India’s quest for a road to Central Asia
3 years, 3 months ago

India’s quest for a road to Central Asia

Live Mint  

NEW DELHI : In a speech at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meet on 17 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dwelt on how Central Asia had been a connectivity bridge between various regional markets at different points in history. In 2018, New Delhi joined the Ashgabat agreement, that “would diversify India’s connectivity options with Central Asia," an Indian foreign ministry statement said. The Pakistan-China factor Cut to 2021, with the Taliban in power in Kabul, India’s “Connect to Central Asia" plans seem to have come undone again. At this point, alternatives to Indian connectivity projects “Pakistan’s obstructionist attitude has played a big role in keeping India out of Central Asia," said Dilip Sinha, a former Indian diplomat who was on the Pakistan desk in the Indian foreign ministry from 2005-07. “In the past 20 years, Beijing has made considerable inroads into the region, boosting trade and co-opting Central Asian states into its Belt and Road Initiative," Kondapalli said.

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History of this topic

An India-China reset needs bold and new thinking
3 weeks, 1 day ago

An India-China reset needs bold and new thinking

The Hindu  

The hallmark of mature leaders is to resolve disputes peacefully and not let them escalate into conflicts. Second, India must not deviate from its “One China” policy by appearing to support Taiwan’s independence or to play the “Tibet” card. With the U.S. under Trump 2.0 threatening to hike tariffs on Chinese imports, India’s large and fast-expanding market offers a growth …

Bangladesh's Shift Towards China and Pakistan: New Challenges for India
5 months, 1 week ago

Bangladesh's Shift Towards China and Pakistan: New Challenges for India

Deccan Chronicle  

NEW DELHI: The eventual formation of a pro-Pakistan and pro-China government comprising the anti-India Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami in Dhaka appears to be a foregone conclusion and will be the latest in a series of challenges to confront New Delhi in the neighbourhood. In an attempt to keep pace with the enormously superior Chinese financial muscle, New Delhi, especially …

Comparing Chinese and Indian Energy Security Strategies in Central Asia
9 months ago

Comparing Chinese and Indian Energy Security Strategies in Central Asia

The Diplomat  

Given the vital importance of oil and gas in fueling modern societies, securing access to such resources forms an integral component of a country's foreign policy. What role do the Central Asian republics play in China's and India's energy security, and which energy strategies and ongoing initiatives are the two countries are pursuing in the region? India’s Pipeline Strategy in …

India and Japan Converge in Southeast Asia
1 year, 1 month ago

India and Japan Converge in Southeast Asia

The Hindu  

Upon dropping a series of Chinese-led infrastructure projects due to sustainability and geopolitical concerns, the Philippines is now redirecting its attention to Japan and India as alternative sources of development and security. Thus, Japan and India’s bolstered engagements in Southeast Asia complement the interest of resident countries like the Philippines to lessen their susceptibility to China’s expanding economic clout and …

India offers help to Central Asian states to fight terror, takes a dig at Pak
1 year, 2 months ago

India offers help to Central Asian states to fight terror, takes a dig at Pak

Live Mint  

India has offered its assistance to Central Asian states to tackle terrorism, drug trafficking and to build defences against cyber threats as part of measures to bolster cooperation and connectivity with the strategic region, Hindustan Times reported Tuesday. India will work closely with Central Asian states to help them build defences against cyber threats and create a secure cyber ecosystem, …

Railway can drive Central Asia's development faster
1 year, 3 months ago

Railway can drive Central Asia's development faster

China Daily  

Photo shows the mark of the ground zero of the eastern terminal of the New Eurasian Land Bridge at the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in Lianyungang city, East China's Jiangsu province. The Belt and Road Initiative has built remarkably efficient railways connecting China and Europe via Central Asia. At present, most cargo between China and Europe is transported along the …

Railway can drive Central Asia's development faster
1 year, 3 months ago

Railway can drive Central Asia's development faster

China Daily  

Photo shows the mark of the ground zero of the eastern terminal of the New Eurasian Land Bridge at the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in Lianyungang city, East China's Jiangsu province. The Belt and Road Initiative has built remarkably efficient railways connecting China and Europe via Central Asia. At present, most cargo between China and Europe is transported along the …

Is India-Middle East-Europe Corridor Truly A Threat To Chinese BRI?
1 year, 3 months ago

Is India-Middle East-Europe Corridor Truly A Threat To Chinese BRI?

