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The relationship is more robust than ever before. But deepening ties will bring its set of challenges

As the gap between its power and that of China grows, India needs the US to balance China in the South Asia-Indian Ocean Region. The Indian contribution, military or economic, towards a strong American Indo-Pacific strategy appears more nebulous. This is an asymmetry which cannot but have real-life consequences. India should not assume that antipathy to China alone will be the over-riding factor in the US global policy.

If Indian economy begins to take off and it is able to overhaul its dysfunctional military system, India can emerge as a formidable second pole of the Asia-Pacific region, maybe just a shade inferior to China.

It appears that China would continue to augment its growing cyber warfare capabilities. And when complimented with an "Informationised" military and technologies like the ASAT weapons, it becomes a great concern not only for the U.S but also for India.

Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan's tri-nation goodwill tour started with Pakistan on March 22, 2004 and ended with Thailand, with an in-between five-day visit to India from March 26 to 30.

In light of Africa's increasing dependency on and trouble with Chinese actors, African leaders are beginning to look beyond China in an attempt to diversify. India and the long-standing presence of Indian businesses in the continent can help Africa deal with the losses from China.

This brief evaluates the state and development of China’s cruise missile capabilities, specifically that of its air-launched and ground-launched missile forces. It finds that China has developed a formidable inventory of cruise missiles, which poses a threat to India’s own military infrastructure.  The brief lays out the imperative for India: to build up its long-range cruise missile forces. It argues that India’s current capabilities woul

China’s aircraft carrier programme anchors its transformation from a continental to a maritime power. The Liaoning, Shandong, and EMALS-equipped Fujian together underscore Beijing’s intent to operate far from its shores, blending audacious innovation with disciplined, experience-driven learning. Unlike the United States’ (US) mature carrier operations model, China’s EMALS effort remains exploratory yet strategically purposeful, aimed at d

China is extending its hand to Nepal, India’s Himalayan neighbour, which for its part is understandably attracted to the prospects that are emerging on its Northern front. How does China’s expanding footprint in Nepal affect India? This brief examines the possibilities for India’s success in competing with China in Nepal, and posits two overarching factors: New Delhi’s overall capacity to challenge China, and India’s political will to a

On 3 September 2025, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held a grand parade in Beijing, showcasing ballistic and cruise missiles, nuclear triad components, unmanned platforms with countermeasures, and conventional systems from across its services. The event marked the 80th anniversary of China’s ‘War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression’, which Beijing interprets as culminating in Japan’s surrender to the Allied Powers in September

Beijing’s Southeast Asia outreach may complicate the U.S.’s efforts to build a coalition to isolate or deter China economically.

It is almost certain that cities will script the story of our future. If India is to capitalise on this megatrend, it becomes essential for the country to engage in widespread and deep reforms, which go beyond infrastructure and focus on reforming governance mechanisms and empowering local government.

India’s rapid urbanisation is resulting in massive mobility challenges, including congestion, inadequate public transport, and poor infrastructure for non-motorised transport. To address these issues, the Government of India introduced the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) as a strategic framework that emphasises the movement of people and goods, unlike traditional transport planning focused on vehicular flow. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru Nationa

Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa¿s resignation on 7th May 2004 amidst mounting pressure from the agitating five political parties Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Jan Morcha (JM), Nepal Mazdoor Kishan Party (NMKP) and Nepali Sadhavana Party (Ananadi Devi) supported by the members of civil society has left a political vaccum in the country.

Fifty years after the first LNG tanker sailed from Mississippi to UK in 1959 natural gas has finally matured into a global commodity. Gas is no longer limited to being a regional resource or a continental resource.

Fifty years after the first LNG tanker sailed from Mississippi to UK in 1959 natural gas has finally matured into a global commodity. Gas is no longer limited to being a regional resource or a continental resource.

As an emerging power in the current multipolar global order, India can use the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to protect, promote, and project its geostrategic and geoeconomic interests. The SCO is also a platform for India to reaffirm its commitment to revive and deepen its centuries-old civilisational, spiritual, and cultural ties with other member countries. This paper explores India's priorities at the SCO, chiefly connectivity, coun

For both Myanmar and India, Suu Kyi's visit needs to be viewed as yet another important step towards strengthening relationship between the two neighbours. It will serve nobody's interest if the visit were to be seen as a political gain for a party at the cost of others in Myanmar.

China’s naval push is leading India and the United States to do a lot more together, especially in the seas.

Campaign trends in Delhi elections indicate that parties are playing around the issues having popular appeal rather than the hard core issues of governance, statehood or even air pollution. In varying degrees, populist ideas such as free houses, free water and free electricity remain the core poll promises for all political parties.

During the recent "5th India-Bangladesh Dialogue" organised in Delhi, there was consensus among all participants on the need for strengthening further cooperation on border management and counter terrorism in order of tackle threats which are common to both the countries.

Don’t view India’s neighbourhood policy in terms of wins or losses. Focus on the structural imperatives

Despite the positive signs in India-Russia ties, one must be careful not to overestimate their significance when considered alongside some long-term trends in international affairs such as the relations of the US and its closest challengers China and Russia.

The rising animosity has a great potential to affect the ability of the two nations to counter regional threats.

The story of the Maotai town in the Guizhou province in South China is an interesting case study of developmental economics - how a relatively underdeveloped region was turned into a rich town.

Despite public display of affection, all is not well in the India-Russia relationship.

People in smaller cities of India were more hopeful about the prospects of Digital India than the people in big cities which are traditionally thought of as 'tech savvy', according to a survey conducted by Observer Research Foundation.

The promises made by key parties in the Delhi elections are in conformity with the national trend of offering populist schemes. One thought political parties of this 'enlightened' metropolis, that was turned to an epicentre of the nation-wide anti-corruption stir and gave rise to political newbie AAP, would beat this trend and offer something better.

To explain the causes of the present unsatisfactory situation many in India would argue that a self-absorbed India has neglected its neighbourhood

India has assumed the G20 presidency at a critical and opportune time in history, even as the half-yearly report card indicates that consensus-building in the grouping has been more difficult than India may have expected. This brief identifies six areas where India can manifest its capability to lead the building of an effective and plausible climate action plan. Globally, championing the tracking of per-capita emissions and fossil fuel-b

China and India talking RCEP is a good beginning, but there is a long way ahead

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have seen strong and accelerating progress in the energy transition, driven primarily by economic more than environmental factors. The adoption of low-carbon energy, including nuclear, renewables and batteries, has been most prominent in the electricity sector. Most of the Gulf countries have set net-zero carbon targets and all have renewable and hydrogen production targets in place as well. A key objecti

Mainstreaming gender in urbanisation can be a useful tool in understanding and tackling exclusionary growth and access to resources in urban spaces more generally.

This brief discusses the challenges faced by urban local bodies (ULBs) in India in accessing urban climate finance (UCF), and proposes solutions based on successful strategies used by some of them. The hurdles include institutional barriers and limited capacity. The brief finds that ULBs that have met with success in accessing UCF overcame the obstacles through early sensitisation programmes and global network connections. It offers plausible sol