South Asia and Beyond

Why Free Trade Still Eludes BIMSTEC

NEW DELHI: As the seven member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) ready for the fifth summit in Sri Lanka in August, the major takeaway of a free trade area (FTA) appears elusive. Discussions over the last 15 years have got nowhere, and under the present Indian […]Read More

India’s Vaccine Diplomacy: The Jab Of Global Goodwill

NEW DELHI: India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ is creating ripples on foreign shores as it has in our near and extended neighbourhood. And as India extends the geographic reach of its vaccine diplomacy—from immediate neighbours like Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives to countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America—China is scrambling to play catch-up. Over 55 […]Read More