https://www.scmp.com/rss/506947/feed Pranay Sharma is a New Delhi-based independent journalist. He has written reports and commentaries on current and foreign affairs for several decades, and has worked for leading Indian media organisations like Outlook and The Telegraph as Foreign Editor and Chief of Bureau. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com India’s foreign and defence ministers will hold talks with their American counterparts in a “2 plus 2” format in Washington on Monday amid speculation that once-warming ties between the countries have now been set adrift by their differing views on the Ukraine-Russia war. The meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken comes amid signals from Washington that it... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3173611/indias-stance-russia-ukraine-war-looms-large-2-plus-2-talks-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3173611/indias-stance-russia-ukraine-war-looms-large-2-plus-2-talks-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2022 02:45:22 +0000 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s two-day visit to New Delhi was due to begin Thursday amid an all-out attempt by international diplomats to exert pressure on India over its stance towards Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. A statement by Britain’s High Commission in India said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss would press New Delhi for tougher action on Russia in her meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. US deputy national security adviser for international economics Daleep... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3172638/russias-lavrov-visits-india-amid-us-criticism-flurry-western?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3172638/russias-lavrov-visits-india-amid-us-criticism-flurry-western?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:49:43 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit India on Saturday, meeting his counterpart Narendra Modi for the first time, with discussions expected to focus on cementing security ties, boosting supply chain resilience and managing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. The visit takes place under the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While Japan has joined the West in imposing sanctions on Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, India, on the basis of its close ties with Russia, has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3170990/kishida-heads-india-talks-modi-ukraine-war-china-problems-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3170990/kishida-heads-india-talks-modi-ukraine-war-china-problems-show?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Mar 2022 11:00:20 +0000 As US allies lined up on Tuesday to denounce Russia’s recent actions in Ukraine, one voice was conspicuously absent from the multinational chorus of condemnation: India’s. New Delhi’s ambassador to the United Nations told a Security Council meeting on Tuesday that the escalation of tensions in Europe was “a matter of deep concern” and had the potential to undermine regional security – but India has stopped short of criticising Russia’s actions or threatening to join in with US-led sanctions, as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3168011/ukraine-crisis-why-india-isnt-condemning-russia-unlike-rest-quad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3168011/ukraine-crisis-why-india-isnt-condemning-russia-unlike-rest-quad?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Feb 2022 15:48:22 +0000 Until this week the Indian press had been keen to hype up Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s summit with the five Central Asian republics. So much so that some reports went as far as to claim that the meeting, to be held on Thursday, was a feat that neither China nor Russia – despite their close strategic and economic links with the region – had been able to achieve. The crowing stopped on Monday, when China’s foreign ministry announced that President Xi Jinping would chair a virtual summit the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3164825/india-takes-china-and-russia-great-game-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3164825/india-takes-china-and-russia-great-game-central-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 14:00:24 +0000 Pakistan last week launched its first-ever national security policy, listing economic security as its top priority even as it continues to emphasise military security. Still, the shift is striking given that Pakistan has been at odds with its nuclear-armed rival India for years and has had to deal with violent Islamist militancy and separatist movements. The country has also been caught up in two wars in Afghanistan, firstly from 1979 when Soviet troops invaded. The second time was from 2001... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3164176/what-does-pakistans-first-national-security-policy-say-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3164176/what-does-pakistans-first-national-security-policy-say-about?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jan 2022 05:45:10 +0000 Defence issues will be a major focus for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they meet at their annual summit in New Delhi on Monday, with agreements related to energy, space and cooperation in the Arctic and Russia’s Far East region also likely to be announced. Russian and Indian defence and foreign ministers will also hold their first 2+2 meeting. Currently, India only has arrangements for this top-level ministerial dialogue with fellow Quad security... