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Showing posts with the label South Asia

India’s Economic Generosity Can Transform South Asia – Analysis ( Source- Eurasia Review / Authors- Chayanika Saxena / South Asia Monitor)

South Asia ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Sergio) Source- Eurasia Review Author- Chayanika Saxena/ South Asia Monitor It is often suggested that the only way out of an over-zealous competitive world order that is attended by threatening rivalries and lack of trust is to embed the countries in a relationship of economic interdependence. Appearing to be the best bet in a global order that is connected by boundary-transcending technologies, but where national rivalries are still rife, fostering of economic cooperation between countries can help pacify if not eliminate suspicion and mistrust that have often triggered conflicts between and within nations. Attesting to the harms that unchecked rivalries have the potential of creating, India, which shares its territorial and maritime boundaries with almost all the other South Asian countries, it has realized that the dividends accruing out of economic cooperation can outweigh the ills of political animosity that pervad

CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S SOUTH ASIA POLICY: IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA – ANALYSIS (SOURCES- EURASIA REVIEW / AUTHOR- D.S RAJAN)

Karakoram Highway ( Image credits- Internet Image) Source- Eurasia Review Author- D.S Rajan China’s leader Xi Jinping seems to have shifted the focus of his regime’s foreign policy including that towards South Asia from core interests to economic interests. Xi’s statement that China is prepared to sign friendship treaties with the country’s neighbors and the PRC’s willingness to adopt a ‘trilateral’ ( i.e China, India and the concerned South Asian country) approach towards tackling issues in South Asia , signal Beijing’s new conciliatory thinking. Nonetheless, in terms of strategy, China under Xi Jinping shows no sign of any change – balancing India by supporting Pakistan appears to be the corner stone of Xi’s regional policy; suggesting it, is the China- Pakistan agreement on the need to have a ‘strategic balance’ in South Asia. In a broader sense, through his regional initiatives, Xi seems to be conveying a firm message to Asian nations- China will use its increasing

In Nepal Earthquake's Aftermath, India and China Respond ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ankit Panda)

Indian relief work in Nepal ( Image credits- Flickr / MEA Official photo gallery, Government of India) Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda As Nepal continues to wrangle with the immediate aftermath of a devastating magnitude 8.1 earthquake that took place on Saturday and has claimed nearly 2,500 lives, its two large neighbors—India and China—are sending assistance to stave off a broader humanitarian crisis in the country. Nepal, though a small country, is of strategic significance for both New Delhi and Beijing. On Sunday, China sent a 62-member International Search and Rescue team to Nepal to assist in the humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake. According to Xinhua, the team includes “6 sniffer dogs and relevant rescue and medical equipment.” 40 members of the rescue team are from the 38th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army. China President Xi Jinxing expressed his condolences to Nepalese President Ram Baran Yada on Saturday, noting that

US SAYS TIME FOR SRI LANKA TO RETURN AS ‘RESPECTED MEMBER’ OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ( Source- The Eurasia Review)

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Sudath Silva) Source- The Eurasia Review Praising the Sri Lankan people for electing a new government, a top US official said it is time for Sri Lanka to return to its rightful place as a respected member of the international community. The United States Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said that Sri Lankans sent a clear signal at the elections that they want a change for a step forward for good governance. “The people of Sri Lanka – from Jaffna to Galle -sent a clear signal from the ballot box: that they wanted your country to take a step forward, to realize its tremendous potential, and to finally enjoy the fruits of peace,” Blinken said. The Deputy Secretary made the remarks  this past Thursday when he addressed a gathering at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington DC at a celebration to mark the 67th Anniversary of Sri Lanka’s Independence. The high-ranking U.S.

The Bay of Bengal: The Maritime Silk Route and China’s Naval Ambitions ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- David Brewester)

Colombo Harbor ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons- Flickr/ Author- J G Morard) Source- The diplomat Author- David Brewester Since late 2013, Beijing has been promoting its “Maritime Silk Route” (MSR) initiative as a proposed oceanic complement to its various overland “Silk Route” projects. Details remain sketchy, but the proposal appears to envisage a system of linked ports, infrastructure projects and special economic zones in Southeast Asia and the northern Indian Ocean. While much of the public discussion to date has focused on ports and infrastructure, probably of greater significance is the development of new production and distribution chains across the region, with China at its center. The concept might be seen as akin to Japan’s “flying geese” strategy of the 1970s when Japanese companies outsourced component production to successive tiers of lower-cost states in Southeast Asia. If implemented, the initiative would bind countries in the Bay of Bengal and the nor

India and China Slug It Out in South Asia ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Harsh V.Pant)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Sujna Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V.Pant Last week India decided to send five planes and two ships carrying water and machinery parts to Maldives, after drinking water was cut off for more than 100,000 residents in the nation’s capital of Male due to a fire in the city’s only water sewage treatment plant. The Indian Navy’s patrol vessel INS Sukanya carried 35 tons of fresh water and two reverse osmosis plants, which can produce 20 tons of fresh water per day to meet the water crisis in Maldives. India’s large fleet tanker delivered about 900 tonnes of fresh water to the Maldivian capital, while two C-17 planes of the Indian Air Force (IAF) also delivered another 90 tonnes of potable water. Maldives, located southwest of India in the Indian Ocean, depends entirely on treated seawater as the low-lying island nation has no natural water source . Accordingly, Maldives asked for help from various countries including India, C