WORLD
OPINION | Why developments in East Asia should matter to India
The East Asian dynamic is a crucible for India’s long-term identity in world politics, whether it can actually function as a pivotal, agenda-setting actor in a fragmented, multipolar order, or is reduced to a crisis-driven hedger between blocs whose rules it did not shape
WORLD
India shouldn’t be unduly worried about a China-driven axis in South Asia
A trilateral meeting last month between China, Pakistan and Bangladesh triggered fears of an anti-India grouping. Regional mechanisms excluding India cannot be prevented from blooming. The only goal should be to develop as much leverage as is necessary to have India represented on more tables than not
WORLD
Invisibilising Taiwan
A flawed interpretation of a UN General Assembly resolution has allowed multilateral bodies such as WHO to keep Taiwan out from contributing to its work in full measure. Individual countries too have used this resolution to limit engagement with Taiwan. To counter China’s influence, Taiwan has to expand its diplomatic outreach to ensure it’s not shut out
WORLD
A proposed dam on the Tibetan plateau shouldn’t unleash panic in India
China’s proposed 60GW dam at the ‘Great Bend’ of the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet may have its roots in the country’s internal investment dynamics. Moreover, once the river enters India as the Brahmaputra, its rainfall which mainly contributes to the volume of flow. Indeed, China cannot weaponize the dam without severe adverse consequences to Tibet. The way forward is to combine downstream readiness and negotiations with Beijing
WORLD
China-Taiwan Tensions: A shift in cross-Strait policy language
China's military exercises highlight regional tensions as Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te asserts sovereignty. His recent remarks signal a policy shift, encouraging potential cooperation with Beijing, despite ongoing tensions. Lai’s statements challenge China’s role as a peace broker in global conflicts.
WORLD
Thinking through a Taiwan conflict – How can countries like India respond?
How can countries sympathetic to Taiwan respond through politico-legal options in the event of a conflict? An appraisal of whether Taiwan meets statehood criterial, the legality of other countries operating in the Taiwan Straits, and taking the ‘Taiwan question’ to the ICJ are options
BUSINESS
China’s expanding military drone ecosystem is a menace for the likes of Taiwan and India
As China continues to invest in making drones more modular and drone operators more specialised, India has to develop counter-drone strategies of its own and hope that the US curbs on the flow of critical technologies to China have the desired effect
BUSINESS
What China’s missing officials tell us about its politics
With Xi Jinping elevating himself to a stature only enjoyed by Mao in the past, there is greater possibility of tumult and personnel purges at different levels of the Chinese party-state system. While these have created ripples across the Chinese system of elite politics and among its observers outside, they are unlikely to undermine Xi’s authority in the near term