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3158512/india-russia-set-sign-defence-pacts-amid-china-us-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3158512/india-russia-set-sign-defence-pacts-amid-china-us-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 10:00:21 +0000 Military commanders from China and India are expected to hold a 13th round of talks on their border dispute by the middle of this month – but in the run-up to the dialogue, the nuclear-armed neighbours have ramped up deployments along their 3,488km (2,167 mile) shared border. New Delhi has sent 50,000 additional troops to the Himalayan areas of the undemarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to recent Indian media reports. French-made Rafale fighter jets armed with long-range missiles... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3151296/china-india-border-new-delhi-redirects-pakistan-facing-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3151296/china-india-border-new-delhi-redirects-pakistan-facing-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Oct 2021 14:33:03 +0000 Australia’s acquisition of at least eight nuclear-powered submarines as part of a new, trilateral defence pact with the United States and Britain has prompted soul-searching in New Delhi about how India should react. New Delhi has not officially responded to the Aukus partnership that will see Australia ramping up its deterrence capabilities, at a time when the US and its allies are seeking to counter China’s rising influence in the region. Shekhar Sinha, a retired vice-admiral and former... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3149446/aukus-fallout-years-us-told-india-it-couldnt-share-nuclear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3149446/aukus-fallout-years-us-told-india-it-couldnt-share-nuclear?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Sep 2021 12:30:15 +0000 India is set to raise its concerns about regional security when it hosts the virtual BRICS summit on Thursday, days after the Taliban announced an interim government in Afghanistan. New Delhi’s national security adviser Ajit Doval will make a presentation at the meeting, which will be attended by the other leaders of the five-nation group of emerging economies – China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa – that now accounts for about 25 per cent of the world’s total economic output and more than 16... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3148052/india-set-host-brics-talks-regional-security-agenda-it-keeps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3148052/india-set-host-brics-talks-regional-security-agenda-it-keeps?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:17:49 +0000 As world leaders debate how or whether to engage with the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, Russia has sought to assure its long-time partner India that New Delhi’s views matter. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the two agreeing to set up a joint team of foreign affairs and national security officials to assess the situation in Afghanistan. According to sources with knowledge of the conversation, there are indications Russia is not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3146519/russia-seeks-assure-india-partnership-moscow-beijing-align?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3146519/russia-seeks-assure-india-partnership-moscow-beijing-align?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:00:23 +0000 The Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan has redrawn South Asia’s geopolitical map, opening a path for China and Russia to exert influence but leaving a major power, India, seemingly out in the cold. New Delhi strongly supported and provided aid to the Kabul government under Ashraf Ghani, who fled to the United Arab Emirates and has been denounced by former allies for abandoning the country. But India’s history with the Taliban has complicated matters. Its enemy Pakistan has long been accused of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145684/india-gears-taliban-run-afghanistan-russia-china-extend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3145684/india-gears-taliban-run-afghanistan-russia-china-extend?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 14:00:26 +0000 The United States, China, Russia and Pakistan will meet in Qatar’s capital of Doha on Wednesday to discuss the worsening situation in Afghanistan, as the Taliban’s military offensive threatens to overrun the Kabul government, paving the way for civil war. At the “extended troika” meeting, representatives of the four countries, who last met in March and April in Moscow and Doha, will hold consultations before meeting representatives of the Taliban and Kabul government to urge them to commit to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144574/us-china-russia-pakistan-meet-amid-alarm-talibans-sweep-through?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144574/us-china-russia-pakistan-meet-amid-alarm-talibans-sweep-through?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 15:00:20 +0000 China and Pakistan’s declaration that they will closely cooperate in Afghanistan – as the last US and international troops withdraw, leaving a security vacuum being exploited by Taliban insurgents – has begun to worry Indian policymakers. New Delhi’s relations with both Beijing and Islamabad are strained, and the five-point plan for collaboration announced by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his visiting Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi during their meeting over the weekend is an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3142596/china-pakistan-alliance-afghanistan-worries-india-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3142596/china-pakistan-alliance-afghanistan-worries-india-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jul 2021 07:00:11 +0000 As Afghanistan’s neighbours become increasingly rattled by the Taliban’s rise on the back of the US troop withdrawal, one question that has emerged among Indian policy watchers is whether the Northern Alliance – an anti-Taliban military front led by the Tajik and other Afghan ethnic minority groups – can be revived. The alliance was supported by Russia, Iran and India after its inception in 1996 and remained a pocket of resistance in northern Afghanistan until it disbanded in 2001, when a more... