Smoke and mirrors in the trade war

        Highlights:

• As the countdown for the Buenos Aires conclave began, China seemed to offer an olive branch. President Xi called President Trump, apparently to break the cycle of animosity that had spilled over from the arena of trade to the geopolitical turf.
• Taiwan, the frictions in the South China Sea and China’s alleged internment of around 1 million Uyghur dissidents were grabbing headlines.

         Why trade war is escalating?

• Both US and China are largest trade partners of the world with bilateral trade exceeds about $500b per year.
• However, US is facing $375b trade deficit with China which is major reason for Trump to escalate trade war.
• US accuses China as currency manipulator, highly subsidizided export goods, intellectual property snatchers and so on.

         Way Forward:

• Both US and China need to sit and negotiate trade norms with proper rules. It is true that China is continuosly bend global norms to increase its stake.
• WTO need to be reinvented with proper code of conduct and strict implementation of rules like Anti dumping subsidies and protection of IPR.

India to expedite 3 projects to stop its share of Indus waters from flowing into Pakistan

Which are those projects?

The three projects include the Shahpur Kandi dam project, a second Sutlej-Beas link in Punjab and the Ujh Dam projecin Jammu and Kashmir.

About Indus Water Treaty:

• The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank to use the water available in the Indus System of Rivers located in India.
• The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and then President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.
• According to this agreement, control over the water flowing in three "eastern" rivers of India — the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej with the mean flow of 33 million acre-feet (MAF) — was given to India, while control over the water flowing in three "western" rivers of India — the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum with the mean flow of 80 MAF — was given to Pakistan.

Why these projects?

• Of the total 168 million acre-feet, India's share of water from the three allotted rivers is 33 million acre-feet, which constitutes nearly 20 per cent.
• India uses nearly 93-94 per cent of its share under the India uses nearly 93-94 per cent of its share under the Indus Waters Treaty. The rest of the water remains unutilised and to Pakistan.
• The Ujh dam is a proposed hydroelectricity and irrigation multipurpose project in the Kathua district of Jammu over the Ravi river with a capacity to generate 196 MW of electricity.

Andaman and Nicobar Tribes

        What are the original tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands?

• There are six original tribes in this archipelago of 572 islands spread over the Bay of Bengal from Land Fall Island in the north to the Great Nicobar Island in the south. Four of these — Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese are Negrito, dark-skinned ethnic groups who inhabit parts of south and southeast Asia.
• Survival International, a rights group for indigenous and uncontacted peoples, estimates Negrito tribes arrived in the Andamans from Africa up to 60,000 years
• ago. There are also two Mongoloid tribes — the Shompen and Nicobarese — who likely came from the Malay-Burma coast and have lived on Nicobar islands for thousands of years.

        Are they hostile to outsiders?

• The first modern settlement of outsiders was established in 1789 by Lt. Blair at Chatham Island, now part of Port Blair.
• The settlers faced hostility from the start. But locals with bows and spears were no match for modern British troops. When the Britishers arrived, there were more than 5,000 Great Andamanese. After the battle and “mainstreaming”, they number 44 today.
• The Jarawas, hostile till 1998, have been relatively success in maintaining their population but facing problem from outsiders.

        Way Forward:

           Government of India has to ensure that tribes shall not be exposed to outside world unless tribes wished so. Better to leave them alone is better option to maintain fine            line for greater good.