Myanmar Election

Myanmar Election: Lack of Consolidated Initiative Leads to Return of Military Rule

The external support by China and Russia lent support to the Tatmadaw, especially during the elections, and while ASEAN and western powers have refused to accept the legitimacy of the election, many of the immediate neighbours like India, Bangladesh, and Thailand prefer what they see as stability under the military, given their cross-border concerns.

Edible Geopolitics: How Asian Cuisine is Leveraging Soft Power to Wield Cultural Influence

At a time when global consumers are increasingly drawn to wellness-oriented and sustainable diets, South Asian culinary traditions, particularly those rooted in India’s Ayurveda, offer significant potential. However, without institutional backing, this remains diffused cultural capital rather than strategic influence.

The Rise of the E-Dragon: China’s Dominance in an Electrified World and Lessons for India

The China tale offers important lessons. China’s rise in the renewable sector is not just fuelled by demand for clean energy, but by a broader strategy, linking energy policy with manufacturing, technology development and global trade. India now seems to have begun taking steps in this direction. Policy measures such as the production-linked incentives scheme for solar manufacturing and efforts to expand domestic battery production are intended to strengthen the country’s clean energy ecosystem.

China Tightens a Strategic Arc Around India's Northeast - With Expanding Leverage in Myanmar and Bangladesh

China’s expanding influence in Myanmar and Bangladesh does not operate in isolation. It is reinforced by Beijing’s long-standing strategic partnership with Pakistan, frequently described by both sides as an “all-weather” alliance. In recent years, Islamabad has sought to revive and expand diplomatic engagement with both Dhaka and Naypyidaw, reflecting a broader effort to re-establish its presence along the eastern arc of the Bay of Bengal. While Pakistan lacks China’s financial scale or infrastructure capacity, its diplomatic signalling complements Beijing’s presence

More on Indo Pacific - China Watch

'CPEC is a transformational project for Pakistan'

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood has described the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a transformational project, adding that there was a complete national consensus on CPEC's indispensability for the country's development efforts

India to deploy high-speed boats at Pangong Lake to thwart Chinese incursions

India will deploy boats with enhanced capabilities, including anti-ramming features, at Pangong Lake at eastern Ladakh, one of the border locations witnessing a dispute with China

China border situation sensitive, need for wider access highway, says Indian government to Supreme Court

India's Ministry of Defence, seeking expansion of road width in the Char Dham Highway project in Uttarakhand state, told the Supreme Court that situation on the ground at the India-China border has changed significantly this year and it has become imperative that men and equipment should move swiftly from army stations to the frontier

India's high-altitude readiness prompts China to go for emergency procurements

China is making last-minute efforts to make emergency procurements of high-altitude gear and clothing for its troops as they were caught unaware with India's readiness for the harsh winter atop the Eastern Ladkah heights that has been the bone of contention between the two Asian majors, Indian military intelligence officials say

China, Pakistan to enhance defense ties, expedite CPEC projects

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fanghe visited Pakistan on Monday and met with Pakistan’s Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa

Maldives launches marketing blitz in China to increase tourist traffic

In an effort to boost tourist arrivals from China, the Maldives launched two major promotional campaigns in China, Sun news reported

Nepal Airlines comes up with options to get rid of six Chinese aircraft

Nepal Airlines has submitted four options to the Ministry of Tourism to get rid of the six inefficient Chinese aircraft in its fleet, five months after its board of directors unanimously decided to stop flying them as they were worsening its losses

Nepal-China border closure affects northern villages

Residents of several settlements in the northern parts of Sankhuwasabha and Taplejung districts are having a tough time managing essential commodities and finding markets for their products due to the protracted closure of the Nepal-China border amid coronavirus threat

Experts debunk Chinese scientists' Covid virus India origin claim

Health experts in India have refuted a claim made by Chinese scientists in a preprint paper that suggests that the Indian subcontinent might be the place where the earliest human-to-human SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurred

Chinese defence minister puts off visit to Bangladesh

Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe has suspended his visit to Dhaka that was scheduled for this week

What led to Chinese defense minister's 'sudden' visit to Nepal

Just days after Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla visited Nepal, the Chinese state councilor and defense minister Wei Fanghe hurridly paid a one day visit to Nepal on Sunday, The Himalayan Times reported

Chinese stopover in Nepal militarily significant and politically symbolic

Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Sunday landed in Kathmandu for a daylong stopover during which he held a whirlwind of meetings with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, also the defence minister, President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Nepal Army Chief Purna Chandra Thapa before flying straight to Pakistan in the evening

Chinese Defence Minister to arrive in Nepal Sunday

China’s Minister of National Defence and the first-ranked State Councillor, Wei Fenghe, is paying a one-day working visit to Nepal on Sunday

Chinese scientists claim coronavirus originated in India, Bangladesh

A team of researchers from China’s Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences have claimed that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus existed in India and Bangladesh long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan in December last year

With China in mind, Indian Navy enhances interoperability with friendly navies

Considering that Indian armed forces are presently preparing for war, the last quarter of 2020 has been quite eventful for the Indian Navy