44462476151_09bdc8fc7f_o Courtesy: Flickr / Paul Kagame
15 November 2018

China, Africa and the art of mutual benefit

China’s footprint in the African continent is growing because it is a zealous summiteer. And now, in response to ‘debt-trap’ criticism, it also appears to be stressing private sector investment in Africa over loans and credit. Are there any takeaways for India in this?

President_Donald_Trump_and_Prime_Minister_Justin_Trudeau_Joint_Press_Conference_February_13_2017 Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
25 October 2018

Three pillars of Canada’s worldview

The United States, Europe and the Asia Pacific today form Canada’s tripartite foreign policy priorities. The ASEAN is its sixth largest partner, which was not so 20 years ago, but economic engagement with India – still small, compared to China and Japan – has scope to grow

Anna-Royal-Enfield-1-2 Courtesy: Global Gallivanting
11 October 2018

India’s millennial moment

India’s millennials, like many in other emerging economies, are optimistic about their future in a way their contemporaries in developed markets are not. Young Indians defer less to tradition and authority, yet cling to convention in many areas of their lives. A new book attempts to plumb the millennial mindset

chineseoil-1 Courtesy: Lifeforex
11 October 2018

Petro-Yuan, the new speculation

Basing the global oil trade on the Yuan instead of the U.S. Dollar is one leg of China’s bid to convert its currency into the international reserve currency, replacing the dollar-dominated global financial architecture. But many factors impede the Yuan from reaching the maturity required for its global adoption.

dc-Cover-v3tdm5cntcv4b1mo9aiosckaq2-20160309062114.Medi Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle
27 September 2018

Prioritise business in the Blue Economy

A major upcoming international conference on the Blue Economy in Nairobi in November will focus on the impracticalities of pursuing any one goal – such as sustainability – to the exclusion of business. In fact, the many interests at stake need not be in conflict with one another, to realize the goal of a true blue economy, in which business must have a significant stake.

547902401_1280x720 Courtesy: Legal Entity Identifier
14 September 2018

LEI, a gold standard for financial transparency

Ten years after the global financial crisis, some reform has come about. To further transparency, the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), proposed by the G20, is a code used to identify the parties that participate in financial transactions around the world. While its benefits and applications are abundant and will reduce systemic vulnerability, its global implementation is complex and slow. This primer shows why – and also why the LEI should be urgently and widely adopted

39886955481_b6d420f879_o Courtesy: MEA/ Flickr
14 September 2018

Brunei, ASEAN’s quiet, cautious player

India and Brunei have a 34-year-old diplomatic relationship; but as yet no Indian president or prime minister has paid the country a bilateral visit to strengthen these ties. The strategically-located nation is rich in its history, with a unique political system. Its foreign policy approach is non-controversial, yet noticeably pragmatic.