China's geopolitical aim in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region is deepening its economic ties with the region to the point where countries are drawn into its orbit by economic gravity
Officially, India maintained that no territory was lost. Strategically, however, many analysts described the situation as a shift in the status quo—an altered operational environment in which access, patrolling patterns and tactical depth were recalibrated.
India’s rise coincides with China’s structural slowdown, reshaping Asia’s strategic landscape. For Malaysia, the choice is not between India and others—but between preparing early for India’s ascent or adjusting late. Prime Minister Modi’s visit represents a strategic inflection point. Deepening ties in defence, technology, semiconductors, energy, food security, education, and culture is not merely prudent—it is foundational to Malaysia’s long-term prosperity, security, and strategic autonomy.
But in NSS 2025 the specific reference to the “Quad” appears less central as compared to its 2022 prominence. The document emphasized the allies assuming primary responsibility for their own region even as it identified the Indo-Pacific as a key economic and geopolitical battleground. It reiterates that alliances and strengthening partnerships “will be the bedrock of security and prosperity long into the future”
It’s heartening to see that China has resumed the pilgrimage of Indian pilgrims to the sacred Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region this year after a five-year break, and India has restarted the issuance of tourist visas to Chinese citizens suspended since 2020. Recently, several direct flights between the two countries have been restored. This development is expected to strengthen exchanges in people-to-people fields, as well as in trade, culture, and other areas.
China's geopolitical aim in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region is deepening its economic ties with the region to the point where countries are drawn into its orbit by economic gravity
An India-US strategic defence coordination panel has discussed increasing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region with “like-minded partners” as security ties between the two countries steadily expand, no doubt with China - the unstated adversary - in mind
Ahead of the next round of Corps Commander level talks between India and China, which are supposed to take place in eastern Ladakh, there was a minor altercation between Indian and Chinese troops in the eastern sector of the India-China boundary, The Indian Express reported
Pakistan does not have a "China-debt" problem pertaining to loan financing from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, the county’s Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said, dismissing a recent report, critical of the CPEC, by a US-based International Development Research Lab
Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs has written a letter to the foreign ministry to take up the border issue with China, almost a week after a government panel’s report confirmed some of the boundary pillars were unilaterally shifted, a media report said
In yet another reminder that the de facto border between India and China remains contentious in several regions beyond Ladakh, details are emerging about the latest incursion by Chinese forces, this time in Uttarakhand's Barahoti region, north of the Nanda Devi biosphere reserve
Almost a week after China raised the issue of delay in several China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday assured the expeditious implementation of projects, arguing the difficulties were due to the Covid-19 pandemic
A panel appointed by the Nepal government to look into the boundary issues along the border with China has recommended forming a joint team of experts from both countries to resolve the matter, a media report says
In what is being seen as one of the most candid assessments of the challenges its ties with China, India’s Ambassador Vikram Misri has listed “avoid shifting goalposts”, “take a one-sided view of concerns and sensitivities”, and “viewing bilateral relations through the prism of relations with other countries” as “obstacles which could block progress” in the relationship
The various unilateral sanctions or restrictions on Afghanistan should be lifted as soon as possible, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang said, adding that Afghan foreign reserves are “national assets of Afghanistan” and should be used by its people
A Chinese automobile major has signed a preliminary deal that can pave the way to a bus assembly plant in southern Sri Lanka’s China-funded Hambantota port
A number of Chinese investors involved in multiple projects across Pakistan have raised the issue of outstanding payments with the highest level in the government as the Pakistan government is failing to pay their dues on time, media reports say
China Thursday cited a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, issued after New Delhi's 1998 nuclear tests, to question India’s missile programme amid reports of an upcoming test for the Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, The Hindu reported
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that the two sides should work for an early resolution of the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control - the de facto border - in eastern Ladakh and that China avoid viewing its ties with India through the lens of a third country
The situation in Afghanistan can deteriorate resulting in more turmoil, says India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, and China could potentially "step into Afghanistan" in times to come