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.
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.
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.
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.
Several countries like Sri Lanka, Zambia, Djibouti, Laos, Maldives, Republic of Congo, Tonga, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, among others, where China has invested through its much-hyped Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have run into serious financial threat and debt trap, contrary to the expectation that the infrastructure exercise would help in their economic growth
The Orange Line Metro Train project in Lahore under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has been completed and was delivered to the Pakistani side, it was announced
A seven-member high-level Chinese delegation led by former Chinese Foreign Minister and current member of the Communist Party Political Bureau Yang Jiechi called on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees Friday (Oct 09)
The head of the high-level delegation from the People’s Republic of China, who is currently visiting Sri Lanka has assured that China will continue to assist Sri Lanka for the success of the country’s development drive
The Madras High Court has observed that dependence on China for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) handicaps India in responding to security and other breaches by the Communist country
The second meeting of foreign ministers of the Indo-Pacific Quad comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States has rattled China, which appears to be groping for a suitable response
A high-powered Chinese delegation led by former Chinese Foreign Minister and the current Communist Party Political Bureau Member Yang Jiechi had conveyed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fostering and further developing the relations between Sri Lanka and China is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s priority
Majority of the people in the 14 most economically advanced countries have a negative view of China, especially since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, as per the latest survey of the Pew Research Center
A high-powered Chinese delegation led by former Chinese Foreign Minister and the current Communist Party Political Bureau Member Yang Jiechi, is expected in Colombo today (Oct. 08), the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (Oct. 07)
Temperatures at critical mountain peaks and passes in the Himalayas along the disputed India-China border have dropped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, presenting a fresh challenge to the thousands of troops deployed on both sides
A presidential ordinance by the Imran Khan government to take control of the Sindh islands has kicked up a political storm in Pakistan, with the opposition calling it "illegal annexation" by China
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka accused the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka of severely violating diplomatic protocols during an interview with a local newspaper
In an interview to the Daily Mirror of Sri Lanka, US Ambassador Alaina B Teplitz flagged apprehension about the Chinese development projects in the region, warning how some of the projects have transitioned in Djibouti and Cambodia, whicn the ambassador said were worth examining
The Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC), a Brussels-based non-profit organisation which serves as the liaising body representing views of European and Indian businesses and enterprises, has flagged reports of “increasing espionage activities by Chinese Secret Service in Brussels" and the "dangers it may pose to the European Union’s people, media, political institutions, and governance.”
The Tatopani transit point at the Nepal-China border in Sindhupalchowk is reopening on Monday