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3141461/indians-worries-over-taliban-afghanistan-fuels-talk-revived?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3141461/indians-worries-over-taliban-afghanistan-fuels-talk-revived?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:45:12 +0000 A drone attack on an Indian airbase in Jammu has raised concerns that an escalation in hostilities could put at risk a ceasefire between Pakistan and India. Two Indian soldiers were wounded when two drones dropped explosives on the Indian Air Force base, which is also used as a civilian airport, on June 27. While the drones were not captured, Indian experts say there is little doubt they originated in Pakistan. Anti-India rebel groups based in Pakistan have previously used drones to drop... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139576/india-pakistan-ceasefire-threatened-drone-attack-just?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139576/india-pakistan-ceasefire-threatened-drone-attack-just?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jul 2021 13:00:11 +0000 The relatively positive note on which the recent summit between the US and Russian presidents ended has raised hopes in India that warming ties between the former Cold War adversaries could play into New Delhi’s hands. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on June 16 in what was the first meeting between the leaders of the United States and Russia since 2018. Though they made little progress on issues such as cybersecurity, Ukraine or human rights, both leaders left the meeting claiming... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139031/closer-us-and-russia-makes-india-hopeful-china-not-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3139031/closer-us-and-russia-makes-india-hopeful-china-not-so-much?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 10:00:25 +0000 India’s concerns over China’s growing influence in Sri Lanka have been exacerbated after the approval of controversial legislation governing a Chinese-funded US$1.4 billion project to build a special economic zone (SEZ) next to the main port in Colombo. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was passed by Sri Lanka’s 225-member parliament last month. Among other things, it empowers a seven-member body appointed by the president with complete control over all decisions related to the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3136486/indias-concerns-over-chinas-rising-influence-sri-lanka-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3136486/indias-concerns-over-chinas-rising-influence-sri-lanka-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jun 2021 13:30:07 +0000 To analysts on South Asia, China’s warning to Bangladesh earlier this week against joining the four-member Quad alliance was surprising because Dhaka could hardly be considered a consequential player in Indo-Pacific security. Kanwal Sibal, who served for 36 years in India’s foreign service, said Bangladesh had no worthwhile navy and would not be able to contribute to maritime security. He had not heard of any talk that Bangladesh had been invited to join the Quad, he said. The Quad, comprising... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3133383/why-was-bangladesh-warned-china-against-joining-quad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3133383/why-was-bangladesh-warned-china-against-joining-quad?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 May 2021 13:00:15 +0000 The decision by India and Russia to hold a “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defence ministers is meant not only to clear up misunderstandings in their bilateral relationship, but to send a signal to both the United States and China, experts have said. New Delhi was keen to demonstrate that it retained its “strategic autonomy” in a signal to Washington, said Kanwal Sibal, a former Indian foreign secretary. The US has been trying to wean India off of Russian influence and has tried to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131683/message-us-and-china-india-and-russia-put-two-and-two-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131683/message-us-and-china-india-and-russia-put-two-and-two-together?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:04:54 +0000 The Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe’s visit to Sri Lanka on Tuesday is as much about boosting political and economic cooperation as it is about military links, experts say. Wei will become the second senior Chinese official to have visited the country since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic when he arrives for the three-day visit, which follows a trip by China’s foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi in October 2020. Wei is expected to hold talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131163/chinas-defence-minister-heads-sri-lanka-should-india-be-worried?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131163/chinas-defence-minister-heads-sri-lanka-should-india-be-worried?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Apr 2021 14:30:18 +0000 India’s move, with a little help from Japan, to develop a strategically located island chain near the mouth of Southeast Asia’s main shipping lane is part of a broader plan by New Delhi to keep a closer watch on China’s naval assets, say analysts and former Indian officials – especially its submarines. The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago of 572 islands, only 38 of which are inhabited, stretches across some 1,000km (620 miles) of Indian Ocean by the western entrance to the Malacca Strait, through... