The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a centrepiece initiative of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). CPEC has evolved into an essential component of the BRI, connecting China’s western region to the rest of the world, including Central Asia. The BRI aspires to build a network of digital and physical infrastructure, such as roads, ports, trains, and telecommunications networks, that […]

Four years after the abrogation of Kashmir’s special status, Leh and Kargil regions of Ladakh are seeking statehood as well as extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Both regions have found themselves on the same side as per the demands, and have formed a joint core committee to decide the future course of action. Two groups based in […]

India is on a drive to induct unmanned combat systems into the military. Months after the Indian Army announced the induction of “swarm drones” into its mechanised forces, the Navy chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, reiterated the importance of autonomous systems in creating a “futureproof” Indian Navy (IN). Speaking at the Navy Day press conference last month, Admiral Kumar listed […]

India is on a drive to induct unmanned combat systems into the military. Months after the Indian Army announced the induction of “swarm drones” into its mechanised forces, the Navy chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, reiterated the importance of autonomous systems in creating a “futureproof” Indian Navy (IN). Speaking at the Navy Day press conference last month, Admiral Kumar listed […]

The project to cut a canal through the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay to facilitate ship movement between the East and the West coasts of India is controversial in both India and Sri Lanka. On January 12 the Tamil Nadu State Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Indian government to immediately implement the long-pending “Sethusamudram project” envisaging […]

On 3-5 January 2023, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited China with the aim to shift China-Philippines relations to a higher gear. The visit resulted in the signing of 14 agreements by two governments spanning various areas aiming to elevate the status of their comprehensive strategic cooperation to the next level of partnership. In one of his statements delivered during […]

On January 8, 2023, Mohammad Salim, deputy leader of Block B, Rohingya Camp-8 West, in the Ukhiya Sub-District of Cox’s Bazar District, was killed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). On January 7, Mohammad Rashid, the leader of Block A, Rohingya Camp-15, in Teknaf Sub-District of Cox’s Bazar District, was killed by masked assailants. On January 6, 2023, an […]

The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan — abbreviated as Chongryon in Korean — has long served the interests of the North Korean government in Japan under the supervision of the 225th Bureau of the United Front Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea. It is the only conduit between the governments of North Korea and Japan as there is no […]