ABP News  

The Middle East is witnessing a paradigm change in their world as old foes are turning into friends, and hitherto unthinkable political alliances are rapidly changing the region's economic equations. Announced on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit held in New Delhi on September 9-10, the IMEC presents a possible threat to China's 'Belt and Road Initiative', or the …

DC Edit | All roads to the world lead from Modi's India
1 year, 4 months ago

DC Edit | All roads to the world lead from Modi's India

Deccan Chronicle  

Given the year-long hype and perception build up ahead of the recently concluded Group of 20 meeting and a host of leaders who arrived in New Delhi, it was no surprise the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud shaking hands caught the world’s attention. During …

G20 summit: Transport project to link India to Middle East, Europe unveiled
1 year, 4 months ago

G20 summit: Transport project to link India to Middle East, Europe unveiled

Al Jazeera  

The ambitious rail and shipping project announced on the sidelines of G20 summit in New Delhi is seen as a challenge to China’s economic clout. A multinational rail and shipping project linking India with the Middle East and Europe has been announced on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi in a step seen as a challenge to …

Changing dynamics of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
1 year, 5 months ago

Changing dynamics of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Hindustan Times  

The 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was presided over by India, recently took place virtually. However, the primary objective for New Delhi joining the SCO was to connect with Central Asian nations, as the SCO provides a regular platform for bilateral contact. India's admission was also critical since Central Asian nations wanted India to join to balance …

View from the Himalayas | What will come of China's best laid plans?
1 year, 5 months ago

View from the Himalayas | What will come of China's best laid plans?

Hindustan Times  

The year 2023 marks 10 years since China launched One Belt One Road, now known as the Belt and Road Initiative. But even among the South Asian BRI members, there are notable differences, with Pakistan, China’s ‘all-weather friend,’ being by far the biggest BRI investment destination under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Though China’s infrastructure engagement in Nepal has followed a …

India, US plans ambitious Middle East project to counter China’s growing influence
1 year, 8 months ago

India, US plans ambitious Middle East project to counter China’s growing influence

Firstpost  

India is preparing an enormous connectivity project that would connect New Delhi to the Middle East in an effort to challenge China’s influence in the Gulf. according to a report by ‘Foreign Policy’, given the significant commercial ties that the UAE and Israel share with China, the I2U2 group — a relatively new vehicle for US-India collaboration in the Middle …

How India Can Broaden Its Relationships With Central Asia
1 year, 11 months ago

How India Can Broaden Its Relationships With Central Asia

The Diplomat  

On December 6, top security officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan arrived in New Delhi for the first India-Central Asia meeting of national security advisors. As evidenced by the recent NSA meeting between India and the Central Asian states, security remains the focal point of Indian-Central Asian relations, but India must forge links with this dynamic region via transit, …

India-Kabul Ties: As Taliban & Pakistan Draw Swords, Can Delhi Maintain Stand?
2 years ago

India-Kabul Ties: As Taliban & Pakistan Draw Swords, Can Delhi Maintain Stand?

The Quint  

The inroads that ISIS-KP were making into Afghanistan, had alarmed Russia, and the Central Asian countries, which had many of their citizens flock to Syria and Iraq to join the terror group there, and with the ascendancy of Taliban 2.0 becoming imminent, they established ties with the UN-proscribed group much before the Doha Agreements. Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, Ashkhabad had all …

Accepting the new normal in the Indo-Pacific contestation
2 years ago

Accepting the new normal in the Indo-Pacific contestation

The Hindu  

As 2022 comes to an end, the world is embracing a ‘new normal’ where new fault lines are being reconfigured in the Indo-Pacific. As tensions between an aggressive China and an emerging India intensify, New Delhi’s Quad partners are also making inroads in its backyard, ushering significant changes in the region. China’s widening outreach The contestation for South Asia and …

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Quad meet: differences between India and others
2 years, 11 months ago

Worldview with Suhasini Haidar | Quad meet: differences between India and others

The Hindu  

The Foreign Ministers of India, Japan and United States met in Australia for the Quad ministerial, which is preparing the way for a meeting between Prime Minister Modi, U.S. President Biden, Australian PM Morrison, hosted by Japanese PM Kishida in Tokyo in the next few months. Counter terrorism, maritime security and cybersecurity initiatives: In particular, the Quad said it “denounced …

Why India should further intensify its efforts to woo Central Asian republics
2 years, 11 months ago

Why India should further intensify its efforts to woo Central Asian republics

Firstpost  

Regional cooperation to enhance the commonality of views with Central Asia, and counter the assertive Sino-Pakistani axis in Afghanistan are a salient feature of the successful India-Central Asia Summit on 27 January As India deals with the post-pandemic world, a challenge is the loss of a friendly government in Afghanistan. Regional cooperation to enhance the commonality of views with Central …

Central Asia meet forms Afghan group
2 years, 11 months ago

Central Asia meet forms Afghan group

The Hindu  

Overcoming the lack of land connectivity between India and Central Asia’s land–locked countries was one of the “main issues of discussion” during the first India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, officials said on Thursday. PM Modi also proposed a number of high-level exchanges between the two sides, …

Strategy to woo the 'Stans': Why Central Asia is important to India?
2 years, 11 months ago

Strategy to woo the 'Stans': Why Central Asia is important to India?

