Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China
Laos has come a long way from being an exotic kingdom and scene of violent conflict to relative political stability and pragmatic external relations. With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj currently on a visit to Laos, this is the time for the two countries to focus on scaling up bilateral cooperation
Courtesy: Flickr / Paul Kagame
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?
Courtesy: Financial Express
India can draw Canada in a new direction – away from its trans-Atlantic fixation, into the Indo-Pacific and a tech and resources partnership that will benefit both democracies
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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
Courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China
In Cambodia, democracy exists only in form. Liberal values, inculcated by the West, take second place to poverty alleviation and employment. Such priorities have affected its diplomatic allegiances while bilateral relations with India have not expanded
Courtesy: Competitive India
'Strategic OFDI’ is outward foreign direct investment made by nations in their strategic interests. China leads the way, but the U.S. has also just announced a new agency for strategic OFDI. It will now gain increasing salience in global foreign policy.
Courtesy: Global Gallivanting
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
Courtesy: Lifeforex
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.
Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle
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.
Courtesy: MEA/ Flickr
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.