China has been extensively enhancing its influence in the Indo-China region, which has immense significance for the Indo-Pacific. The Indochina region comprises of three countries – Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and is also called French Indochina as it was colonised and controlled by the French during the 19th and 20th centuries. It is important to …
The Rohingya Refugee Crisis and India’s Foreign Policy
India has been a recipient of refugees since its independence and the presence of refugees influence India’s relations with its neighbours. This article discusses how the issue of Rohingya refugees affects India’s neighbourhood policy. A displaced person who has left their home country and crossed international borders because they are unable or unwilling to …
Lithium Reserves in India: A Game-changer for India?
The discovery of lithium – inferred resources of 5.9 million tons – in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has come at a crucial time. Lithium is one of the critical raw minerals, which are essential in the manufacturing processes for economic growth and whose disruption of …
Reassessing India’s Strategic Ambivalence a Year into the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
On January 1st 2023, Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, visited Austria on his two-nation tour to Cyprus and Austria. He made a public statement where he mentioned India’s “deep” concern about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He added that India continues to believe that dialogues are the only way …
Loss and Damage Triggers Rare Show of Solidarity by South Asian Nations at COP-27
The 27th Conference of Parties (COP-27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt concluded with the establishment of the much-awaited Loss and Damage Fund. The most vulnerable, developing countries, including South Asian ones have been demanding finance from the industrialized countries (that have ‘historical responsibility’ for climate change) for the losses and damages suffered by the former. …
Protests in China: A Tussle between the People and the State
In the last few months, there have been a few major protests in China, such as the one in Chongqing at an antigen kit-making factory over major layoffs and wage cuts and nationwide protests over the government’s stringent zero-Covid policy. The zero Covid policy imposed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) was in the …
Is it the End of the Road for China’s BRI?
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is nearing close to a decade since its initiation in 2013. The ambitious plan included building a series of infrastructure projects including roads, railways, pipelines to increase connectivity and strengthen China’s energy security and geopolitical position. The initiative signalled China’s growing power projection and opportunities for smaller countries who …
Only Deterrence will Work with Xi’s China
PRC will never be content until India is reduced to economic distress and societal chaos, for this is the only country in Asia that can upset China’s primacy in Asia. Whether during the Clinton or subsequent eras, the fact that the USSR had been replaced by 1992 with the Russian Federation made scant difference …
Xi Jinping’s Third Term: What does it hold for Taiwan?
The much-anticipated 20th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was held on October 16, 2022. It was an important event given the fact that the world was curious to see what the composition of the Chinese central leadership would be for the next five years. One of the most debated questions prior to …
Quad confronts the need for redefining itself and its rules
The US under President Biden appears to regard the Quad as needing to evolve into a subsidiary of NATO. The White House has lately been acting in a manner which suggests that they believe NATO needs to guarantee security not just in Europe but in Asia as well. Almost every week, a new headline …