BUSINESS
China’s steel industry is giving out negative signals
China’s domestic demand as well as export demand for steel is weak, which will have major implications for the Chinese economy
BUSINESS
India needs a strategy to secure rare earths value chain to boost growth
China is the numero uno in production and processing of rare earths; a US-led partnership is also taking shape to counter China in this domain
BUSINESS
An Islamabad-Moscow-Beijing nexus could be worrying for India and the US
For India, the important factor to watch would be the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Pakistan Stream gas pipelines
BUSINESS
China’s strategic moves in the Middle East call for India’s attention
China is making significant investments in the Middle East, making inroads in a region that India considers as strategic too. Since China’s interests go beyond the economic ones, India needs to do more to protect its own interests
BUSINESS
The PLI schemes should be designed to take India to the edge of the technology frontier
The PLI schemes must go beyond mere financial help and government intervention must be transformative with deliberate involvement through direct investment, government-led R&D champions, and subsidized industry clusters
BUSINESS
Nuclear power is the answer to India’s energy demand challenge
India’s renewables’ focus seems attractive at first but the ground reality shows that more reliable alternatives are needed. Nuclear fits the bill
BUSINESS
Can India play a role in the battle for influence in Central Asia?
Beijing is already in a dominant position in Central Asia and it is time for India to counter Chinese ambitions in the region. At play are not just the minerals, like uranium, or fossil fuel resources of the region, but the unique opportunities for connectivity that the region provides, linking Asia to Europe through land-based trade corridors
BUSINESS
China’s BRI is not just a debt trap but a trade trap too
Opportunity for developed world to woo recipients of Chinese funds through active investments in productive value chains in these countries and make them a core part of the world economic engine
BUSINESS
The new importance of being Iran
Iran holds nearly 18 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves—the world’s second-largest cache after Russia
BUSINESS
ASEAN is critical to India’s geopolitical future
India must build itself up as an alternative to China for the ASEAN countries
BUSINESS
Watch out for China’s iron and steel trap
In the near term, falling steel demand across the world both from the slowdown in China and the West and the questions over the BRI will prompt China to look for other means to sustain its massive steel industry, perhaps by dumping
BUSINESS
India needs a new strategy for its natural gas
The geopolitics of natural gas could severely affect India’s economy as input prices go up in key sectors
BUSINESS
The global economic engine needs an independent Taiwan
The US is inexorably tightening its noose around Beijing by linking together the high-tech powers in East Asia. South Korea, a long-time trade partner and a key supplier of its semiconductors, is now being courted too, bringing Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo together in a technological embrace
BUSINESS
India has started a slow walk to Aatmanirbharta on semiconductors
Quick project implementation is an absolute must to demonstrate India’s seriousness in manufacturing semiconductors. It requires politics-free coordination between the Central and State governments
BUSINESS
It will be hard to break China’s dominance in critical EV inputs
Beyond scale in manufacturing, China has built a quiet stranglehold over virtually every key element of the product and supply chain
BUSINESS
India loses out to the EU on African oil and gas
With Russia cutting off natural gas supplies to Europe, the EU is looking for alternative gas sources in Africa
BUSINESS
The complex crisis of food inflation
The high energy cost across the supply system, with the complex intertwining between energy and raw materials inevitably leads to higher food prices, with costs rising at each link of the chain, whether linear or non-linear
BUSINESS
Pakistan: Caught in the Dragon’s trap
The IMF in its latest country report on Pakistan, brought out in April this year, has quietly hinted that the country’s industry simply lacks the technology and sophistication necessary to compete in the modern world
BUSINESS
The Indian tightrope trick on sanctions against Russia
The US is likely to soft pedal India’s stand on sourcing crude and other raw materials from Russia, in view of geopolitical and geo-economic considerations
BUSINESS
The resilience of China’s supply chain dominance
The IPEF does not offer a free trade agreement. It does not dangle the prospect of lower customs tariffs, either. In contrast, the China-dominated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and even older agreements like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) FTAs, do offer tariff incentives
BUSINESS
The paradox of the Russia sanctions
The sanctions were intended to hurt Russia, but it is the world’s developing nations that have been the worst hit
