The Arctic Shortcut: China’s Northern Sea Route and the Rewiring of Global Maritime Trade

The Arctic Shortcut: China’s Northern Sea Route and the Rewiring of Global Maritime Trade

As Arctic ice retreats, geography itself is being rewritten. The Northern Sea Route illustrates how environmental change, technological innovation, commercial strategy, and geopolitics are converging to reshape international trade.

South Asia's Balance of Payments Challenge: The Changing Dynamics of External Balances in South Asia

South Asia remains one of the least integrated regions in the world despite geographical proximity and complementary economic structures. Greater regional trade, improved transport connectivity, cross-border electricity markets, digital payment systems and investment partnerships could substantially reduce external vulnerabilities. 

India's Employment Debate: A Future With Plenty of Work, But Fewer Jobs

Between 2004 and 2023, India produced roughly five million graduates every year, but graduate employment increased by only around 2.8 million annually. Even fewer obtained salaried employment. Millions are either unemployed or working below their qualifications or in the waiting room for the elusive government job. 

How Sri Lanka Missed the Opportunity to Become a 200-billion dollar economy

Policy instability during the 2015-2024 likely pushed back Sri Lanka’s path towards becoming South Asia’s first High-Income Country. The 2022 financial crisis would never have happened as stable growth during the first half of 2015–2024 would have built enough buffer to weather impact of the Covid pandemic 

More on Economy, Trade and Development

Indian forces accuse Chinese troops of blocking patrols

Indian armed forces have accused the Chinese People's Liberation Army of blocking patrols and unnecessarily erecting tents and deploying forces at Sikkim and Ladakh inside Indian territory on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two countries

Xi offers Hasina Chinese experts to fight COVID-19

Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a team of coronavirus experts as COVID-19 cases and death toll from the disease continue to surge in Bangladesh

Chinese power scams under CPEC cause loss of $630mn to Pak

In an effort to explore the causes for the steep cost of electricity in Pakistan, the Imran Khan government has unearthed a scam of over $630 million involving power projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Pompeo hailed for asking China to release Tibetan holy monk

Tibet's self-declared government-in-exile President Lobsang Sangay on Tuesday thanked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for making a strong call to China for the release of the second-highest holy monk, the Panchen Lama

Trump threatens to pull top funder US out of WHO over China

Accusing the World Health Organisation of “alarming lack of independence from” China, US President Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and end its financing if it did not institute reforms within a month and end its subservience

274 students brought back from China

As many as 274 Pakistani students stranded in the Chinese city of Wuhan arrived at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) on a special flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Monday

PLA muscle-flexing part of exercise to shape the environment in China’s favour

A major aim of China’s aggressive actions is to derail demands at the United Nations for independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. This has led to muscle-flexing all over,  writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (retd) for South Asia Monitor

'Wuhan Diary' releases in India in ebook format

The much-talked-about 'Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City' by well-known Chinese literary writer Fang Fang, has released in India in the ebook format

China rejects India’s objection to dam in Gilgit-Baltistan

China on Friday rejected India’s objection to the construction of Diamer-Bhasha dam in the Gilgit-Baltistan region - whose sovereignty is contested by India - saying that the economic cooperation between China and Pakistan was aimed at promoting development and improving the well-being of the local population

Time to strengthen Quad to counter China’s influence

There is a geopolitical dimension to the COVID-19 tsunami that continues to leave in its wake thousands of deaths across the world

China offers to restart development work in Sri Lanka

Chinese President Xi Jinping is suggesting that China and Sri Lanka gradually resume practical cooperation in various fields, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua has reported

Pakistan's WAPDA signs Rs442b deal with Power China-FWO

An agreement worth Rs442 billion with a joint venture of Power China and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) was signed on Wednesday for the construction of a diversion system, main dam, access bridge and 21-megawatt Tangir hydroelectric power project

Chinese People’s Liberation Army provides protective material to Sri Lankan army fighting COVID-19 pandemic

At the request of Sri Lanka, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has sent an Air Force aircraft carrying a consignment of required personal protective clothing and other supplies for COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control to the Sri Lanka Army

China reiterates support for Afghanistan peace, development

The Chinese ambassador to Kabul, Mr. Wang Yu, has assured his country’s support to a stable and developed Afghanistan

Chinese chopper spotted near LAC, India rushes fighters to border

The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday scrambled fighter jets along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China in Ladakh, after China flew military choppers close to the LAC