Bangladesh

Nepal’s new guard: How Gen Z fuelled a political sea change

In an unforeseen political upheaval for Nepal that saw the Rashtriya Swatantra Party win the largest political mandate in modern history, academic Rishi Gupta explores why Balen Shah and his party struck a chord across age groups, and how the new government plans to do a balancing act between India and China.

Rishi Gupta

02 Apr 2026

Post-election Bangladesh: How China prepared while India lost ground

Facing Bangladesh under newly installed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, India finds itself in greater diplomatic uncertainty while China sees it as more of a political adjustment rather than strategic disruption. Singapore-based Indian researcher Amit Ranjan and Australian researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May analyse the situation.

Amit Ranjan, Genevieve Donnellon-May

26 Feb 2026

How China is shaping India without confronting it

Amid China and India’s seeming rapprochement, China’s structural penetration into South Asia has become increasingly visible this year. Beijing is no longer nibbling at the region’s edges, but laying a wedge, says academic Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

21 Aug 2025

The Tibet mega-dam: Powering AI, reshaping South Asia

China’s Tibet mega-dam project (the Yarlung Zangbo mega-dam project) is more than a hydropower play — it is a strategic bid to green-power AI, secure energy dominance and reshape South Asia’s fragile geopolitical balance, says academic Hao Nan.

Hao Nan

05 Aug 2025

Can Bangladesh secure its water future with China and India?

Bangladesh’s water diplomacy with China and India reflects Dhaka’s efforts to address its growing water needs while trying to balance the complex geopolitical situation in the region, say Singapore-based Indian researcher Amit Ranjan and Australian researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May.

Amit Ranjan, Genevieve Donnellon-May

10 Apr 2025

Bangladesh is burning and it’s a worry for the region

Indian academic Rishi Gupta explains why Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s downfall is not a sudden development but an outcome that has been simmering since 2018. In the aftermath, Bangladesh’s neighbours such as India, China and Myanmar will have to manage spillover effects and instability in the region.

Rishi Gupta

06 Aug 2024

China and India unfazed by Bangladesh's one-sided elections

Bangladesh's ruling government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was easily returned to power on 7 January. While the US has often criticised Bangladesh's elections as not being free and fair, its close neighbours China and India seem prepared to focus on Bangladesh's strategic value in increasing their regional influence.

Rishi Gupta

11 Jan 2024

Why China ignores the dark side of Kissinger's diplomacy

While lauded as a great diplomat, Henry Kissinger's contributions were marked with controversies, notably in relation to Cambodia, Bangladesh and Chile. Commentator Jin Jianguo looks back at Kissinger's legacy from the prism of historical violence and injustice, and opines on why China's leadership portrays him as a "friend".

Jin Jian Guo

18 Dec 2023

Bangladesh's Indo-Pacific Outlook: Another anti-China vision?

Researcher Rishi Gupta analyses Bangladesh's recently released Indo-Pacific Outlook, noting that while it does not state where Bangladesh stands vis-à-vis China and the West, some of the stated goals coincide with the Quad's interests in upholding a rules-based system, thwarting Chinese aggressiveness, advancing connectivity projects and tackling Indo-Pacific security issues.

Rishi Gupta

11 Jul 2023