Visiting Chinese Minister of Defence General Wei Fenghe held discussions on strengthening bilateral ties and tourism with Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa
What Trade Patterns Reveal About South Asia’s Economic Future
One of the most striking features of South Asian trade is how little the region trades internally. Intra-regional trade within South Asia remains among the lowest in the world relative to geographic proximity. Political tensions — especially between India and Pakistan — have prevented the emergence of a deeply integrated regional production system comparable to ASEAN or the European Union. This is a major missed opportunity.
The West Asia Conflict: Challenging Times for Indian Economy
Scarcity of cooking fuel is pushing people, particularly across South Asia, toward hunger. Livelihoods have been lost among the large unorganised labour force while thousands of self-employed street vendors, smaller restaurants and eateries are being forced to close shop, facing a scary, insecure future. For middle class households across India, everyday snacks like the samosa or dosa have become scarce because of shortage and high prices of cooking gas cylinders.
New EU Medicines Law Could Impact FTA With India
India is one of the world’s largest suppliers of generic medicines and APIs to Europe. If the EU begins favouring “Made in EU” pharmaceutical production through procurement preferences, subsidies or state aid, Indian drug manufacturers could face reduced access to EU public procurement contracts and tougher supply-chain resilience requirements.
Caught in Geopolitical Quagmire, West Asia Crisis Looms Large Over Indian Supply and Demand Metrics
India’s pharma export market has been affected as India supplies medicines to more than 200 countries. Supply chain interruption not only hurts Indian producers but also creates medicine scarcity in the US, UK, and African markets that highly depend on Indian generics. From the logistics end, re-routing of cargo away from conflict-ridden corridors such as the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz has increased freight insurance premiums, distressing Indian exporters who function on lean cost structures.
More on Geoeconomics, Trade and Development
China to continue strategic cooperation with Bangladesh
China was keen to help Bangladesh in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak and would continue its strategic cooperation in the development of the South Asian nation’s armed forces, according to BSS
China takes lead in regional COVID-19 response as crisis-hit India looks inward
With a crisis-gripped India failing to provide its committed vaccines to neighbors in South Asia, the region seems to be turning towards China for broader pandemic response support
China-led South Asia initiative gets regional support
The region needs active cooperation to effectively respond to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic like economic recovery and uplifting rural livelihood, said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at a meeting on the COVID-19 response, a regional initiative taken by China
Bangladesh seeks vaccine from China; Beijing sets up China-S Asia COVID-19 Platform
With India halting export of Oxford-AstraZaneca vaccine following a massive spike in Covid 19 infection, Bangladesh has now turned to China for the jab, The Daily Star reported
Chinese Defence Minister pays tributes to Bangabandhu
Chinese State Councilor and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe, now on a visit to Bangladesh at a time the two nations are in discussion over COVID-19 vaccine cooperation, paid tributes to the nation’s founder and its first president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka on Tuesday
Chinese Defense Minister on Sri Lanka visit
Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is into Sri Lanka Tuesday on an official three-day visit
China suspends cargo flights carrying critical medical supplies to India
China's state-run Sichuan Airlines has stopped all its cargo flights to India for the next 15 days, hurting the efforts of the private traders to source the oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies needed to treat the critical cases of COVID-19 even as China offered "support and assistance" to the country to battle the deadly-second wave of the infection, according to media reports
With India's supply uncertain, Bangladesh to join China’s Covid vaccine storage facility
In the wake of uncertainty over getting purchased doses from India, Bangladesh has decided to join China’s COVID-19 vaccine storage facility for South Asia, bdnews24.com reported
Chinese vessel with radioactive material ordered to leave Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port
Sri Lanka officials have asked a Chinese vessel that was carrying radioactive material to leave Hambantota port immediately, reported Newswire
China’s Exim Bank may fund $6.8 billion rail project in Pakistan
The Chinese government has sent a final funding proposal for Pakistan’s $6.8 billion modern rail project, ML-1, to the Exim Bank of China, as per a report in The Express Tribune
China offers six million doses of Sinopharm to Bangladesh
As Bangladesh struggles to procure vaccines, Sinopharm, the Chinese drug firm, has offered to provide six million doses of its COVID-19 vaccines to the country, a report in The Daily Star said
Colombo Port City will not become Chinese colony: Sri Lankan government
Under attack from all sides over the controversial Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, the Sri Lankan government defended the move, saying the city will not become a Chinese colony
Sri Lanka to get $500 million from China this month
Sri Lanka is expected to receive $500 million in dollar credit from the China Development Bank this month, according to a report in The Sunday Morning
China’s 2049 plan a big challenge before the world
The only way before the US and the world is to confront China in the economic, diplomatic, and military spheres, writes Ivaylo Valchev for South Asia Monitor
