Neutrality and balance — Colombo’s habitual vocabulary — have yielded little economic benefit. Ultimately, Sri Lanka slid into bankruptcy. Given this background, the land link is not merely a strategic starting point but a necessity. India’s strategic position on Sri Lanka is perennial; whether the bridge is built or not, India’s concerns remain fundamental. As an immediate neighbour and rising global power, India will not allow rivals to use Sri Lanka as a base.
If India and China choose collaboration by setting aside strategic suspicion in the climate domain, they could fundamentally reshape the trajectory of the 21st century, as they have already demonstrated individually through their pursuit of clean energy over the past decade. More importantly, such a coalition could revive the COP28 fossil-fuel phase-down pledge, which stalled at COP29 in Baku and appears to be drifting further at COP30 in Belém.
Increased industrial activity in India could generate demand for raw materials, intermediate goods, and services from countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s textile industry could strengthen its links with Indian manufacturing networks, while Sri Lanka may gain from expanded opportunities in tourism, logistics, and services.
ADB’s role has evolved beyond financing into shaping India’s structural transformation into a high-growth, technology-driven, and climate-conscious economy. Compared to other multilateral institutions, it offers a more agile, implementation-focused, and regionally attuned approach. As India moves toward becoming one of the world’s largest economies, this partnership will play a defining role in shaping not only India’s growth trajectory but also the broader economic future of Asia.
Prime Minister Khan insists that when it comes the Uyghurs, “We speak to them (China) behind closed doors.” If the Chinese do not let the Pakistani leadership talk about the Uyghurs in public, are we being told that they would indulge them privately? It is laughable.
Traders recently demonstrated against the decision taken by the administration to keep the Pakistan-China border closed for the past 20 months
The Brussels-based Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) has urged the European Union to fundamentally revisit its China policy keeping in mind long-term strategic interests and substantially reduce trade, economic and technological dependence on the Communist nation
Several BRI-related projects in developing countries in Asia and Africa have drawn criticism for lacking transparency, and not being economically sustainable, leading to debts that make countries dependent upon China or leads to a 'debt Trap', writes Tridivesh Singh Maini for South Asia Monitor
Lauding the efforts of Pakistani and Chinese engineers and workers for the construction of the World Bank aided 4,320-megawatt Dasu hydropower project, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the dam is vital for the development of Pakistan, as it will meet the country’s electricity need at a very reasonable tariff
With the Chinese getting new port projects in Sri Lanka, a top Indian Navy officer said it "could pose a threat" to Indian interests in the region and there is a need to keep a close watch on such activities
China has expressed its displeasure with Nepal over the continuous leak to media of negotiations regarding the proposed vaccine deal between the two countries, reports say
Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has hailed China for its emergence as the world’s most powerful economy under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and said it was important for his country to understand how it can ensure progress by tapping the potential of the future cyber age
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has sought more exchanges and closer cooperation with Pakistan’s political parties to bolster bilateral ties and create a good environment for the development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
A large number of fishermen in Pakistan's Gwadar region recently demonstrated against the federal government for granting Chinese trawlers fishing rights in Gwadar by issuing them licenses, local media reports said
A Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air has claimed that a Chinese-backed coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh is failing to ensure proper environmental inspections
Nepal will procure four million Covid-19 vaccines from China, and would launch another inoculation drive from July, media reports say
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed the timely completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as one of the top priorities of the government and stressed that the government is taking steps to promote investment in the export industry in the Special Economic Zones
China has “greatly helped” Sri Lanka to preserve its independence and the former never invaded other countries, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on the very same day when India was marking the first anniversary of its bloody Galwan valley border clash with China
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday declared open the China-Sri Lanka Friendship National Nephrology Hospital in Polonnaruwa, the second-largest city in the island nation’s North Central Province
