Courtesy: Gateway House
A slowdown of the Chinese economy, and the shift, particularly by MNCs, from China to other more competitive locations has opened up business opportunities for latecomers to supply chains in the developing world. Evidence suggests that Southeast Asia and some South Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, could be beneficiaries of the supply chain shift, particularly in labour-intensive segments.
Courtesy: U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India
The July 2 meeting of the QUAD foreign ministers in Washington, D.C., restated all the commitments of the grouping, including a condemnation of the April 22 terrorist attacks on Pahalgam. Yet, none of the QUAD countries actually came to the aid of India, despite China being a present player in the fight, in full support of its partner Pakistan.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Japan's growing influence in India’s Northeast and Bay of Bengal region is proving to be a gamechanger, with the potential to transform its economic and geopolitical landscape. With cultural ties and strategic investments, states like Assam and Meghalaya hope to enhance development while fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with Japan. Additionally, the latter could help ensure wider regional stability given the tensions with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Courtesy: BERNAMA
Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025 is pivotal. It will have to steer ASEAN toward regional peace, stability, and prosperity while reinforcing its centrality. All this during a time of heightened geostrategic rivalry, economic deglobalisation, rising protectionism, and nationalist trends.
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The Quad foreign ministers meeting, held in Tokyo on July 29, took a clear position against China’s coercive actions in the East and South China seas. The four ministers have done their bit by reviewing the progress of the grouping’s many initiatives and reiterating its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. For continued progress, the Quad now needs solid initiative from the top leadership – and a summit at the earliest.
Courtesy: CGTN
China’s hostile actions in the East and South China Seas have led to a deepening of naval partnerships within the Indo-Pacific such as the U.S., Japan, Philippines, Australia and South Korea. As crises in West Asia escalate and the strategic contest between the U.S. and China hardens in the Pacific Ocean, India – placed strategically in the Indo-Pacific – can’t neglect either the west nor east.
Courtesy: The Diplomat
The Ukraine crisis transferred global anxiety away from China and onto Russia. But this has not happened in the Indo-Pacific, where the Quad countries have followed a policy of economic disengagement from China, in the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and the regeneration of some economies. How the Quad managed this, is a worthwhile assessment.
Courtesy: AP Photo/Manish Swarup
Russia has been at the center of tensions between the G7 and G20. The current G20 and G7 Presidency has put Asia at the center of global problem-solving and collaboration. India and Japan through its existing strong bilateral and converging interests like economic and financial governance, health, climate commitments and energy transition can bridge the rift between the two multilateral groupings in 2023.
Courtesy: Reuters
Japan’s recently released National Security Strategy document has pathbreaking commitments to strengthen Japan militarily. It reflects a dramatic change over the last decade, when the national threat for pacifist Japan was largely China. Now North Korea and Russia are included, and a Japan with superior defence capabilities will play a larger role in the Indo-Pacific.
Courtesy: Shutterstock//Creativa Images
Indonesia has managed its G20 Presidency year by understanding the importance of not going it alone. This trading nation has used its deep regional and multilateral cooperative processes which provided trusted back-up and support at every step, and was book-ended by strong linkages and investment partnerships with Japan and Australia. In this, it has laid the groundwork for India’s 2023 presidency.