RB_1 Courtesy: B20 Saudi Arabia/Twitter
23 July 2020

The B20: Riyadh and beyond

The COVID crisis compelled a change in the Business20 (B20) focus areas to reviving health, health facilities and business activity in 2020. India must start work now to give the B20 even greater responsiveness and relevance as the prospective G20 chair in 2022.

IMG_9738 Courtesy: Macmillan/Dexter Roberts
18 June 2020

The Myth of Chinese Capitalism

China’s dramatic political and economic rise over the past three decades has been well recorded. Less known is the effort of China's rural labourers and migrants, which has largely enriched the coastal elites, instead of creating the egalitarian, capitalist, society China espouses. Dexter Roberts’ book takes us deep into the story of China’s rise, and exposes this reality. Roberts chronicles the lives of the many rural folk he has met during two decades of work and travels in China. It gives the book a personal and compassionate note, with the authenticity of a hands-on China expert.

QUAD Courtesy: Shutterstock/Gateway House
18 June 2020

Quad, China and the Indo-Pacific churn

China’s escalating actions in the wake of the COVID-19 catastrophe is a calculated strategic diversion and risk. In the Indo-Pacific, tensions between China and the U.S., Australia, India and others are building momentum. As a geopolitical partnership, the relevance of the Quad is now proven. There are clear ways to empower it immediately, and make it a resilient grouping.

shutterstock_132894758 Courtesy: Shutterstock
25 May 2020

Globalisation: good-bye to the hype

Globalisation has resulted in the interdependence of nations through the largely unimpeded transmission of investment capital and information, and integrated business operations. The leading beneficiaries have been the global 1%, and China. While it is too late and not possible to roll back an interconnected world order, globalization as we know it will recede, as will China’s standing in the world.

kcmodi0312_0 Courtesy: Flickr/MEA
28 November 2019

Assessing the 35th ASEAN Summit

The 35th summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations, held in Bangkok early in November, showed that a shifting geostrategic landscape notwithstanding, “ASEAN centrality” in the region is a top priority with members. It also served as a backdrop for three summits that ASEAN held on November 4 with China, U.S. and India