Oceanic Industry 4.0

The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution depends on the availability of rare- earth minerals, which occur extensively on the ocean floor of the Indo-Pacific. The technology to exploit this is available only to some countries currently: the global agreement on this must be fair and safeguard India’s future interests, says the author of this blog


China is here to stay

China’s large investments in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Maldives and the economic dependence this creates make it impervious to the internal political upheavals in these countries. This blog explores how it will retain its influence in Sri Lanka regardless of how the turmoil is resolved


China’s poverty reduction vs others’

China recently celebrated 40 years since it began its successful poverty reduction effort, at a conference in Beijing. While lauding China's efforts, experts do recognise that different formulations work for different countries


Regime change with Chinese characteristics

The current political unrest in Sri Lanka and coups in Maldives and Zimbabwe bear a Chinese imprint. China’s use of strong-arm tactics smacks of the very behaviour that it had earlier criticised in former colonial powers


INF Treaty: China behind U.S. exit

America’s withdrawal from a Cold War arms control agreement seems to be dictated by China’s development and deployment of thousands of short and medium range ballistic missiles.


SAGAR and security: leading in Indo-Pacific

If India wants to become a serious Indo-Pacific player, it has to prioritise implementation of the SAGAR initiative, look beyond the Quad to partner with smaller littoral states and provide alternatives to China’s investment strategies. This was the message from the recent Indian Ocean Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam


In defence of the defender

The organization, discipline and procedures of the military ensures that succor is provided to the country in the least possible time without meddling or posturing. But with the latest set of rulings against the military by courts and political parties, this is about to change - seriously


Enter religious parties in Pakistan politics

Religious parties, some of them founded by anti-India terrorist groups, have dramatically risen to the fore in the Pakistan elections held this week. The 2018 polls mark a milestone as the military has enabled their entry into the political mainstream


China’s disquieting FDI in high-tech

China’s foreign direct investment is shifting away from natural resources to high-tech areas, such as Artificial Intelligence and robotics. The scale of these acquisitions, along with questions about intellectual property and national security, are causing widespread concern in the West


Singapore@summit: More than a Little Red Dot

The $20 million price tag is a low-cost campaign fee for a country that’s transforming its branding from being “a little red dot” on the shopping map, to becoming a precisely and globally positioned summit state that counts