India Today  

India had invited the leaders of five Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to be the collective Chief Guests at India’s Republic Day parade and celebrations on the 26th of the month, but on January 18, 2022, news broke that the ‘Stans’ of Central Asia were not coming after all. India’s renewed interest in the five …

Foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries call on PM Modi; economic ties, connectivity tops agenda
3 years ago

Foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries call on PM Modi; economic ties, connectivity tops agenda

Firstpost  

In the dialogue on Sunday, India and the Central Asian countries discussed a plethora of issues, including ways to further expand two-way cooperation and the situation in Afghanistan New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted the importance India attaches to its ties with Central Asian countries as part of its “extended neighbourhood” at a meeting with five foreign …

Look Central: How India Can Safeguard Her Interests in Taliban-run Afghanistan
3 years, 4 months ago

Look Central: How India Can Safeguard Her Interests in Taliban-run Afghanistan

News 18  

In the last few years, India has conducted bilateral dialogues with Central Asia, the most recent one being the 2nd India-Central Asia Dialogue in October 2020. Contrastingly, India’s trade with Central Asia is at a meagre US $2 billion, despite the CARs being rich in energy and mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, uranium, gold, silver, etc. The 2012 …

US, India agree to expand multilateral security partnership
3 years, 5 months ago

US, India agree to expand multilateral security partnership

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — The top diplomats of India and the United States pledged Wednesday to expand their multilateral security partnership, underscoring the deepening of ties between two countries concerned over China’s growing influence in the region. He called India’s contribution to the stability of Afghanistan “vital.” Blinken said there was no “military solution” to the conflict in Afghanistan and that …

Needed, a more unified Asian voice for Afghanistan
3 years, 5 months ago

Needed, a more unified Asian voice for Afghanistan

The Hindu  

As the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization end their presence in Afghanistan and set off a churn in the neighbourhood, Central Asia is emerging as a key player that the global Troika of the United States, Russia and China are turning to. Three meetings this month, of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation contact group on Afghanistan and SCO …

Evaluating India’s options in Afghanistan
3 years, 5 months ago

Evaluating India’s options in Afghanistan

The Hindu  

It is not a coincidence that the United States is exiting Afghanistan at the same time that the focus of its foreign policy is shifting to East Asia. But India should not overlook the deep ties between Pakistan’s security establishment and the Haqqani Network, a major faction within the Taliban that’s driving the successful campaigns on the battlefield. While talking …

In signal to China, U.S. raised India ties during Alaska talks
3 years, 9 months ago

In signal to China, U.S. raised India ties during Alaska talks

The Hindu  

The Joe Biden administration highlighted the strength of U.S.-India ties in its March 19 meeting with Chinese officials in Alaska, underlining how it has increasingly come to view India as central to its broader objectives in dealing with China in the Indo-Pacific region. The speed with which the new Biden administration has pushed closer ties with India has come in …

India must take the lead in South Asia | Analysis
4 years, 4 months ago

India must take the lead in South Asia | Analysis

Hindustan Times  

With the privilege of being the region’s largest economy by far comes the power to make a difference. In a just-released report from the Centre for Policy Research, India as the Engine of Recovery for South Asia: A Multi-Sectoral Plan for India’s COVID-19 Diplomacy in the Region that we have co-authored with our colleagues, Shyam Saran and Sandeep Bhardwaj, we …

Analysis | With China, India will have to be 'atmanirbhar'
4 years, 6 months ago

Analysis | With China, India will have to be 'atmanirbhar'

The Hindu  

The death of 20 Indian soldiers at the hands of Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh on the night of June 15-16 is the most serious national security crisis the country has faced since the Kargil War in 1999. At the same time, the Modi government has revived and reinforced the “quad” – consultations between India, the United …

India not ready to join RCEP trade deal, cites ‘outstanding issues’
5 years, 2 months ago

India not ready to join RCEP trade deal, cites ‘outstanding issues’

Hindustan Times  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, in order to protect service workers and farmers, an official told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. India’s final decision will depend on satisfactory resolution of these issues.” India is welcome to join RCEP whenever it’s ready, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng told reporters …

All roads lead to Gilgit-Baltistan: Indo-Pak tensions and what it could mean
5 years, 2 months ago

All roads lead to Gilgit-Baltistan: Indo-Pak tensions and what it could mean

Op India  

Things have been heating up at the border, to put it mildly. If India does not share a land border of 106 km with Afghanistan today, it is because of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of this historical part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1948,” Rajnath Singh said in a keynote address at a conference on Afghanistan held at …

