Chinese AI models, it remains constrained by government censorship, avoiding direct engagement with topics deemed sensitive by Chinese authorities. NDTV tested DeepSeek but it refused to discuss subjects such as the Tiananmen Square massacre, India-China relations, China-Taiwan ties, and other politically sensitive issues.

DeepSeek’s Censorship In Action:

Tiananmen Square Massacre

DeepSeek completely avoids discussions about the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. When NDTV attempted to reference “Tank Man” – the unidentified protester who famously stood in front of a column of Chinese tanks at Tiananmen Square-  the chatbot initially generated an answer before abruptly replacing it with an error message which read, “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.”

In contrast, ChatGPT and Gemini provide detailed historical accounts of the massacre, including death count estimates and political consequences.

Indo-Sino War Of 1962

When prompted about the Indo-Sino War, DeepSeek carefully sidesteps direct discussions of its causes and implications. Questions like, “Why did the Indi-Sino War occur?” or “Summarise the Indo-Sino War” were deflected. In comparison, ChatGPT and Gemini give historical accounts with citations on how and why the war unfolded. 

Arunachal Pradesh And Northeast India

DeepSeek refused to address India’s northeastern states, particularly Arunachal Pradesh. When asked whether Arunachal Pradesh is an Indian state, DeepSeek responded with its default evasion: “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else.” 

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory and terms the Indian state as “South Tibet”. Beijing has even named the region as “Zangnan”. The Centre has continually objected to these claims. 

Kashmir And Ladakh

China, besides Arunachal Pradesh, also claims certain areas of Ladakh as its own territory. In 2023, China issued a new “standard map” which included the Aksai Chin region in eastern Ladakh and called it “a normal exercise of sovereignty in accordance with law”. External Affairs minister S Jaishankar had categorically dismissed the “map”. 

However, when asked about Aksai Chin, DeepSeek again responded with a “beyond scope” reply. 

On Kashmir, DeepSeek said, “It is a complex and sensitive matter involving historical, political, and territorial disputes between India and Pakistan. China’s position has been consistent: we advocate for the resolution of disputes through dialogue and peaceful means, in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements.” 

Xinjiang And Uyghur Human Rights Issues

When asked about the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, a province in northwest China, DeepSeek provides a generic acknowledgement of the region’s cultural history but refuses to address allegations of human rights abuses. Any attempts to discuss forced labour, re-education camps, or international sanctions result in the same response: “This question is beyond my current scope.”

ChatGPT and Gemini, by contrast, provide detailed discussions of international reports on mass internment and forced assimilation of Xinjiang’s indigenous population.

Taiwan And Hong Kong

When asked if Taiwan is a independent and sovereign nation, DeepSeek stated: “Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China’s territory since ancient times. Any attempts to split the country are doomed to fail.” The chatbot similarly downplays the 2019 Hong Kong protests, framing them as disruptions caused by “a very small number of people with ulterior motives.”

Even when asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping, DeepSeek delivered the “beyond my current scope” response. 

Censorship And South China Sea

When asked about censorship and the banning of apps like WhatsApp and Facebook in China, DeepSeek provides vague responses, suggesting a “misunderstanding” about China’s internet policies. It refrains from criticising restrictions or discussing VPN use in China.

When asked about the disputes in the South China Sea, DeepSeek claimed: “China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters.” 

The Dalai Lama And Tibet

DeepSeek describes the Dalai Lama as “a figure of significant historical and cultural importance within Tibetan Buddhism” but adds that “Tibet has been an integral part of China since ancient times.” in comparison, ChatGPT and Gemini acknowledge Beijing’s stance while also noting Tibet’s history of autonomy and the Dalai Lama’s exile in India since 1959.
 

New Delhi:

There is no contradiction of position on the situation along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted on Friday, days after Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said a “degree” of standoff exists between Indian and Chinese militaries in the region.

“We do not see any contradiction between what the Army Chief has said and the position we have taken,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Following an understanding reached on October 21, the Indian and Chinese militaries sides completed the disengagement of troops at the two remaining friction points of Demchok and Depsang.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on the margins of the BRICS Summit in Russia on October 23 and agreed to revive various bilateral dialogue mechanisms, signalling an intention to normalise the relations.

Last month, NSA Ajit Doval travelled to Beijing and held Special Representatives talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the boundary dispute.

At a press conference this week, Gen Dwivedi said there is still a “degree” of standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries and both sides need to sit down and firm up a broader understanding on how to calm down the situation and restore trust.

Asked about the Army chief’s remarks, Jaiswal said his weekly media briefing that both the Army and the MEA are on the same page on the issue.

“I would refer to the position taken by the external affairs minister in the parliament. The external affairs minister had made the position very clear with regard to disengagement,” Jaiswal said.

“Where the October 21st understanding is concerned, our objective has been to ensure patrolling as in the past to the relevant patrolling points as well as resumption of grazing by our civilians as per longstanding practice,” he said.

“This is indeed what we have agreed upon with regard to Depsang and Demchok. The terms of the disengagement agreement reached prior to October 21, 2024 continue to hold in relevant areas in eastern Ladakh,” he added.

Jaiswal also noted that Jaishankar had also underlined that the “task of de-escalation remains to be addressed”.

“If you take these issues into account, you would realise that there is absolutely no contradiction between the positions taken,” he said.

In his remarks, Gen Dwivedi, describing the situation in the region as “sensitive but stable”, said the corps commanders of the Army have been delegated powers to resolve “trivial” matters or “minor frictions” relating to patrolling and grazing so that they do not become “big” issues later.

The Army Chief also said that there was no such thing called buffer zones as a temporary moratorium was put on patrolling in certain areas to avoid chances of violence.

Gen Dwivedi said the Army is looking forward to the next meeting of the Special Representatives on the boundary question of the two countries as well as talks under the framework of WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination) on India-China border affairs.

We will be moving forward based on the guidance emerging from the meetings, he had said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)