Academic and columnist M.D. Nalapat, in this interview with Manjeet Kripalani, speaks of how a tardy bureaucracy has brought about “a too-cautious” policy towards the U.S. and China as opposed to the former Gujarat chief minister’s greater openness in consulting people before handing over policy implementation to the bureaucracy. He also discusses the prime minister’s shrewd approach to South Asia, the dependable warmth of the Japanese and a range of other topics

China’s footprint in the African continent is growing because it is a zealous summiteer. And now, in response to ‘debt-trap’ criticism, it also appears to be stressing private sector investment in Africa over loans and credit. Are there any takeaways for India in this?

The current political unrest in Sri Lanka and coups in Maldives and Zimbabwe bear a Chinese imprint. China’s use of strong-arm tactics smacks of the very behaviour that it had earlier criticised in former colonial powers

Africa today holds great economic allure for the major powers, which are looking to deepen their partnerships with it. India, which shares a rich past with the continent, has been adopting many measures to step up economic diplomacy in the region

TIMES NOW & Maroof Raza featured our Distinguished Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies, Amb. Rajiv Bhatia on their show to discuss long-term India-South Africa ties. Watch the full episode here.

BRICS has grown in influence in its first decade but is still far from achieving its initial goals

This version of the Gateway House Map on China’s Expanding Global Telecom Empire identifies some more telecommunication assets -- optic-fibre and satellite ground stations -- that Beijing is working on in South and Central America, Africa, Myanmar, the Indian Ocean Region and mainland China besides the existing ones, such as the Pakistan East Africa Cable Express (PEACE). It shows the direction China’s investment is taking, its diplomatic overtures and the larger geopolitical implications of its growing telecom empire

Our Distinguished Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies, Amb. Rajiv Bhatia, was interviewed by the Economic Times analysing the visits of Chinese Premier Xi Jingping and Indian PM Narendra Modi to Africa ahead of the BRICS Summit. Read the full article Read more

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Rwanda and Uganda, en route to the BRICS Conference in South Africa (July 25-27), is significant as it is a rebolstering of ties with these East African landlocked nations through their Indian diasporas, ties that will be cemented further by cooperation in defence, finance, education and other sectors. The Bombay Presidency once played a key role in the development of this region

Our Distinguished Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies, Amb. Rajiv Bhatia, was interviewed for DD News’ Special Report on PM Modi’s visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa, the latter on the occasion of BRICS’ Summit 2018. Watch the full interview Read more