India, China pose no threat to each other: Chinese envoy ahead of Modi-Xi informal summit
5 years, 3 months ago

India, China pose no threat to each other: Chinese envoy ahead of Modi-Xi informal summit

India Today  

As India pulls out all stops to roll out a grand welcome to President Xi Jinping in this ancient seaside temple town, China has said the two countries pose no threat to each other and greater cooperation between the two Asian giants would inject positive energy in ensuring peace and stability in the region and beyond. Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong …

Pakistan-India tensions won't affect TAPI project
5 years, 4 months ago

Pakistan-India tensions won't affect TAPI project

India TV News  

A Pakistan government official has said that the ongoing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over Kashmir will not affect the future of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India and other offshore gas pipeline projects. "Pakistan has assured Turkmenistan that rising tensions with India will have no effect on the mega project," the official told The Express Tribune on Saturday. The Interstate Gas Systems …

India's foreign policy for the next 5 years: New Delhi should outrun obstructionist Pakistan in Central Asia and push for regional connectivity
5 years, 7 months ago

India's foreign policy for the next 5 years: New Delhi should outrun obstructionist Pakistan in Central Asia and push for regional connectivity

Firstpost  

Editor’s note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tour of the Maldives is his first international visit after having taken oath for the second time. Although New Delhi’s major focus was on the neighbourhood but the invite to the Kyrgyz president also underlined New Delhi’s eagerness to enhance India’s diplomatic and economic profile in the Central Asian region. Now, we have built …

China tunnels into India’s idea of Kashmir
5 years, 10 months ago

China tunnels into India’s idea of Kashmir

Live Mint  

India believes that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a major threat to its national security. Not only will China’s military power appear simultaneously in its east, north and west flanks, but Pakistan will also be able to completely cut off India from Iran. India announced just one day before the event that it would not be participating, explaining that in …

Sushma Swaraj at India-Central Asia Dialogue: Strengthening ties with CAR countries will help region, especially Afghanistan
6 years ago

Sushma Swaraj at India-Central Asia Dialogue: Strengthening ties with CAR countries will help region, especially Afghanistan

Firstpost  

India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj emphasized strong India-Central Asia links while participating in the first-ever ‘India-Central Asia Dialogue’ at Uzbekistan’s Samarkand. According to Swaraj, “While geographically, Afghanistan and Central Asia are landlocked, there are several ways in which India, Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries can join hands to work on promoting connectivity in the region so that trade …

India seeks better flight connectivity with Central Asia
6 years ago

India seeks better flight connectivity with Central Asia

Live Mint  

New Delhi: India on Sunday proposed a dialogue on air corridors with the countries of landlocked Central Asia in an attempt to boost trade languishing below $2 billion for years, as foreign minister Sushma Swaraj stressed on the need for connectivity initiatives to follow the principles of financial responsibility. In a speech at the first India-Central Asia Dialogue in Uzbekistan, …

Modi, Abe to announce joint infra projects in Indo-Pacific region
6 years, 2 months ago

Modi, Abe to announce joint infra projects in Indo-Pacific region

Live Mint  

New Delhi: India and Japan could announce the undertaking of joint infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region during a summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe early next week. In other words India, Japan plus one,” said Gokhale.NextMAds India and Japan announced the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor in November 2016, seen as a counter to …

China will have to abandon Masood Azhar row, seek friendly ties with stable India as power equation in Asia is likely to change
6 years, 2 months ago

China will have to abandon Masood Azhar row, seek friendly ties with stable India as power equation in Asia is likely to change

Firstpost  

Chinese State Councillor Zhao Kezhi came visiting recently to ink an agreement with India on law enforcement and security, besides co-chairing the first ever meeting of the body with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. He together with his 30-member strong delegation, did the rounds of New Delhi, separately meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, …

Periscope: Juggling US & Russia, India needs a Plan B
6 years, 4 months ago

Periscope: Juggling US & Russia, India needs a Plan B

Deccan Chronicle  

Indian diplomacy backed only by “soft power” is facing many challenges with its neighbours — Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Nepal — increasingly coming under Chinese influence, while Pakistan, which is being courted by Russia and China, seeks to get back into the good books of the United States, whose unpredictable President Donald Trump has to decide if India …

Pieces of the Asian dream
6 years, 4 months ago

Pieces of the Asian dream

The Hindu  

This has so far been the year of the India-China reset. From the informal Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping summit at Wuhan on April 27-28 to Prime Minister Modi’s keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 1, to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in June 9 at the Chinese port city of Qingdao, all have sparked a lot of …

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