Sri Lanka: Debt-trapped
China has replaced India as Sri Lanka’s biggest economic partner. It is gaining control of Sri Lanka’s ports, which can give it leverage over India’s external trade
Courtesy: Gateway House
Courtesy: Gateway House
Courtesy: Indian Navy
A case for the Quad’s reappearance
A noticeable feature of 2017 was China’s aggressiveness, which it deployed openly to advance its interests in the eastern rim, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and South Asia. This could well be the impetus for the consolidation of a broad front of China-wary nations in 2018
Courtesy:
Opening Remarks at the Second International Blue Economy Dialogue, Dhaka
These are the opening remarks given by Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia at the Second International Blue Economy Dialogue, ‘Promoting Blue Economy: Making the best use of Opportunities from the Coasts, Seas and Oceans’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He discusses the economic endowment of the blue economy and the necessity to utilise its resources in a sustainable manner
Courtesy: Stripes
Xi’s PLA agenda: real reform or power gambit?
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s reforms, some of which have been effected in the run-up to the 19th Party Congress, have served to both modernise the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and also strengthen his hold on it. They may also have resulted in adversely affecting the PLA’s combat efficacy
Courtesy:
Djibouti’s ‘military base’ diplomacy
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind leaves for Africa on his first foreign visit as president on October 3. His first port of call will be Djibouti, which occupies a strategic location in the Horn of Africa. The country has assumed significance for hosting multiple foreign military bases on its territory, the latest entrant being China. This infographic illustrates Djibouti’s ‘military base’ diplomacy.
Courtesy: Western Naval Command
China in IOR: ‘peaceful rise’ no more
China has expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean Region. President Xi Jinping has abandoned Deng Xiaoping’s conciliatory posture for an aggressive, money-fuelled search for super power status
Courtesy: MEA/ Twitter
Expanding India’s engagement with IOR
India must deepen its involvement with countries of the Indian Ocean Region on issues of security, commerce, and connectivity: this was the upshot of the second Indian Ocean Conference, held by the India Foundation in Colombo two weeks ago
Courtesy: Wikimapia
Innovation’s role in the Blue Economy
The new global emphasis on the Blue Economy is attracting the interest of governments, development agencies, and more recently, social impact investors. A marked change from previous years is the increased participation of developing and coastal economies, which are its very beneficiaries
Courtesy: PTI
Malabar 2017’s geostrategic dimensions
The historical evolution of the Malabar Exercise and the currently fraught relations between the participating countries and China created a much sharper context for the event, with the Chinese evincing a heightened interest in it
Courtesy: PTI
Malabar 2017: strengthening the freedom of navigation
In a special podcast, Vice Admiral (retd.) Anil Chopra, Distinguished Fellow for International Security and Maritime Studies at Gateway House, shares his insights into this years recently concluded Malabar Exercise, examining the inclusion of Japan and potentially Australia, while detailing the geopolitical implications of these exercises.