Geopolitics is increasingly intertwined with the economic destiny of South Asia. Even before the U.S. tariffs were rolled out, growing polycrises had hit the global economy, which has been struggling since the pandemic. South Asia seems a relatively bright spark of regional trade and growth. This paper analyses South Asia’s trade architecture in the backdrop of a sluggish world economy in the 2020s, and makes recommendations for closer regional economic integration.

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4, 2025 saw progress for the organisation, such as the adoption of a ‘Vision 2030’ plan outlining its goals till 2030. In other areas, the grouping continues to lag. BIMSTEC must watch for potential challenges to its future as it seeks to bridge the gaps.

The Indo-Pacific region is vital to India’s security and economic development. With escalating threats and geopolitical competition in the region, India is seeking a favourable position through its bilateral ties with countries like Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and the U.S. and special attention must be paid to the various plurilateral groupings India is a part of, to manage future issues.

The past week has been eventful for India’s Neighbourhood First policy, with the External Affairs Minister’s visit to Sri Lanka and the state visit of the President of Maldives to India. Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, Gateway House and Amit Bhandari, Senior Fellow, Energy, Investments and Connectivity, Gateway House, analyse India’s regional outreach and recent economic and political changes in the subcontinent.

Sheikh Hasina’s recent ouster as the Prime Minister has highlighted the deep fissures in Bangladeshi society and pushed the subcontinent into political turbulence. Amb. Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow for Foreign Policy Studies, Gateway House, speaks about the political, economic, and security implications the crisis in Bangladesh has for Indian foreign policy and geopolitics in the neighbourhood and beyond.

The authors convincingly analyse the bewildering diversity, size and scale of the challenges of South Asia in a volume that is a rare treasure for those interested in deciphering the history, ethnic identities, colonial legacy, political economy, environmental risks, and geopolitical dynamics of the region.

The more India enjoys cooperative relations with its neighbours, the greater its ability to exert influence in the world. Meanwhile, neighbours looking at India with a reasonable mindset may internalise that cooperating with the world’s fifth largest economy is clearly in their interest.

Despite its natural advantages, the Bay of Bengal region lags economically, in part due to insufficient connectivity between the member nations. Improving financial connectivity between them is the first step to easing movement of goods, services and people. Greater financial collaboration also can help the region mitigate the impact of ongoing geopolitical upheavals that have caused food and energy prices to rise.

On 17-18 January, 2023, Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Programme, Gateway House participated in the 14th South Asia Conference on the theme “Think20@G20: Towards a Resilient South Asia” hosted by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. Amb. Bhatia suggests that in due course, BIMSTEC should be given the status of a permanent guest in G20.

The recently concluded BIMSTEC summit is now a regional intergovernmental organization with a formal charter, giving it a clear mission and legality and a destiny linked to South and South East Asia. It is now better equipped to accelerate economic development for the fifth of the world’s population, which contributes only 4% of global GDP.