The US has come up with a new grouping called Squad, with the US, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines as its members

Quad and now the Squad: New power equations in the Indo-Pacific

This new bloc is vital for both the US and regional players, especially the Philippines which is not part of the original Quad. For Australia and Japan, this new partnership represents a more focused security arrangement with greater on-the-ground ease of conducting military activities as compared to the more bureaucratic Quad.

Is the US finally realizing Bangladesh's importance in its Indo-Pacific strategy?

Bangladesh must exercise caution when considering the adoption of the Indo-Pacific Strategy advocated by the US and its regional allies. This move could potentially strain Bangladesh's friendship with China.

Chinese 'research vessels' in Indian Ocean raises red flags in Indian maritime circles

Over half of these 'research vessels' operated in the South China Sea, but their growing presence in the Indian Ocean has stirred regional tensions and is a matter of growing concern to India.

US looking to boost economic ties with ‘critical partner’ India through IPEF

While most of the attention to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open has been focused on strategic issues, Venkataraman emphasized the critical role of the IPEF in boosting regional economic ties. 

More on Indo Pacific - China Watch

India, China start withdrawing troops from standoff positions

India and China have started the process of de-escalation at the Line of Actual Control with the withdrawal of troops, guns and combat vehicles from three standoff positions in eastern Ladakh, sources said on Tuesday

China approves Maldives' loan deferment request

China has agreed to defer repayment period of the loans obtained by the Maldives from China. China has granted loan deferment eases to 77 countries, including Maldives, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

China says consensus reached with India not to escalate standoff

India and China have reached a consensus not to escalate the situation further , and maintain peace and stability along the border together, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said

10-member Chinese medical team arrives in Dhaka

A 10-member Chinese medical team with expertise in treating Covid-19 patients reached Dhaka today

China runs war propaganda against India over Ladakh

China is running full-blown propaganda on its high-altitude war preparations, threatening India as troops of both sides remain locked in a face-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh

India must not fall into Chinese trap

In my assessment, the present PLA intrusions are obviously with the approval of C-in-C and President Xi Jinping, China's supreme leader, writes Lt Gen P. C. Katoch (Retd) for South Asia Monitor

Pakistani government approves CPEC’s $7.2b strategic project

Pakistan Railways’ Mainline-I Project – the lone strategic project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – cleared its first hurdle on Saturday when the government approved it at a cost of $7.2 billion, setting the stage for negotiations with China and International Monetary Fund (IMF)

India demands China to remove its troops, structures from Pangong Lake

India and China military top brass began talks on Saturday to resolve the stand-off situation in Eastern Ladakh region and de-escalation of forces across the Line of Actual Control

New China-Nepal rail corridor is first for South Asia

A new avenue to access transnational markets has opened up for Nepal as freight trains have begun departing from China on a weekly basis with goods destined for Nepal, in an initiative that is said to be the first of its kind in South Asia

China donates masks for Sri Lankan students

The Chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Hu Wei, met with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Higher Education and government spokesman Bandula Gunawardena Wednesday and donated masks to the Ministry of Higher Education for the universities, vocational training institutes and other higher education institutions

China backs down on US flight restrictions after Trump retaliates

China has backed down on a ban on flights of US airlines after President Donald Trump's administration retaliated by threatening to block carriers from that country flying into the US

Chinese team of medical experts to arrive in Dhaka on June 8

A team of Chinese medical experts, who have the first-hand experience in containing coronavirus and treating patients with success, is expected to arrive in Bangladesh with necessary medical equipment on June 8

India, China working upon to resolve standoff in Ladakh region

China has made a slight retreat at Galwan Valley, one of the flashpoints leading to a standoff with India, in Ladakh region on Wednesday, sources said. In a bid to resolve the issue, China's People's Liberation Army moved back two kilometres and the Indian Army has moved back by one kilometre

Nepal backs China's new law for Hong Kong to crush dissent

Nepal has endorsed China's new national security law for Hong Kong even as the Western block led by the US have jointly called Beijing's move a direct violation of international treaties

Will the world let China brutalize Hong Kong into submission?

Chinese President Xi Jinping is a troubled man who appears to be going berserk with mounting external and internal challenges