Debasish Roy Chowdhury

Debasish is a Jefferson Fellow and winner of multiple Hong Kong News and SOPA awards. He has worked and lived in Calcutta, São Paulo, Hua Hin, Bangkok, Beijing, and Hong Kong.

Its Middle Eastern neighbours tried to choke the small Gulf state, but in effect forced Qatar to find creative solutions, new trade routes, and push reforms at a faster pace

Geopolitics

China a pillar of strength in Qatar’s fight against blockade

9 Jun 2018 - 7:39pm 14

Outsiders jostle for space in war-ravaged Philippine city while its own languish on the margins waiting for the government to rebuild it anew

Politics

Chinese cash, American muscle, and Marawi’s discontents

26 May 2018 - 5:13pm 9

Philippine strongman finds himself between a rock and a hard place as Beijing refuses to let up on militarising areas it claims in the South China Sea

Geopolitics

Duterte wants to be friends, why isn’t China playing ball?

20 May 2018 - 12:01pm 33

A year after siege, Philippines’ Marawi lies in ruins

World

A year after siege, Philippines’ Marawi lies in ruins

25 May 2018 - 1:47pm

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

Asia

Will Xi-Modi summit lead to deals on Belt and Road, investments, and border?

25 Apr 2018 - 4:12pm 12

As a new government takes charge in Kathmandu, the geopolitics of the Himalayas may change, the same way it did in the Indian Ocean

Asia

Driven by India into China’s arms, is Nepal the new Sri Lanka?

26 Feb 2018 - 3:44am 72

Once barely a footnote in the tourism stats of the Himalayan nation, Chinese visitors now compete for prominence and are likely to grow exponentially once infrastructure improvements pave way for more of them

Economics

Chinese tourists flood into Nepal – even before floodgates open

24 Feb 2018 - 2:34pm 13

Nepal's prime minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli wants to lower the country’s dependence on oil. Photo: AFP

Asia

Nepal leader vows to revive Chinese dam project

20 Feb 2018 - 2:54pm 165

A fresh Chinese build-up in the Himalayan area of a summer stand-off raises fears in Delhi that the August peace deal may be unravelling, paving the way for an even bigger confrontation

Asia

Are war clouds gathering over Doklam again?

28 Jan 2018 - 12:12pm 118

A revolt in India’s Supreme Court can be traced to a case linked to one of the most difficult phases of the Indian leader’s career

Politics

Modi, a dead judge, and ghosts from the past

20 Jan 2018 - 12:32pm 7

The US president’s boast about his bigger nuclear button has roots in imperialism’s use of phallic domination as a tool for power projection

Opinion

Trump’s big button to Thai penis whitening: hail the emperor

17 Jan 2018 - 5:52pm 1

Narendra Modi addresses supporters at a campaign rally in Ahmadabad, Gujarat’s largest city. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Modi is facing a perfect storm in Gujarat. Can he weather it?

14 Dec 2017 - 7:21pm 5

Both China and India may be soft-pedalling Myanmar’s genocide out of geopolitical interests. But that doesn’t explain Delhi’s selective rejection of the region’s most vulnerable refugees

Geopolitics

Tibetans to Sri Lankans, India welcomed all. Why not Rohingya?

3 Dec 2017 - 11:53am 92

Indian prime minister had promised to rescue the economy, now the economy needs to rescue him

Politics

Withdrawal symptoms: cash is still king in India, Modi not so much

12 Nov 2017 - 2:16pm 74

India welcomes unprecedented U.S. invitation to play a more active part in Afghanistan, but what was that about the money?

Geopolitics

‘ATM Modi’ squirms in Trump’s Afghan embrace

27 Aug 2017 - 12:17pm 11

Both countries have been peddling a simplistic narrative of the last war, each blaming the other. Is it any surprise there’s so much loose talk of a new one?

Geopolitics

When will China and India talk about the 1962 war honestly?

8 Aug 2017 - 5:51pm 109

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping: Is the bromance over? Photo: AFP

Geopolitics

China and North Korea: What now if Xi-Trump bromance is over?

8 Jul 2017 - 11:26am 14

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Madison Square Garden in New York, during his visit in 2014. Photo: Reuters

Geopolitics

What’s at stake for China as Modi meets Trump?

6 Jul 2017 - 11:25pm 23

After being serially barked at, America is out of the doghouse, and the strongman goes eerily silent

This Week in Asia

Where does US role in Marawi leave Duterte’s China pivot?

6 Jul 2017 - 11:42pm 36

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Australian cricket team captain Steven Smith rub their noses during an interaction with the team at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamsala, India. Photo: Getty

Politics

Why China, India and the Dalai Lama are pushing the boundaries

6 Jul 2017 - 3:48pm 32

An issue that once sparked Hindu-Muslim riots and claimed the lives of thousands looks likely to stir to life once again

Politics

Ram redux: will India return to the days of temple strife?

26 Mar 2017 - 7:01pm

After his recent success at the polls, India’s prime minister has a rare opportunity to overcome longstanding border disputes and build new economic bridges to Beijing

Geopolitics

What a stronger Modi means for China

6 Jul 2017 - 3:58pm 9

An accidental immigrant, and a political junkie with the natural touch for data analytics helped Donald Trump win the presidency, and he is just getting started

Politics

After Trump, Hong Kong next stop for this Indian data wizard?