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3129389/india-planning-spy-chinese-submarines-andamans-little-help-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3129389/india-planning-spy-chinese-submarines-andamans-little-help-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Apr 2021 11:30:15 +0000 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday ruled out a military alliance with China, saying such a discussion was not on the table even as he described Moscow-Beijing bilateral ties as being “the highest in history at the summit level”. Lavrov was speaking at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar after their meeting in New Delhi, during which both had discussed closer military cooperation and the peace process in Afghanistan, where Russia is trying to bring... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3128521/india-russia-defence-ties-deepen-even-moscow-hails-highest-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3128521/india-russia-defence-ties-deepen-even-moscow-hails-highest-level?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Apr 2021 15:08:18 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to New Delhi last week was the latest symbol of Washington’s desire for the two sides to close ranks against China’s increasing assertiveness, observers say. Yet in drawing closer to the United States, India could risk alienating its long-time defence ally and largest arms supplier Russia, with whom Delhi enjoys a “special and privileged strategic partnership”. Since 2016, the US has designated India a “major defence partner”, with the two going on to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3127193/russia-could-upset-indias-us-china-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3127193/russia-could-upset-indias-us-china-balancing-act?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Mar 2021 09:00:07 +0000 China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific, coronavirus vaccines and the Myanmar coup are expected to be on the agenda as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday meets his counterparts from Japan, Australia and the US in a teleconference of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or “Quad”. The Times of India news outlet reported on Friday that India would manufacture the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine with financing from the US and Japan. Australia would be involved in shipping it... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3125136/india-china-border-row-covid-19-vaccine-diplomacy-fuelling-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3125136/india-china-border-row-covid-19-vaccine-diplomacy-fuelling-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Mar 2021 04:30:23 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said they would work together to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific during a 40-minute phone conversation on Tuesday. The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation bilaterally as well as with the United States and Australia, the Japanese foreign ministry said. Together the four countries make up the Quad, a group of major democracies that have been strengthening security ties as a counter to China’s increasing... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124755/uncomfortable-signal-china-japans-suga-raises-hong-kong-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124755/uncomfortable-signal-china-japans-suga-raises-hong-kong-south?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Mar 2021 16:01:24 +0000 While the Indian government has yet to respond to Myanmar’s request to send back eight police officers who crossed into India last week in a bid to escape the turmoil back home, it has asked its paramilitary unit deployed at the border to step up patrols and turn away anyone from Myanmar without a travel permit or visa. It is also expected to start deporting scores of Rohingya – members of Myanmar’s Muslim minority – who have ended up in India over the years after fleeing persecution in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124579/india-ramps-myanmar-border-patrols-it-weighs-junta-demand-return?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3124579/india-ramps-myanmar-border-patrols-it-weighs-junta-demand-return?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Mar 2021 12:03:27 +0000 Pakistan’s offer to Sri Lanka to join its multibillion-dollar trade and infrastructure scheme with China under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative has raised concerns in Indian policy circles, as New Delhi seeks to secure its influence in a region where China’s presence is growing. On a two-day visit to Colombo last week, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Colombo to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which comprises railways, power plants and the deepwater Indian Ocean... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3123851/pakistans-belt-and-road-offer-sri-lanka-stokes-indias-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3123851/pakistans-belt-and-road-offer-sri-lanka-stokes-indias-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Mar 2021 04:30:05 +0000 When US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke last week, both agreed on the need for a “rules-based international order and a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”’. But the readouts that Washington and New Delhi provided on the chat revealed the two countries’ differences on some key issues, even as they pledged to address the challenges posed by Covid-19, climate change and the revival of a moribund global economy. While Washington’s statement mentioned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3121605/amid-warming-india-us-ties-defining-democratic-norms-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3121605/amid-warming-india-us-ties-defining-democratic-norms-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Feb 2021 02:46:35 +0000 With the US State Department naming Japan and India as countries it is consulting as Washington forms its response to the Myanmar coup, attention has turned to the ties the Asian nations have with the military leadership and whether Tokyo and New Delhi have the will and leverage to exert pressure on the regime. Washington on Tuesday condemned the coup, saying it was reviewing aid and existing sanctions on military officers in Myanmar, while Japan also described the Monday detention of elected... