China-India relations

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks at the welcoming dinner during the G20 Summit in Badung on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on 15 November 2022. (Willy Kurniawan/AFP)

India's G20 presidency: Can China and India cooperate to create an 'Asian moment'?

China’s aspirational “Asian moment” in global governance will come true if a China-India geoeconomic concert drives India’s presidency of the G20 in 2023. For this to happen, the two Asian neighbours must rise above the geopolitics of their ongoing military hostility and work together to advance global economic recovery.
China's President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and other participants attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 16 September 2022. (Sergei Bobylyov/Sputnik/AFP)

China gains stronger foothold in Central Asian region

Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan analyses the outcomes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Uzbekistan and the implications of China’s perceived stronger courting of the Central Asia region.
A police officer guards the Registan square in downtown Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on 13 September 2022. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP)

Xi Jinping embarks on Central Asia visit amid a changed world

After more than two years since the start of the pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping will resume making diplomatic visits overseas with his Central Asia tour this month. The geopolitical situation has vastly transformed during his physical absence in the international arena. Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu explores the implications of these changes.
People cheer and wave Indian national flags during a march to celebrate the country's upcoming 75th Independence Day celebrations in Ahmedabad, India, on 12 August 2022. (Sam Panthaky/AFP)

India’s stand on Taiwan crisis: Rebalancing ties with China

Beijing is keen that Delhi should express support for PRC’s territorial sovereignty over Taiwan. For India, though, the unresolved Sino-Indian boundary dispute and their ongoing military standoff force a reality check in this relationship. In the absence of a Chinese reciprocal one-India policy, Delhi is messaging that while it will not bandwagon with pro-Taiwan forces, a new template of Sino-Indian ties is required.
Indian paramilitary troopers stand guard along a street on the country's 75th Independence Day in Srinagar, India, on 15 August 2022. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP)

India’s ambiguities on the ‘one China’ policy

As the deepening US-China conflict over Taiwan generates widespread concern in Asia and the world, India’s new ambiguities on the "one China" policy, as well as the nuances of Delhi’s engagement with Taipei, have come into sharp relief. As India’s boundary tensions with China persist, Delhi’s navigation between the logic of expanding ties with Taipei and the dangers of further deterioration of bilateral relations with Beijing has become more challenging.
People look on as a Chinese military helicopter flies past Pingtan island, one of mainland China's closest points from Taiwan, in Fujian province, on 4 August 2022, ahead of massive military drills off Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Has China’s propaganda on the Taiwan situation failed its public?

Amid the tense situation arising from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the Chinese public have made loud cries against China’s seemingly disappointing response. Academic Zhang Chengxin assesses what led to such sentiments and how they can be abated.
Student activists hold torches and shout slogans during a protest over hike in fuel prices in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 20 June 2022. (Prakash Mathema/AFP)

The US-China contest in Nepal

While the last thing it wants is to be caught up in the crosshairs of US-China competition, Nepal is in the spotlight with the recent passing in the Nepali parliament of the US$500 million MCC-Nepal compact with the US. The US and Nepal have both denied that this grant is tied to the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy, but China is riled up as India watches closely.
People walk along a street near a closed market in Srinagar, India, on 17 June 2022. (Tauseef Mustafa/AFP)

From US to India: China's shifting tech investments shows overriding influence of politics

Over the past several years, Chinese private firms have ferociously invested in India’s tech start-ups. Initially welcomed, China’s diversion of interest from erstwhile US investment has been viewed with some measure of suspicion since the Galwan Valley conflict. Are we living in a world where investment patterns are determined by statecraft? ISAS academic Karthik Nachiappan examines the issue.
A member of security personnel stands guard behind a perimeter fence at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, on 20 May 2022. (Pawan Sharma/AFP)

India's choice: Pro-US, pro-China or stay autonomous?

With his visit to Asia in May and the launch of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity which includes India, US President Joe Biden clearly seeks to recast the strategic environment in which China operates. On its part, China had earlier launched the Global Security Initiative and is articulating its vision of a changing world order. For India, therefore, the long-term choice is either strategic autonomy, or the role of a pro-US or even pro-China “swing state”.