ASEAN Mroe Courtesy: Flickr / MEA India
13 August 2016

Acting East, with intensity

India’s East Asia policy has been a bedrock of the country’s foreign policy, and the Modi government has deepened ties with ASEAN and extra-ASEAN powers in a significant way. As India turns 70, it is worth assessing the few key bilaterals that will now become more important for regional security and prosperity.

GST pic1 Courtesy: Reuters
11 August 2016

Key GST lessons from the world

The long march to implement the long-awaited Good and Services Tax in India has just begun. It is instructive to understand how other countries introduced this tax and cherry-pick lessons from their experiences

Modi Asean Courtesy:
12 May 2016

India’s Act East Policy so far and beyond

In two years, the Modi government’s Act East Policy has gone well beyond the focus on economic ties of its predecessor, the Look East Policy. It has made progress on many wider fronts, including connectivity and defence collaboration. India must now build on this success and further consolidate relations and trade links with ASEAN and beyond

TPP Courtesy: ustr.gov
3 March 2016

A fine line: TPP and India

The Trans-Pacific Partnership has dropped strong Intellectual Property Rights regulations on India’s doorstep. The implications of these regulations could affect India’s own policies, as well as her global aspirations towards the potential Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Leaders_of_TPP_member_states- wikipedia Courtesy: Wikipedia
20 May 2015

TPP and RCEP: the hare and the tortoise?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership might soon be concluded if the U.S. Congress fast-tracks it, as recently announced, while the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement remains on slow-track. But the TPP, although ambitious, follows an outdated template, and it is the dynamic RCEP that can be a model for a new global rules-based framework

aiib Courtesy: file photo/Xinhua, Wikipedia
23 April 2015

An ASEAN lens on the AIIB

The AIIB is a step along a path that started with the Asian financial crisis, which defined ASEAN’s views about the U.S.’s commitment to the region. Although the bank may signal the rise of China, it is also a coming together of Chinese and ASEAN goals—ASEAN’s focus on infrastructure for growth requires another source of finance, and this forecasts its strong relationship with the AIIB

east asia summit Courtesy: wikimedia
7 November 2014

A multilateral test for Modi

After bilateral meetings, the thrust for Prime Minister Modi will now change with various multilateral summits coming up, starting with India-ASEAN and the East Asia Summit next week. These are opportunities to expand India’s regional position and economic links, and address issues such as terrorism and a rising China