20 Jan 2017 - 10:05pm 2

The way Prime Minister Modi pushed through demonetisation and the chaos that followed expose a key weakness – the country’s hallowed central bank has no real autonomy

Politics

Note ban turns Reserve Bank of India into a joke

10 Nov 2017 - 10:28pm 3

Indian protesters carry an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a demonstration against the government's decision to withdraw 500 and 1,000 Indian rupee banknotes from circulation. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Note ban: will it make India, or break Modi?

10 Nov 2017 - 10:27pm

In a country where 70 per cent of people live in villages and less than one in five own smartphones, the digital economy can seem a strange priority

Politics

Modi’s cashless payment dream: Meet the people paying for it

7 Jan 2017 - 12:01pm 3

Indians walk past replica prints of the demonetised 500 and 1,000 rupee notes as part of a street art exhibition in Mumbai. Photo: AFP

Politics

India’s note ban: what Modi can really achieve

6 Jan 2017 - 12:42pm

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Photo: Bloomberg

Geopolitics

Exclusive: How China-Sri Lanka relations are getting new wings

3 Dec 2016 - 1:22pm

Delhi’s go-to guy for talking to Beijing is one of the few Indian leaders who openly advocate closer ties. Maverick he may be, but there’s reason to believe he’s not alone

Geopolitics

India’s China policy off target, says Modi’s Mandarin-speaking ‘guided missile’

20 Nov 2016 - 4:09pm 8

Subramanian Swamy, an Indian politician and a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. Photo: AFP

Politics

Modi’s key aide blames poor planning for India’s currency crisis

13 Nov 2016 - 11:14pm 3

A young Republican wears a Donald Trump mask at a campaign event in Cincinnati, Ohio. Photo: Bloomberg

Opinion

Trump vs Clinton: the spectacle of America’s one-party election

23 Oct 2016 - 11:29pm 9

Chinese President Xi Jinping sits on a swing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a riverside park in Gujarat in 2014. Photo: Xinhua

Geopolitics

China-India-Pakistan triangle: When Xi meets Modi, a little less love this time

17 Oct 2016 - 6:15pm 7

Some 3,000 people have died in Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug crackdown. Photo: EPA

Society

There’s too much drug blood on America’s hands to lecture Duterte

24 Sep 2016 - 2:13pm 28

An Indian army guard of honor carries the bodies of two soldiers killed in a terrorist attack on a base in Uri. Photo: NurPhoto

This Week in Asia

Why China is caught in India-Pakistan crossfire

24 Sep 2016 - 10:28am 2

How India and China go to war every day – without firing a single shot

Opinion

How India and China go to war every day – without firing a single shot

29 Aug 2016 - 5:14pm 16

(101116) -- ZHUHAI, Nov. 16, 2010 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan pilot flies with JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft in Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 15, 2010. Pakistan aerobatic team "Sherdils" took part in a rehearsal on Monday for the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. (Xinhua/Yang Guang) (zgp)

Diplomacy

Chinese and Indian fighter jets face off amid regional turf war

22 Jan 2016 - 4:24pm 8

epa04958716 A line of taxis as drivers wait for fuel at a petrol station in Kathmandu, Nepal, 01 October 2015. The Nepalese are facing an acute crisis of petroleum products and other essential commodities after neighboring India stopped supplies. The Nepalese government has stopped providing fuel to private number plate vehicles across the country due to the fuel shortage. Nepal, a small landlocked country, depends on supplies from India. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Diplomacy

China scores as Nepal plays hardball with India over border ‘blockade’

10 Oct 2017 - 1:21pm 8

***ONE TIME USE ONLY, PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE RE-USE - OTUO*** Artist's impression of the planned Colombo Port City. SCMP Pictures (UNDATED HANDOUT)

Business

Sri Lanka clears the decks for controversial Chinese project

11 Dec 2015 - 12:43am

India's central bank chief says China not to blame for Asian currency war, backs bigger role for yuan

News

India's central bank chief says China not to blame for Asian currency war, backs bigger role for yuan

22 Nov 2015 - 11:28pm

Indian central bank governor Raghuram Rajan being conferred an honorary doctorate by the HKUST yesterday. Photo: Edward Wong

Business

China's pain is India's pain too, says India's 'rockstar' central bank governor

25 Nov 2015 - 2:31pm 1

The Chinese-built South Terminal has made it possible for Colombo port to attract ultra-large container vessels, making it a regional hub. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Business

Why a Chinese port operator is a key player in Indian cargo

8 Nov 2015 - 11:50pm

Ultra-large ships that would earlier bypass Sri Lanka's shallow ports now come calling thanks to the new terminal built by a Chinese company. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Companies

Chinese-built port terminal in Sri Lanka makes waves

9 Nov 2015 - 2:24am 1

US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) meets with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo in May.Photo: Xinhua

Asia

Advantage US, as China fades in Sri Lanka's war crimes debate

2 Sep 2016 - 8:48am 5

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake will next month present one of Sri Lanka's most difficult budgets. Photo: AFP

Business

Let bygones be bygones, Colombo urges Beijing, as Chinese loans take their toll

19 Oct 2015 - 7:33pm 4

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa's tweet recording his meeting with Liu Zhenmin, which was unusual because Chinese envoys usually only meet with government officials.

South Asia

China keeps former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa in frame

13 Oct 2015 - 3:47pm

Hambantota received just six ships in 2011 and 18 in 2013. Photo: Xinhua

Business

Sri Lanka looks to China to buoy sinking port

11 Oct 2015 - 3:13pm

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena (right) shakes hands with Chinese special envoy Liu Zhenmin, in Colombo on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Business

Sri Lanka promises to end deadlock over mega Chinese project

10 Oct 2015 - 3:11am 3