WASHINGTON - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United States for his first meeting on Monday with US President Donald Trump, seeking to build on growing ties and move beyond disagreements over climate change. Relations between the two nations warmed under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama as India sought greater foreign investment and trade ties with Western nations. Modi vowed to work closely with the Trump administration, but obstacles soon emerged on issues such as trade and visas for Indians wanting to work in the US. Then Trump accused India of seeking to profit from the Paris climate accord as he announced he was pulling out of the deal this month - drawing sharp denials from New Delhi. Officials were eager to downplay expectations of the visit, describing it as no frills - in contrast to Modi's first US visit in 2014, when he basked in a rock star welcome at the Madison Square Garden arena in New York and addressed the United Nations. Natural affinity If there's one thing we want (from the visit), it's chemistry, said one senior Indian official. If the chemistry is good then frankly everything else gets sorted. Some commentators have argued that Modi and Trump should have a natural affinity as political outsiders who have risen to power in part by castigating the traditional ruling elite on a nationalist platform. One US official said the two leaders had a lot in common. We are really seeking to roll out the red carpet, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Initial signs were positive, with the leaders exchanging warm words on Twitter. Important strategic issues to discuss with a true friend! Trump wrote late on Saturday. Thank you @POTUS for the warm personal welcome. Greatly look forward to my meeting and discussions with you @realDonaldTrump, Modi tweeted in response. Modi on Sunday was to meet with top US business leaders - including the heads of Apple, Microsoft and Google - ahead of his meeting the following day with Trump. Trump's protectionist instincts, however, are at odds with India's efforts to boost exports and encourage Western manufacturers to Make In India - a flagship Modi scheme. The Indian leader castigated rising parochial and protectionist attitudes in a speech delivered shortly after Trump took office. A proposed overhaul of H-1B visas - used by thousands of Indian software engineers to work in the US - has also caused concern in New Delhi. Agence France-presse (China Daily 06/26/2017 page12) wide rubber bandstrio spinnersthe wristband factoryfabric wristbands202mm to inches
About 900 foreign students and teachers of Chinese origin visited the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Wednesday. About 900 foreign students and teachers of Chinese origin visit the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre on Wednesday. [Photo by Cang Wei/chinadaily.com.cn] The students, who come from 16 countries and regions, read historical material on the hall's walls, viewed the mass grave and presented flowers in memory of the victims. Zheng Tingting, a young woman from Madrid, said she was astonished when she visited the massacre memorial hall. I knew nothing about the Nanjing Massacre when I was in Spain, she said. I think it's quite meaningful to know the facts about the massacre. The students and teachers will go to 11 cities in East China's Jiangsu province in the next seven days to visit places of interest and learn about local culture. They are attending a summer camp organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the cultural department of Jiangsu province and the provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. Xu Jinrong, vice chairman of the provincial Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that he hopes the students and teachers will learn more about Chinese culture after attending the summer camp and share that information with their friends when they go back home.
