Politics

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak with counterparts from Japan, India and Australia Thursday. (Photo courtesy of the State Department)
Indo-Pacific

Blinken to meet 'Quad' partners Japan, India and Australia on Thursday

Foreign ministers to discuss free and open Indo-Pacific in first meeting in Biden era

18 February 2021
Indian soldiers disembark from a military transport plane at a forward airbase in Leh, in the Ladakh region, September 15, 2020.
International relations

India and China begin troop pullback from disputed Himalayan border

New Delhi's defense minister confirms deal months after deadly clash

11 February 2021
Activists from United Hindu Front burn an effigy depicting Rihanna and Greta Thunberg in New Delhi on Feb. 4: pro-government protests have been on a scale that might make even Donald Trump jealous.
Opinion

Trolling India's Modi has been Rihanna's biggest hit yet

Singer's tweet in support of #FarmersProtests has shaken New Delhi

11 February 2021
India's recently hiked tariffs on about 30 products, including components for solar cells.
Trade

India tariff hikes target mainly China in protectionist drive

Duties on solar panels and electronics go up while raw materials see decrease

11 February 2021
A helicopter launches during flight operations aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea.
International relations

Quad group prepares 1st meeting of leaders to keep China in check

US, Japan, Australia and India to discuss cooperation for 'free and open Indo-Pacific'

7 February 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked huge, enduring protests with his attempt to reform the agricultural sector. (Source photos by Getty Images) 
Politics

Indian farmers protesting Modi reforms dig in with fresh tactics

Road blockade planned for Saturday, with food for motorists, after months of unrest

5 February 2021
Shipping containers are seen at the main port in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The country's cabinet decided Monday that the East Container Terminal at the port would be wholly owned by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
International relations

Sri Lanka drops India and Japan from port partnership

Surprise unilateral decision follows strikes by labor unions

4 February 2021
Port Louis, the Mauritian capital, is getting busier as the free trade agreement with China comes into play, but observers are concerned that the balance of trade is already in Beijing's favor by a factor of over 30. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

Beijing expands Indian Ocean FTAs westward with Mauritius

Concern among small island nations over huge trade imbalances with China

2 February 2021
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, with Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur, left, as she leaves her office to present the budget in parliament on Monday.
Economy

India doubles health care outlay in budget for next fiscal year

Government lifts FDI ceiling in insurance and expands credit lines to farmers

1 February 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda meetings on Jan. 28.
WEF in Singapore

More made-in-India COVID vaccines in pipeline, Modi tells Davos

PM says New Delhi fulfilling global responsibilities in time of crisis

28 January 2021
Russian S-400 missile air defense systems are seen during a training exercise at a military base in Kaliningrad region, Russia.
International relations

India and Russia move forward with missile deal in blow to Biden

New Delhi to dispatch 100 personnel to train on S-400 anti-aircraft system

28 January 2021
Kamala Harris waves after being sworn in as U.S. vice president on Jan. 20. She is the first woman to serve in the office.
Politics

Not a typical VP, Kamala Harris puts herself in center of action

Presidency seen in her future as she takes prominent White House role

28 January 2021
Narendra Modi speaks to victorious party workers at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi in May 2019: His Hindu majoritarian agenda has divided a multireligious society.
Opinion

Narendra Modi has turned India into a quagmire

Hindu supremacist agenda has dangerously divided a multireligious society

26 January 2021
Migrants take shelter at a construction site in Ahmedabad, India, during the coronavirus crisis. Experts warn the pandemic could lead to greater inequality, as workers who cannot adapt to telework are left behind.
WEF in Singapore

Mind the digital gap in Asia's post-COVID economy: Davos panelists

Singapore minister and others stress workforce upskilling for 'inclusive growth'

26 January 2021
Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, accompanies Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a bullet train factory in Kobe, Japan, in 2016. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Indo-Pacific

India to award Shinzo Abe second-highest civilian honor

Efforts to push for free and open Indo-Pacific recognized by Modi government

26 January 2021
India is counting on a mass coronavirus inoculation effort combined with the shipping of domestically-manufactured vaccines to other countries in a bid to eliminate the threat of COVID-19 to its people.
Asia Insight

India pushes COVID shots in two-pronged effort at home and abroad

But supply and other issues pose challenge to domestic rollout for 300 million

26 January 2021
Port of Colombo in 2019: Sri Lanka and India recently agreed on terms for developing the port's Eastern Container Terminal with Indian company Adani Group. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

India strikes hard bargain in Sri Lanka for stake in Colombo port

With eyes on growing Chinese influence, New Delhi ensures its interests get priority

25 January 2021
COVID-19 has forced the World Economic Forum to regroup in 2021, with online meetings this week and the first "Davos in Asia" planned for Singapore in May.
WEF in Singapore

Davos Singapore online prelude spotlights Asian clout, COVID doubts

Xi, Modi and other leaders to speak as worries linger over in-person summit

25 January 2021
The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. president was welcomed by allies and partners across Asia. (Source photo by AP) 
Biden's Asia policy

Asian allies embrace Biden as China bids Trump 'good riddance'

Beijing says 'kind angels can triumph over evil forces' in regards to transition

21 January 2021
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive via video conference in New Delhi on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of Government of India)
Coronavirus

Vaccine diplomacy: Indian supplies reach Bangladesh and Nepal

New Delhi's aid shipments come amid China's own COVID outreach to the region

21 January 2021
Daily wage workers wait for buses to transfer them to a shelter during a nationwide lockdown in the old quarters of Delhi in April 2020: those who will bear the brunt are the poorest.
Opinion

COVID-ravaged India will limit Biden's efforts to counter China

Increase in poverty just one example of the damage wrought by pandemic

20 January 2021
Indian soldiers disembark from a plane in the Ladakh region on Sept. 15. Tensions on the border also have impacted economic ties with China.
International relations

India calls up new patrol boats and jets as China border simmers

Buildup provides fodder for Modi's 'Make in India' manufacturing drive

20 January 2021
Kurt Campbell on a visit to Japan in 2013: The former Obama administration official will be heading up Joe Biden's Indo-Pacific policy.
Biden's Asia policy

Biden point man Kurt Campbell returns to an Asia that has pivoted

Old hand welcomed back but faces new tests, from China to Koreas to ASEAN

18 January 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gives a speech inaugurating the country's COVID-19 vaccination program via video link in New Delhi on Jan. 16. (Photo courtesy of Government of India)
Coronavirus

India's Modi kicks off world's largest COVID vaccination drive

Prime minister gives emotional tribute to health care and front-line workers

16 January 2021
A cutout of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi adorns an electronics store in Jaipur: India's goods imports from China dropped in 2020 amid fraying bilateral ties.
Trade

India's imports from China drop 20% as border tensions simmer

New Delhi pushes 'self-reliance' with focus on domestic industries

13 January 2021