The Way Forward: Towards 25th Anniversary of ASEAN-India Relations
Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia participated as a panelist at edition VIII of the Delhi Dialogue hosted by IDSA.
Courtesy: PTI
Actually ‘Acting East’
Vice President Ansari’s recent visits to Brunei and Thailand provided further clarity to the Act East Policy while advancing its implementation. He effectively showcased that the rationale for a strong India-ASEAN strategic partnership is sharper than before.
Courtesy: wikimedia
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
Courtesy: Prime Minister's Office
India-ASEAN’s elusive services FTA
The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in services and trade will allow India to leverage its competitive offerings in IT, finance, among other fields. But the pact has proved elusive so far due to the open squabbling between ministries. The deal now looks set to come through only after the new government takes over
Courtesy: Gobierno de Chile/Wikimedia Commons
India and the TPP: Wait and watch?
Can India integrate more fully into the global economy and energise its trade by joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Or will negotiating an entry require significant concessions, not necessarily in India’s interests? These outcomes will depend on how TPP framework itself develops – inclusively or exclusively
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Asia, Uninterrupted
There are many ideas about how Asia can be re-imagined as a whole even though it is still coming to terms with colonial era map-making and the intellectual domination of the West. Can India, situated at the heart of Asia, promote connectivities and draw the Asian economies together?
Courtesy: generalising/Flickr
The new Indo-Pacific core
The India-Japan alliance needs to be viewed through a prism broader than that of "containing" China, and by treating the Indian and Pacific oceans as a single entity. Such an alliance has the potential to strengthen the geopolitical security of India and Japan, along with that of all their allies and associates
Courtesy: Asitimes/ Flickr
A new blueprint for China
Indian and Chinese companies routinely bid against each other in their quest to secure oilfields and other resource pools resulting in rising prices. However, a preferable recourse would be for the nations, along with ASEAN, to collaborate as there is enough for all
Courtesy: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center/Flickr
Mining and industry in space?
An increase in the global demand for rare earth elements, used in high-technology industries, coupled with limited supplies on Earth, has accelerated extra-terrestrial exploration. International cooperation and competition for these space-based resources will determine the next human footprint and race in space.
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
Li and Abe
While the recent India-Japan Joint Statement contains significant breakthroughs, the China-Pakistan Joint Statement reveals the absence of warmth between India and China. With the current flurry of bilateral exchanges, India is fine-tuning its approach to emerging regional realities, as are others.