President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri

Slow Pace of Strategic Indian Projects: These Can Potentially be Gateways to Sri Lanka’s Economic Revival

For India, delays in its strategic projects are not merely bureaucratic setbacks but a matter of national security. Colombo’s motives remain opaque, but for New Delhi, a presence in Sri Lanka’s North and East is non-negotiable. 

Beyond De-Dollarisation: Payment Diversification and Debt Resilience for Global South Nations

India could potentially become a bridge between regional economies and the wider Asian and Global South payment architecture. Greater interoperability could support remittances, tourism, trade and financial inclusion while reducing some transaction costs.

Critical Minerals: The New Oil of the 21st Century?

Critical minerals are not literally the new oil, but they may play a comparable role in defining the balance of power. The race has already begun, and India’s preparedness will determine whether it merely secures access to the resources of the new century or helps shape the industrial order that emerges from them.

Trade Pivot Weakens Pakistan’s Grip on Afghanistan, as Others Move in

Afghanistan has sought to limit or reduce its structural vulnerability by moving trade through Iran’s Chabahar Port and Central Asian corridors. Kabul is realigning Afghanistan’s external economic geography by looking towards Iran, Central Asia, China and India.

More on Economy, Trade and Development

Chinese ire over Indian MPs, minister meeting exiled Tibetan leaders

A week after a group of Indian parliamentarians, including a minister in the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended a dinner reception hosted by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi expressed “concern” over their participation and asked them in separate letters to “refrain from providing support to the ‘Tibetan independence’ forces”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Sri Lanka, Maldives in January

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives early January, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian confirmed, as Beijing seeks to enhance its influence in the region, considered as India's backyard

Chinese envoy's visit to Tamil-dominated northern Sri Lanka sparks curiosity, concern in India

The Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka visit to the Northern region of Sri Lanka, during which he travelled to Jaffna and Mannar and the northernmost point of the island at Point Pedro, has raised curiosity, and concern

China: Contextualizing the duality in actions

China never accepts deadlines on resolving disputes; in the decades to come it's going to be a hostile coexistence for India and China, write Pradeep S. Mehta and Sandra George for South Asia Monitor 

Maldives vice president meets Chinese ambassador in Male, reaffirms ‘One-China’ policy

Maldives Vice President Ahmed Naseem met the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Male, Wang Lixin, and reaffirmed the archipelago’s firm support for the “One-China” policy

After months-long tussle, Sri Lanka finally buys fertilizer from Chinese firm

Sri Lanka has now agreed to take delivery of organic fertilizer from China’s Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co Ltd, almost two months after Colombo had rejected its shipment, citing poor standards, forcing the firm to initiate arbitration proceedings

Sino-Indian border ‘generally stable'; dialogue on, says China

The situation at the China-India border is “generally stable” and both sides are maintaining dialogue and communication through diplomatic and military channels to ease the border situation following the standoff at eastern Ladakh, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday

ADB blacklists three Chinese firms from Nepal’s key infrastructure projects; Kathmandu airport extension to be impacted

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has blacklisted three Chinese state-owned firms from participating in its key infrastructure projects, including the Kathmandu airport development project, in Nepal

China warns companies blindly visiting Afghanistan for mineral exploration as foreigners arrested in several Afghan provinces

China has warned its companies and nationals on Friday against "blindly" visiting  Afghanistan to inspect mineral resources after multiple reports emerged of foreigners being arrested without exploration permits in several provinces

Fertilizer row: Sri Lanka to pay $6.7 million in compensation after Chinese firm launches arbitration procedure

Sri Lanka has decided to pay $6.7 million in compensation to the Chinese fertilizer firm after the latter initiated an arbitration proceeding against Colombo which had earlier rejected its fertilizer consignment of 20,000 metric tonnes, citing quality issues

Afghanistan receives a batch of Chinese Sinopharm vaccines; 'emergency assistance' in the pipeline

A batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan

China denies reports of canceling power projects in Sri Lanka

China has denied reports that Sino Soar Hybrid Technology Co, the Chinese firm which was awarded three power projects by the Sri Lanka government, had withdrawn from the project

India keeping close vigil on Chinese ship deployment; warships were kept battle-ready: Indian Navy chief

Indian Navy Chief, Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar said India was maintaining a close vigil on Chinese asset deployments in the Indian Ocean Region, and that during the peak of tensions at the India-China border earlier last year Indian naval assets were kept battle-ready

Despite 'India First' policy, Maldives signs deal with Chinese energy firm

In a significant development, the Maldives has roped in Sino Soar Hybrid Technology, the Chinese firm whose projects Sri Lanka had canceled after objection from India over security concerns,  to design, supply, and install power generation plants in 12 of its 200 inhabited islands. Significantly, the archipelago officially follows the ‘India First’ policy

China will work with Russia and India in a 'spirit of oneness', says Chinese Foreign Minister

The RIC Grouping (Russia, India, China) demonstrates genuine multilateralism in relations to the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday and "China will work with Russia and India acting in the spirit of openness, solidarity, trust and cooperation, in the spirit of the RIC mechanism.