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India’s Balance-of-Payments Challenge: Need for Structural Transformation in Uncertain Times

India possesses immense talent, entrepreneurial capacity, and a large domestic market, yet it still lacks sufficient depth in high-end manufacturing, research and development, semiconductor ecosystems, advanced engineering, and globally dominant product companies.

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.

More on Geoeconomics, Trade and Development

India's China policy needs change; build alliances, leverage democracy, suggests think tank

India's stance on China has to irreversibly change in the light of the recent developments, both bilateral and global

Sri Lanka signs $1.5 billion currency swap deal with China

In what seems a temporary respite for Sri Lanka’s dwindling forex reserve, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has signed a $1.5 billion currency swap agreement with China, reported Colombopage

Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka to get priority vaccination

Authorities in Sri Lanka will administer the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines first to Chinese nationals living in the country

US, India to expand defence and security cooperation - with China in mind

As part of expanding global security cooperation between the world's oldest and largest democracies, India will intensify military cooperation with the US Central Command in Florida and with the US Commands in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Delhi to discuss ‘pressing’ Indo-Pacific 'challenges'

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived here on Friday for discussions on cooperating to face “most pressing challenges” in the Indo-Pacific, an euphemism for China’a maritime muscle-flexing in the region

UK PM Johnson to visit India, discuss China threat

Calling the Indo-Pacific "increasingly the geopolitical centre of the world",  United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit India in April to ostensibly create a democratic counterweight to China

China says Quad reflects 'ideological bias'

China has accused the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a four-nation grouping comprising Australia, India, United States and Japan, of "ideological bias and cold war mentality" and described it as a clique based on an ideology that is "detrimental to the border"

China steps up cyber-attacks after Ladakh disengagement

Indian government organisations such as Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) and National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) have reported that Chinese hackers have attempted to infiltrate the country's cyberspace after troops from the two neighbours disengaged from Pangong Lake in eastern Ladak

Sri Lankan flag on doormat: Colombo raises objection with Beijing

A controversy erupted in Sri Lanka on Friday when people in Sri Lanka noticed that Amazon, an online platform, was selling doormats with imprinted Sri Lankan flag on them, reported Colombopage

IMF closely monitoring Lanka’s $1.5 billion currency swap with China

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that they are “closely monitoring” the Sri Lanka’s recent currency swap deal of $1.5 billion with China, reported Colombopage

Islamist groups ask Bangladesh government to sever ties with China over 'Uighur Muslims brutality' issue

Islamic political parties have called upon the Bangladesh government to sever all diplomatic ties with China, owing to alleged persecution of Uighur Muslims in the country

US defence secretary to visit India to discuss security partnership, China threat

On the heels of the Quad summit, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit India next week to confer with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as the US focuses on China as an emerging threat, according to a Pentagon official

China harvesting 20% of world's data, including from India

As the virtual private network (VPN) usage grows in countries like India and South Asia to have a more secure and private Internet browsing experience, a new report has warned that Chinese government have access to massive sets of data like private emails, messenger conversations and personal records, as most of the VPNs being used are Chinese-owned, a new report has warned

Quad to harness India's vaccine capability, secure free and open Indo Pacific

Leaders at the first Quad summit committed Friday to harness India's vaccine  manufacturing prowess in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a “landmark” partnership to deliver a billion doses to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond as the four-nation group eyes a broader cooperation agenda centred around their common democratic ethos

Quad a force for global good, united by democratic values, says Modi at four-nation virtual summit

“The Quad has come of age,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Friday at the summit of their leaders to take the group to a next level of enhanced cooperation between the four countries - the US, Australia, Japan and India