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3120494/myanmar-coup-do-india-and-japan-have-will-or-leverage-exert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3120494/myanmar-coup-do-india-and-japan-have-will-or-leverage-exert?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Feb 2021 06:32:32 +0000 Pakistan’s move last week to lift visa restrictions for Bangladeshi citizens, and Dhaka’s request that Islamabad issue an apology for mass killings during its 1971 war of independence, have raised concerns in Indian diplomatic circles that its neighbours are attempting to smooth over their strained bilateral ties. Any improvements to the mostly lukewarm relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh in recent years will have implications for the complex geopolitical dynamics in South Asia, where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3117546/pakistan-bangladesh-ties-thaw-india-keeps-close-watch-them-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3117546/pakistan-bangladesh-ties-thaw-india-keeps-close-watch-them-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jan 2021 09:11:59 +0000 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc have called for a peaceful, “open and rules-based” Indo-Pacific while also proposing to enhance their defence and security partnership – statements made with an eye on China’s growing dominance in the region. During a virtual summit on Monday, the two leaders agreed to increase military-to-military exchanges through regular ship visits, joint exercises, and training and capacity building programmes across their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3115104/india-vietnam-strengthen-defence-ties-amid-shared-concerns-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3115104/india-vietnam-strengthen-defence-ties-amid-shared-concerns-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Dec 2020 13:00:24 +0000 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has created a geopolitical stir with his claim that India is being manipulated by Western countries into “anti-China games” and turning its back on Moscow. His remarks last week not only prompted an official response from the Indian foreign ministry, but also sparked commentaries from irked observers who took umbrage at the suggestion that New Delhi had no strategic calculations of its own. Lavrov said India had become “an object of the Western countries’... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3113886/us-behind-indias-anti-china-games-russia-thinks-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3113886/us-behind-indias-anti-china-games-russia-thinks-so?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Dec 2020 12:00:22 +0000 The decision of 15 Asian countries earlier this month to seal the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), heralding a major step forward for economic integration, has sparked a debate among diplomats and academics in India about whether the country is being left out of Asia’s growth story because of its decision not to join the group. “India has been repeatedly missing the Asian bus, despite our desire to get on board,” Sanjaya Baru, an adviser to former prime minister Manmohan... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3111098/can-india-be-part-asias-growth-story-without-rcep-or-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3111098/can-india-be-part-asias-growth-story-without-rcep-or-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Nov 2020 04:00:09 +0000 The India-US alliance has been strengthened by the signing last month of a high-profile defence deal and this week’s three-day Malabar naval exercise featuring members of the so-called Quad, which also includes Australia and Japan and is regarded by Beijing as an anti-China grouping. In India, politicians and commentators have debated whether New Delhi’s eagerness for US support against China’s expanding footprint in South Asia will make it a “junior partner” in Washington’s Indo-Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3108828/us-india-security-ties-deepen-some-new-delhi-worry-about-taking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3108828/us-india-security-ties-deepen-some-new-delhi-worry-about-taking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Nov 2020 11:15:07 +0000 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday brought the Trump administration’s anti-China campaign to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, two Indian Ocean island nations considered particularly at risk for what American officials consider to be Chinese exploitation. Pompeo is visiting Sri Lanka and the Maldives to press the two countries to be on guard against potential predatory lending and investment by China. He made the case less than a week before the US election in which President Donald Trump... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3107293/pompeos-sri-lanka-visit-underscores-brewing-us-china-battle-indo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3107293/pompeos-sri-lanka-visit-underscores-brewing-us-china-battle-indo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Oct 2020 14:30:10 +0000 US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun’s visit to Dhaka this past week was seen as part of Washington’s attempt to raise its visibility in South Asia at a time when China has increased engagement with countries in the region through its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative , which promises billions of dollars of investments in infrastructure projects, as well as enhanced trade and defence ties. Biegun’s thee-day stay in Dhaka followed US Defence Secretary Mark Esper’s phone conversation with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3105901/us-hones-its-indo-pacific-strategy-south-asian-nations-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3105901/us-hones-its-indo-pacific-strategy-south-asian-nations-come?