The European Union’s upgraded partnership with the Philippines signals the bloc’s aim to diversify its Indo-Pacific strategy beyond trade into the security arena. Such a move shows Brussels is seeking a larger role in a region where maritime disputes and challenges to the rules-based order could damage its extensive interests, according to analysts. On Friday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy...
The elevation of ties between the Philippines and New Zealand to a comprehensive partnership gives both countries a wider framework to deepen cooperation, as Manila expands its network of middle-power partners and Wellington steps up its engagement in Southeast Asia, analysts have said. The upgrade also builds on rapidly tightening defence ties, giving Manila another security partner and New Zealand a stronger foothold in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific, observers add. New Zealand and the...
A joint statement said the Quad reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening a free and open Indo-Pacific while extending “unwavering support” for “ASEAN unity and centrality”
India is stepping up engagement with Indo-Pacific middle powers as uncertainty grows over the future of US security commitments in Asia, with analysts saying New Delhi is building a web of partnerships that allows countries with different strategic interests to cooperate without joining a formal alliance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on a six-day diplomatic tour of the Indo-Pacific from July 6 to 11, visiting Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, and signing a raft of agreements to boost...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Auckland last night in the third and final leg of his three-nation tour that largely focused on expanding cooperation in the Indo-Pacific against the backdrop of China’s increasing assertiveness in the region
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia to the escalating conflict in West Asia, to new developments in the Sri Lanka prison clashes, we bring you the latest in this episode. We also look at the Navy’s Drishti-10 UAV that crashed near Gujarat, the controversy surrounding Argentina’s latest FIFA World Cup win, and other top national and international stories. We bring you your complete news roundup.
The agreement also plans for deeper personnel exchanges through education and training while exploring opportunities to cooperate in recruiting skilled personnel for their respective defence workforces. cooperation in recruiting skilled defence personnel
Nato chief Mark Rutte said the alliance “cannot be naive” about China’s military build-up, after the nation conducted its first known launch of a strategic missile from a nuclear submarine. “What happens in the Indo-Pacific is relevant to what is happening in the transatlantic,” Rutte told a news conference on Monday, ahead of the military alliance’s annual summit in Ankara, Turkey. The Indo-Pacific and European theatres were becoming “more intertwined”, as was also shown by China’s support for...
Nearly 40% of India’s maritime trade passes through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Strait of Malacca. And the country that sits at the gateway to that strategic chokepoint is Indonesia. That’s why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia, his first bilateral visit to the country since 2018, is about much more than diplomacy. It is about securing India’s maritime interests, expanding economic partnerships and strengthening its position in an increasingly competitive Indo-Pacific. So, why does Indonesia matter so much to India?
Nato’s 32 member states will convene in the Turkish capital this week for an annual summit expected to be dominated by efforts to secure a fragile peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, with Indo-Pacific issues taking a back seat. Analysts said the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, as well as Washington’s push for European allies to raise defence spending, could diminish discussion about the security alliance’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, despite the Nato chief’s warnings about China’s...
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in India this week seeking a deeper economic and security partnership, but analysts say the bigger question is how far New Delhi is prepared to align with Tokyo’s China-focused Indo-Pacific strategy. Takaichi held talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Delhi on Thursday, with economic security, strategic cooperation and collaboration on innovative technologies high on the agenda. Analysts suggest the overarching aim of the three-day...
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s trip to Canada underscores deepening ties at a time when Ottawa is seeking to court middle powers and establish itself in the Indo-Pacific. Marcos is in the Canadian capital for a four-day visit that started on Wednesday, where he is set to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney in efforts to strengthen ties on trade, labour, energy and tourism, as well as enhance defence and maritime cooperation. On the list too are Canadian business leaders and investors to...
This episode looks at the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s first visit to India; key rule changes that come into effect from July 1, the Delhi High Court’s ruling in BJP MP Raghav Chadha’s case, the U.S. Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship ruling, and more.
Ms. Takaichi’s visit, that marks the 20th annual summit since India and Japan begun to meet regularly at the highest levels and is expected to set the course for ties over the next decade
Addressing the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said India still conducts more military exercises with the U.S. than any other country and has regular bilateral visits of defence officials