Jaishankar puts maritime security at centre of India's UNSC campaign

Newdelhi,UPDATED: Jul 14, 2026 20:54 IST

A series of major international developments on Tuesday put the focus on India's diplomatic priorities, regional security, trade and the movement of Indian citizens abroad. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India would ensure that issues such as a free, open and rule-based maritime order, safety of seafarers and countering terror financing get the "attention they deserve" at the UN Security Council, as he launched India's UNSC campaign.

Jaishankar also met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and discussed global developments, including West Asia, Ukraine and Sudan. Elsewhere, Nasa astronaut Anil Menon began an eight-month mission to the Space Station, India-China trade figures showed a wider deficit in China's favour, and an Indian crew member was killed in Iranian strikes on UAE shipping tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

At the United Nations, Jaishankar said India would prioritise a rule-based maritime order and the safety of seafarers, along with efforts to counter terror financing, at the Security Council. He said these issues would get the "attention they deserve".

In a separate engagement, Jaishankar held talks with Guterres on global developments. The discussions covered West Asia, Ukraine and Sudan.

In space, Nasa astronaut Anil Menon and two Russian cosmonauts lifted off from Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on Tuesday. The mission to the Space Station is scheduled to last eight months.

In Singapore, the High Court ordered Bloomberg and one of its reporters to pay SGD 230,000, or USD 177,853, in damages to two cabinet ministers in a defamation lawsuit, according to local media reports.

In Bangladesh, the government said it "welcomes" deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's announcement that she plans to return home. It also said she must face justice as a death penalty convict.

Trade data released by Chinese customs showed that India-China trade rose to USD 91.72 billion in the first six months of 2026. China's exports to India went up 21.8 per cent to USD 79.41 billion, while Indian exports to China rose 37.2 per cent to USD 12.31 billion, widening India's trade deficit to USD 67.1 billion.

In West Asia, an Indian crew member was killed and eight others were injured, including six Indians, in Iranian strikes on UAE shipping tankers in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman. The incident marked a major escalation in the conflict in the region.

In Vietnam, the bodies of 15 Indian tourists who died in a speedboat accident off Phu Quoc Island reached their home states on Tuesday, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi said.

In China, the Communist Party expelled Ma Xingrui, the former chief of Xinjiang province, and dismissed him from public service. The action was taken in an anti-corruption crackdown over allegations of corruption and violation of party discipline.

In Washington, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met FBI Director Kash Patel. The two sides discussed issues including counterterrorism financing and cyber investigations.

In the UK, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set in motion a law change in Parliament to remove the legal hurdle that has been blocking the deportation of a grooming gang ringleader to Pakistan.

The day's developments ranged from India's push at the UN and Jaishankar's talks with Guterres to trade figures from China, a space mission involving Anil Menon, and major legal, political and security updates from Singapore, Bangladesh, West Asia, Vietnam, China, the US and the UK.

With PTI Inputs

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