BIMSTEC

Growing Salience of BIMSTEC : Reconnecting the Bay of Bengal Civilisation Through Trade and Connectivity

If the twentieth century was shaped by the Atlantic and the early twenty-first century witnessed the rise of the Pacific, the coming decades may well belong to the Bay of Bengal. The foundations of that future will not be built solely through trade agreements or infrastructure projects. They will emerge from a shared commitment to connectivity, cooperation and civilisational understanding.

West Bengal's Economic Transformation: A Blueprint for Growth

West Bengal has the resources, talent, culture, and strategic location necessary to become one of India’s most prosperous states. By combining efficient governance, investment-friendly policies, infrastructure development, education, innovation, trade expansion, tourism growth, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion, the state can achieve rapid economic transformation and substantially raise incomes, employment, and overall quality of life.

India’s Balance-of-Payments Challenge: Need for Structural Transformation in Uncertain Times

India possesses immense talent, entrepreneurial capacity, and a large domestic market, yet it still lacks sufficient depth in high-end manufacturing, research and development, semiconductor ecosystems, advanced engineering, and globally dominant product companies.

What Trade Patterns Reveal About South Asia’s Economic Future

One of the most striking features of South Asian trade is how little the region trades internally. Intra-regional trade within South Asia remains among the lowest in the world relative to geographic proximity. Political tensions — especially between India and Pakistan — have prevented the emergence of a deeply integrated regional production system comparable to ASEAN or the European Union.  This is a major missed opportunity.

More on Geoeconomics, Trade and Development

New roads under CPEC to improve Pakistan’s connectivity to Iran

Authorities in Pakistan are planning a number of roads under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-  a China-funded multi-billion dollar infrastructure project in Pakistan- in the country's south-western Balochistan province to improve connectivity to neighboring Iran

Pakistan locally produces single-dose Chinese Cansino Covid vaccine

In what came as a big move for vaccine manufacturing in Pakistan, the country has successfully produced 124,000 doses of  Cansino, a single dose Covid-19 vaccine produced by a Chinese firm, Cansino Biologics. The single-shot vaccine has 65.7 percent efficiency

'One China' policy is a deterrent to India-Taiwan relations: Experts

India's support for 'One China' policy - an acknowledgment that there is only one Chinese government with no diplomatic recognition of Taiwan - is a deterrent to burgeoning security and political cooperation between New Delhi and Taipei, according to panelists at a roundtable on India's Taiwan policy

Sri Lanka in danger of becoming 'Chinese colony', warns former Sri Lankan president

Days after the Sri Lankan parliament approved a controversial Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, the former president of Sri Lanka, has said that the country has been brought under the “dominance of a foreign country” and is in process of becoming a “Chinese colony”

Pakistan, China promise high-quality development of CPEC

The top Chinese and Pakistani leadership have pledged to develop the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with a focus on achieving high quality, Tribune reported

Myanmar's military regime moves ahead with BRI projects

Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country hit by a serious political crisis, Is pushing ahead with plans to implement giant infrastructure projects that are a key part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)

Sino-Japanese Tension: Chinese buying up land around military bases in Japan

Chinese are buying land around military bases in Japan, an episode that might trigger security concerns and further tensions between the two nations with already frayed relations, media reports said on Friday

China hopes new Afghan regime will pursue ‘moderate Muslim policy’

A top Chinese official has opined that he hopes to see Afghanistan's future leadership pursuing a “moderate Muslim policy” and a foreign policy of peace to maintain friendly ties with neighbouring countries and firmly combat all forms of terrorism

Nepal’s ministries in blame game for delayed response on Chinese vaccine

Even as Nepal’s vaccine procurement woes continue amidst a surge in coronavirus cases, it has now come to light that the health ministry has been sitting on a proposal sent by the Nepali embassy in Beijing on procuring a Chinese vaccine

Deteriorating bond: Chinese students told to avoid Australia

A study has found that while students from China were still interested in studying in Australia, some agents were insisting that students apply to another country, an immediate effect of the growing animosity between Canberra and Beijing

Countering China: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demands diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has joined human rights activists in demanding a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics that is scheduled to take place in Beijing next year

US likely to use more drones to spy on China, feel experts

Experts believe that the US is likely to make more use of drones to spy on China, media reports said

Pakistan PM, Chinese premier exchange call on 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had a telephonic conversation as the two countries celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations

China, Pakistan to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic ties

China and Pakistan have planned a series of activities later this year, marking the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, reported The Express Tribune. Officials from both sides are planning to host around 100 events

China donates another 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines to Sri Lanka

China will donate 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine to Sri Lanka, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo announced