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Oct 2020 04:00:05 +0000 For the first time, India’s foreign secretary and army chief made a joint visit to Naypyidaw earlier this week, fuelling talk that Myanmar has stepped up its efforts to balance China’s rising influence and New Delhi is ready to respond. In all previous Indian administrations, these officials would visit Myanmar at least once in their tenure, usually separately. But foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and the Chief of Army Staff M.M. Naravane went together to Myanmar on Sunday and Monday,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104926/india-responds-myanmars-call-closer-ties-balance-out-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3104926/india-responds-myanmars-call-closer-ties-balance-out-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2020 13:46:20 +0000 Colombo’s “India First Policy”, a coronavirus economic assistance plan and intelligence-sharing efforts are likely to be on the agenda of a virtual summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and newly-elected Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, analysts said. The meeting on Saturday – which marks the first summit between India and a South Asian neighbour – represents a chance for both sides to “comprehensively review” their “time-tested” friendship, said India’s foreign ministry,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3102969/sri-lanka-seeks-balance-india-ties-even-china-presence-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3102969/sri-lanka-seeks-balance-india-ties-even-china-presence-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2020 04:00:11 +0000 When the foreign ministers of India and China agreed to de-escalate tensions along their disputed border, there were three countries – not two – eager to take credit for the breakthrough. “We are very happy that Moscow has presented a platform to Russia, China and India to have this very productive, fruitful meeting whose goal is to stabilise the situation on the border between India and China,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a local reporter after the talks, which took place on the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3102151/why-russias-getting-involved-china-india-border-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3102151/why-russias-getting-involved-china-india-border-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2020 05:00:17 +0000 China and India agreed on Friday that troops from both countries should “quickly disengage” troops from their disputed Himalayan border after months of tension. In their first formal agreement since a deadly clash in June, the foreign ministers from both countries also agreed to work out a new framework to maintain peace at the border. But analysts said the deal’s prospects were undermined by battered trust on both sides. Meeting on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gathering... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3101102/first-agreement-between-china-and-india-june-clash-pledge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3101102/first-agreement-between-china-and-india-june-clash-pledge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2020 01:58:17 +0000 Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday agreed their countries would work more closely for peace and security in the Indo-Pacific, a fortnight after Abe said he would step down over health issues. A day earlier the Indian Armed Forces and the Self-Defence Forces of Japan had signed an agreement that would allow the two countries’ navies to use each other’s ports for basic support and resupplies. During a 30-minute telephone call between... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3101066/modi-abe-bromance-gone-will-indias-ties-japan-remain-solid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3101066/modi-abe-bromance-gone-will-indias-ties-japan-remain-solid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2020 14:18:07 +0000 India has embarked on a hectic programme of outreach over the past month in an effort to re-engage its neighbours in South Asia, as Beijing’s growing influence in the region amid rising political tensions between the pair fuels discomfort in New Delhi. Since the start of August, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in touch with his counterparts in Nepal and Sri Lanka, dispatched his foreign secretary to Bangladesh with a “special message” of support, and instructed his external affairs... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3099433/china-india-border-dispute-continues-new-delhi-scrambles-shore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3099433/china-india-border-dispute-continues-new-delhi-scrambles-shore?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2020 08:30:06 +0000 India’s US$500 million economic aid package for the Maldives, announced last week, comes in the middle of a game of brinkmanship between New Delhi and Beijing as they seek to establish dominance in South Asia. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia by both size and population, but the archipelagic nation is strategically located in the Indian Ocean – where it has in the past served as a diplomatic battleground for China and India. Regionally, the assistance from New Delhi is widely seen as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3097954/india-takes-lead-maldives-us500-million-aid-package-china-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3097954/india-takes-lead-maldives-us500-million-aid-package-china-not?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2020 07:30:10 +0000