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Worrying cracks hiding behind MG Motor's own ‘house of Windsor'

Worrying cracks hiding behind MG Motor's own ‘house of Windsor'

Time of India5 days ago

Worrying cracks hiding behind MG Motor's own 'house of Windsor'
Synopsis
India's most successful EV is powering JSW MG's rise. But internal fragilities and external challenges threaten the fairytale.
By RAJIV GHOSH 8 Mins Read, Jun 16, 2025, 05:00 AM IST
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'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times' – reads the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The beginning of the famous 1859 novel perhaps best describes an automobile manufacturer in the country – Morris Garages India (now JSW MG Motor India). It is the best of times for the company, which has a vintage British lineage and a Chinese patronage through SAIC Motor Corporation, is smiling through the lanes of India's

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China, Pakistan, Bangladesh hold inaugural trilateral ministerial meet
China, Pakistan, Bangladesh hold inaugural trilateral ministerial meet

Time of India

time24 minutes ago

  • Time of India

China, Pakistan, Bangladesh hold inaugural trilateral ministerial meet

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MakeMyTrip's record raise, Zuck's AI talent grab

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Israeli strikes big worry for Iran's economic lifeline China, its years-long West Asia gambit at risk
Israeli strikes big worry for Iran's economic lifeline China, its years-long West Asia gambit at risk

First Post

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  • First Post

Israeli strikes big worry for Iran's economic lifeline China, its years-long West Asia gambit at risk

Israel's recent attacks on Iran have raised serious concerns in China, threatening to disrupt Beijing's key energy supply routes and its hopes for a bigger role in the region, according to a report read more Israel's recent attacks on Iran have raised serious concerns in China, threatening to disrupt Beijing's key energy supply routes and its hopes for a bigger role in the region. For years, China has relied on its ties with Iran to secure a steady flow of discounted crude oil and expand its geopolitical footprint in the region. As the world's largest oil importer, China has made Iranian and broader Gulf energy supplies a cornerstone of its energy strategy. But escalating tensions between Israel and Iran now risk cutting China off from some of its most critical trading partners, according to a Financial Times report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As Iran-Israel conflict rages, Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all sides to de-escalate the conflict 'as soon as possible.' Beijing has also pushed back against US sanctions on Tehran, insisting that Washington should not interfere with its 'normal trade' with Iran. 'Of course, China is worried (by the latest attacks),' Financial Times quoted Gedaliah Afterman, an expert on China and the Middle East at the Abba Eban Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Relations in Israel, as saying. 'If this situation continues to escalate, then they lose quite a bit, both in terms of their energy security and Iran as a strategic card that China holds,' Afterman added. Beijing Tehran's key economic lifeline Since the US ramped up sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme in 2018, Beijing has emerged as Tehran's key economic lifeline. China now buys the bulk of Iranian oil and supplies it with machinery, electronics, vehicles, and nuclear equipment. In 2024, Iranian crude made up nearly 15% of China's oil imports. 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The country has for decades been the world's biggest oil user. China eyes energy independence Under Xi, China is racing to boost its energy independence, a transition that ultimately requires a massive increase in renewable energy and the electrification of the country's transport and manufacturing base. A boom in solar and wind has taken renewables' share of electricity power plant capacity to 56 per cent last year, up from around one-third a decade ago. Neil Beveridge, head of Asia-Pacific research at Bernstein, told Financial Times that the 'key takeaway' for Xi's administration from the crisis will be to double down on its self-sufficiency drive. 'If it wasn't happening fast enough before, it will be happening even faster now,' Beveridge was quoted as saying. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Financial Times, citing analysts, China could gain short-term relief as US attention shifts to the Middle East, easing pressure on Beijing. But in the long term, a weakened Iran could erode China's regional influence and challenge its image as a global mediator. China-Iran ties Beijing signed a 25-year cooperation deal with Tehran in 2021, and Iran joined the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2023, part of China's push to offer an alternative to US-led institutions. China also brokered a Saudi-Iran deal and proposed a 12-point peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine war. Still, its muted response to the Iran-Israel conflict, much like during last year's collapse of ally Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, underscores the limits of its diplomatic reach. Jingdong Yuan, director of the China and Asia security programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told Financial Times that while China rhetorically supports countries 'seen as receiving unfair treatment or coercion from the West', in reality Beijing's approach to regional conflicts was 'always cautious'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beijing will be concerned about the impact on other allies in the region, such as Saudi Arabia. 'The demise or the collapse of the Iranian system or the Iranian power as we knew it is not good news for China,' Financial Times quoted Yun Sun, an expert on Chinese foreign policy with the Stimson Center, a US think-tank, as saying. 'That indirectly means that American influence has expanded,' Yun Sun added. With inputs from agencies

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