The View from New Delhi: China’s post-pandemic belligerence

07/08/202007/07/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Liberty alliances, Australia, Canada, China, COVID-19, Global Times, hegemony, Hong Kong, multilateralism

Introduction In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the increasingly belligerent behaviour exhibited by China in South Asia and South East Asia, and China’s imposition of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, it is interesting to see the tone of the English language media on China. Yet a genuinely comprehensive peek into the Chinese view on crucial political, … Continue reading The View from New Delhi: China’s post-pandemic belligerence

What will a post-pandemic British foreign policy look like?

06/02/202006/01/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events alliances, Boris Johnson, British foreign policy, China, coronavirus, COVID-19, geopolitics, multilateralism, pandemics, Trans-Pacific Partnership, United Kingdom, world order

Introduction The United Kingdom’s post-corona foreign policy is likely to be driven by some crucial economic factors. On the one hand, it will continue to work closely with countries like the United States, Japan, Australia, and India to reduce its dependence upon China. On the other hand, the UK cannot totally bank on the US … Continue reading What will a post-pandemic British foreign policy look like?

New thorns in the Special Relationship: Persian, Chinese, and populist

01/19/202001/18/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events 5 Eyes Intelligence, alliances, Boris Johnson, CAATSA, Donald Trump, geopolitics, Huawei, Iran, populism, Special Relationship, transactionalism

The past few days have been witness to some important statements made in the context of the Joint Comprehensive Program for Action (JCPOA) — also referred to as the Iran Nuclear deal. US allies, including the UK and some EU member states, do not seem to be in agreement with the US President’s Iran policy … Continue reading New thorns in the Special Relationship: Persian, Chinese, and populist

The nature of the China-US-Vietnam economic triangle

03/03/201903/03/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics ASEAN, China, diplomacy, economic development, economic growth, geopolitics, Indo-Pacific, strategy, transactionalism, United States, Vietnam

While addressing a joint press conference in Hanoi, after his summit with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump spoke not just about the Summit, but also the current state of US-China relations. Trump criticised his predecessors for not doing enough to address the trade imbalance with China, while also making the … Continue reading The nature of the China-US-Vietnam economic triangle

How the United States can woo Africa away from China

12/23/201812/23/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Africa, Belt and Road Initiative, China, debt, Indo-Pacific, John Bolton, multilateralism, United States

On December 13, 2018, US National Security Advisor John Bolton, while speaking at the Heritage Foundation, highlighted the key aims and objectives of ‘Prosper Africa,’ which shall probably be announced at a later date. The emphasis of this policy, according to Bolton, would be on countering China’s exploitative economics unleashed by the Belt and Road Initiative, … Continue reading How the United States can woo Africa away from China

American protectionism and Asian responses

10/15/201810/14/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Central Asia, China, connectivity, cooperation, geopolitics, India, multilateralism, Pakistan, protectionism, sanctions, South Asia, transactionalism

On October 10, 2018, a senior Chinese diplomat in India underscored the need for New Delhi and Beijing to work jointly in order to counter the policy of trade protectionism being promoted by US President Donald Trump. It would be pertinent to point out that US had imposed tariffs estimated at $200 billion in September … Continue reading American protectionism and Asian responses

How will Imran Khan’s electoral triumph affect Pakistan’s relationship with China?

08/01/201808/01/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics China, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, corruption, CPEC, geopolitics, Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan, PML-N, PTI, Shahbaz Sharif, South Asia

All eyes are on how Imran Khan will fulfill the ambitious promises which he and his party (Pakistan-Tehreek-i-Insaaf, or PTI) have made for creating a ‘Naya Pakistan’ (New Pakistan). Khan, who will take his oath as Prime Minister on August 11, 2018, needs to hit the ground running given the myriad of economic (Pakistan’s external debt … Continue reading How will Imran Khan’s electoral triumph affect Pakistan’s relationship with China?

Recent developments in the context of Indo-Pacific

04/08/201804/08/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics alliances, Australia, China, connectivity, India, Indo-Pacific, international relations, Japan, One Belt One Road, Quad, transactionalism, Vietnam

At a time when a massive churn is taking place in the Donald Trump Administration (HR Mcmaster was replaced as head of the NSA by John Bolton, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was replaced with the more hawkish Mike Pompeo), Alex Wong, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, gave … Continue reading Recent developments in the context of Indo-Pacific

Trump’s humor is not very funny to the world’s liberal democracies

03/07/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics China, Donald Trump, human rights, liberal world order, transactionalism, United States, Xi Jinping

The Chinese Communist Party, on February 25, 2018, made a significant announcement — that the two-term limit for Presidency will be abolished through an amendment to the constitution. This means that current President Xi Jinping will be President for life. This amendment was tabled on March 6, 2018 by the Communist Party during the two week National People’s Congress … Continue reading Trump’s humor is not very funny to the world’s liberal democracies

Quad: The way ahead and the key challenges

03/05/201803/05/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Australia, geopolitics, globalization, India, Indo-Pacific, insularity, international relations, isolationism, Japan, Quad, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, United States

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) consisting of India, Australia, Japan, and the US has been pitching in favor of a ‘Free and Fair Indo-Pacific’ ever since the first meeting between representatives of member states in November 2017. Shinzo Abe, the current Prime Minister of Japan, actually proposed this arrangement about a decade ago. Diplomatic engagement … Continue reading Quad: The way ahead and the key challenges

Is Trump turning the US into the Biggest Loser?

01/27/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Davos Summit, Donald Trump, geopolitics, globalization, isolationism, strategy, TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership

US President Donald Trump has been quick to change his stance on complex issues like US relations with other countries, including China. Trump has also been unpredictable in his approach towards important multilateral organizations like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and US ties with important allies in the Indo-Pacific, especially Japan and South Korea. The most recent … Continue reading Is Trump turning the US into the Biggest Loser?

In foreign affairs, don’t ignore “soft power”

01/20/201801/21/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Benjamin Netanyahu, Buddhism, diaspora, hard power, India, international relations, Israel, Joseph Nye, Narendra Modi, Richard Armitage, smart power, soft power

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his 6 day visit to India (January 14-19, 2018), made some interesting points. While arguing in favor of the advantages of hard power over soft power, Netanyahu stated: I like soft power, but hard power is usually better. You need F-35s (fighter jets), cyber, a lot of intelligence… Where does … Continue reading In foreign affairs, don’t ignore “soft power”

India needs to work harder, both in its own backyard and in its near-abroad

01/02/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events China, Donald Trump, geopolitics, India, international relations, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, strategy, terrorism, transactionalism

While there is absolutely no doubt that Donald Trump has on more than one occasion sent harsh warnings to Islamabad – calling upon Pakistan to give up its support for terrorist groups or face the consequences – Trump’s predecessors had begun to reduce aid to Pakistan. During the Obama years, for example, American aid to Pakistan … Continue reading India needs to work harder, both in its own backyard and in its near-abroad

India-US relations and engaging with Trump

12/01/201712/02/2017 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events China, Donald Trump, geopolitics, India, international relations, Rex Tillerson

Ivanka Trump jointly inaugurated the GES Summit in Hyderabad (November 28-29) along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and she lauded the latter for his phenomenal rise. Modi had invited Ivanka during his US visit in June 2017. The US President’s daughter and Adviser was quick to accept the invite, and tweeted: Thank you, Prime Minister … Continue reading India-US relations and engaging with Trump