Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

Interaction with Delegation from the Tsinghua University, Beijing

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted a delegation from Tsinghua University, Beijing, on 29 August 2018. The delegation was led by Prof. Yan, Xuetong, Dean of the Institute of International Relations, and comprised of Prof. Sun Xuefeng, Dr Li Li and Liu Zhuang. Dr Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, delivered the opening remarks and presided over the session. The interaction was attended by Amb. Satish Chandra, Lt Gen Ravi Sawhney, Amb. Prabhat P. Shukla, Amb. R. Rajagopalan, Lt Gen Gautam Banerjee, Amb. TCA Rangachari, Lt. Gen S L Narasimhan and many other think tank members.

September 10, 2018 Event Report

US Ambassador’s Visit to the Vivekananda International Foundation

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted His Excellency Kenneth Juster, the United States Ambassador to India, on 31 August 2018. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director VIF welcomed the Ambassador to the interaction that was attended by former diplomats, military officers and scholars. Coming as it did just a week before the US-India 2+2 Strategic Dialogue scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 6th September 2018, the conversation was about recent developments in India-US bilateral relations, the forthcoming 2+2 Dialogue and the road ahead.

September 07, 2018 Event Report

Interaction with Dr Ying Rong, on "Global and Regional Environment and India-China Relations"

The Vivekananda International Foundation hosted Dr Ying Rong, Vice President and Senior Research Fellow, China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), China, for an interaction on Sino-Indian relations. Dr Arvind Gupta delivered the opening remarks. Dr Ying Rong gave a comprehensive overview of the course of the Chinese Foreign Policy. He mentioned that the Xi Jinping’s speech at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up and the Boao Forum together form the blueprint of Xi Jinping’s thought on the Foreign Policy.

September 06, 2018 Event Report

Talk by Mr Jeremy England on ‘Humanitarian Perspectives on Global Security Trends - International Committee of the Red Cross’s (ICRC) View and its Approach in India’

Mr Jeremy England, Head of regional delegation of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) based in New Delhi, delivered a talk about ICRCs perspective about its functioning in India as well as worldwide humanitarian operations. The regional delegation of ICRC covers operation in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. Mr England gave an insight about ICRC which is associated with India since 100 plus years.

September 05, 2018 Event Report

Release of the ‘Policy Recommendations by Quadripartite Commission on the Indian Ocean Regional Security’

Recognising that stability and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is extremely important for peace, prosperity and sustainable development of the international society, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) Japan, SPF USA, National Security College (NSC) Australia and Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) India had together formed the Quadripartite Commission on the Indian Ocean Security. Consequently, international conferences were convened in February 2017 and 2018 at New Delhi and Tokyo respectively. This was preceded by a seminar in Washington DC in April 2016.

August 29, 2018 Event Report

‘China’s Future’, by David Shambaugh, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2016, Pages: 203, Price: $ 19.95, ISBN: 978-15095-0714-6

Gunjan Singh

The path which China will pursue in the coming future is one of the most debated and discussed topic among the current academic and policy making circle. The direction which Chinese politics, society and economy adopt almost directly impacts a large number of countries. In the book China’s Future, David Shambaugh discusses a number of scenarios which may pan out depending on the path which the Chinese political system under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) adopts under Xi Jinping.

August 28, 2018 Books/Book Review

Maritime Transport has the Potential to Reinvigorate Indian Economy

Commodore Somen Banerjee

… maritime transport can play a major role not only in creating mass jobs but also in enhancing the technical thresholds … investment in port infrastructure and shipbuilding sectors can absorb unskilled labour in large numbers … its manifestations in ports, inland waterways, fisheries, shipping, tourism, naval power and related services can serve as a wellspring of technology and transform the entire ecosystem of India’s manufacturing capacity …

August 21, 2018 Issue Brief

Interaction with the Sichuan University Delegation

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) hosted a Chinese delegation from Sichuan University, Chengdu, on 07 August 2018. The delegation was led by Associate Prof. Zeng Xiangyu and comprised of Associate Prof. Liu Jiawei, Zhang Chunyan, Zou Zhengxin, Wang Tengfei and Liu Qian. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, delivered the opening remarks and presided over the session. He raised the structural issues in the bilateral relations and called for introspection from both the sides of the reasons leading to these challenges. Amb.

August 16, 2018 Event Report

Round Table on ‘Wuhan Informal Summit: Implications for India’

A Round Table Discussion on the Modi-Xi Jinping Informal Summit at Wuhan and its implications was organised at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director VIF, chaired the discussion. The Round Table was attended by Vice Adm K K Nayyar, Shri C D Sahay, Mr. Jayadev Ranade, Amb. Satish Chandra, Amb. TCA Rangachari, Amb. Rajiv Sikri, Amb. Anil Wadhwa, Dr. Arvind Virmani, Amb Asoke Mukerji, Prof. Sujit Dutta, Amb Gurjeet Singh, Vice Adm Anil Chopra, Lt Gen Gautam Banerjee, Brig Vinod Anand and Commodore Soman Banerjee.

August 08, 2018 Event Report

Delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the India-Indonesia Maritime Border

Asha Sundaramurthy

… the EEZ agreement with India and Indonesia, with the added context of Indonesia also delimiting its maritime boundaries with its neighbours Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Australia sets a firm example of the importance of adhering to UNCLOS and international law in the region ...

August 07, 2018 Issue Brief