June 8, 2023

Bangladesh and India’s Perspectives on Indo Pacific Converge

There is clear evidence that the Indo-Pacific is resonating among smaller countries, too. They are deliberating how this new formulation fits into their national interests given that it is widely seen through the prism of QUAD or the Quadrilateral Security […]
June 8, 2023

India Emerges as an Exporter of Blue Economy

The Trade and Environment Review 2023 “Building a Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economy beyond 2030” published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) notes that the year 2022 was a “super year” for the oceans and was […]
April 13, 2023

Vietnam Drives Energy Transition in Mekong

Vietnam has taken a major step forward towards its 2050 Net Zero Commitment. In December 2022, it joined the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with the International Partners Group (IPG) comprising the EU, the UK, the United States, France, Germany, […]
March 13, 2023

Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC): Prospects and Challenges

The Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) has been languishing since the last two decades, and ASEAN Member States have not been able to extract a legally binding document from China. Consequently there is widespread pessimism among […]
May 11, 2022

ASEAN leaders are all set for Summit in the US

In a few days from now, President Biden will host the ASEAN leaders in Washington for the ASEAN-US Summit to celebrate 45 years of their ties. The rescheduled Summit (earlier planned for March 28 and 29) is a significant demonstration […]
March 14, 2022

National Maritime Security Coordinator’s tasks are clearly cut out

It took nearly a decade and half for India to appoint a National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC). Vice Admiral Ashok Kumar, formerly the Vice Chief of the Indian Navy, has now formally taken over the newly created position and would […]
February 23, 2022

Vietnamese frigate in India to support Naval Diplomacy

The MILAN 2022 marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence and involves multiple activities including a ‘fleet review’ by the President of India (held on 21 February) who is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The theme for MILAN 2022 […]
January 10, 2022

Would the new Coast Guard Forum help speed up COC negotiations?

Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in December 2021 to further strengthen bilateral ‘maritime security and safety’ cooperation. The MoU is expected to “serve as a tool, corridor and mechanism […]
December 22, 2021

Common Concerns drive Vietnam Cambodia Relations

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his entourage of high level ministers and officials are in Cambodia on a two-day State visit  at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni. The visit also marks 55th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (1967-2022). […]
December 6, 2021

Stage is set for Minilateral Engagements between India, Japan and Vietnam

The contemporary discourse on International Relations endorses and encourages multilateralism. However, multilateralism, due to its large number of partners, is fast turning into a talk shop where everything and anything is discussed, and only a few issues achieve fruition. Furthermore, […]
November 26, 2021

Vietnam and Japan Commit to Partnership for Peace and Prosperity

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has returned home after a very productive meeting with his Japanese counterpart Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. It was his first visit to Japan and likewise, he was also the first foreign visitor that Kashida received […]
November 19, 2021

India and Vietnam should Explore Practical Maritime Cooperation through IPOI

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to visit India in the coming weeks. This will be his first visit after taking over as the Prime Minister; it will also be an opportunity to discuss with his counterpart Prime […]
November 10, 2021

Vietnamese Prime Minister Attends COP-26 and Meets Strategic Partners

The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) was held in Glasgow in the United Kingdom. As many as 30,000 delegates from across the globe including over 100 national leaders arrived for the event and many countries […]
October 26, 2021

ASEAN must relentlessly pursue the Code of Conduct momentum set by Vietnam

The 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits scheduled later this month will take place in a turbulent time wherein two important issues will be high on the agenda of the grouping. First, the developments concerning Myanmar, a thorny […]
October 11, 2021

Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Special Relations

Geographic contiguity built around the Mekong River plains, ancient socio-cultural connections, and collective modern history of colonial occupation by the French are significant triggers for Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao to converse beyond the ASEAN framework. In this context, it was […]