Courtesy: Ministry of External Affair, Flickr
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s completion of the South Asia circuit demonstrates the importance of the neighbourhood in his government’s foreign policy. The improved perception of India in the neighbourhood, especially in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is a positive, but the neighbours must recognise that India’s federal structure makes decision-making slower and more difficult on issues that affect neighbouring Indian states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
Courtesy: Peter Craven/Wikipedia
A distinguished Chinese scholar, speaking at a BRICS forum in Moscow recently, ascribed the growing India-China trade deficit to India’s ban on iron exports. While this contention is partially true, the data does not validate this argument, and nor does his view account for the other reasons for the deficit
Courtesy: Xinhua
With a massive, yet demanding middle class, the Chinese Communist Party needs a reliable source of cheap labor to continue to allow Chinese nationals to enjoy mass-produced daily products. step forward India, mass producer.
Courtesy: Taneli Rajala
The 'Make In India' campaign could learn from the manufacturing success story of Mexico which has come to be called as a 'rising global star in manufacturing’ and 'the China of the Americas'. Prime Minister Modi can seek inspiration from President Enrique Peña Nieto who has brought about a dozen major reforms by forging a historic consensus with the opposition parties through the Pact for Mexico.
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India must quickly recognise the evolving changes, challenges, and opportunities in Central Asia to avoid being relegated to the periphery of Eurasian trade AND geopolitics. It is now up to Prime Minister Modi to manage a rebalancing in Central Asia through diplomacy and cooperation rather than competition
Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani visited India from April 27-29. Ghani accords a very different priority to India than his predecessors – both the timing and the outcome of his visit reflected this. He is choosing to play to Pakistan, by keeping India out of Afghanistan's security sector
Courtesy: MEA India
The French media’s reportage of Modi’s recent visit to France was limited but significant, and inevitably a lot of it was about the Rafale deal. Various other issues were covered, including the nuclear reactor project in Jaitapur. Some newspapers recommended that France must heavily invest in India, while some expressed concerns, but on the whole the coverage has generated enthusiasm
Germany is a crucial partner for India, especially for the Make in India programme. The needs and strengths of both countries are complementary: in India, German companies are among the largest employers, and Germany is the second largest destination for Indian investment in Europe. India needs to develop and enhance the skill of its population, and develop an advanced manufacturing base. For this, a new level of collaboration is required.
As the UN, U.S. and EU sanctions against Iran begin to be lifted, synchronised with Iran fulfilling its obligations on the nuclear issue, there will be a much greater interaction between India and Iran which will certainly benefit both countries.
Courtesy: Jennifer Le/Flickr
Lee Kuan Yew transformed a “pestilential and immoral cesspool” into a glittering global city with the world’s highest per capita income and the highest percentage of home ownership. Lee also had grand vision for the role that India could play in Asia.
