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Tuesday, October 28, 2025
TopicBRI

Topic: BRI

Chinese provinces built big-ticket infra on debt. Now a $23-tn crisis threatens to derail Xi’s BRI

Economic troubles have left Chinese provincial governments on a sticky wicket, leading to the slowdown of the country's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

Not just Russian oil and gas, China is dividing Europe—from money to metals

While the EU realises that China will continue to be a major trade and investment partner, it needs to devise impactful economic strategies to counter Beijing’s economic coercion.

Russia-Ukraine war has brought Putin to the negotiating table. China has new plans for BRI

Moving cargo through Russian territory was one of China’s grand pivots under the BRI, but the war in Ukraine is making Xi think of alternative routes.

India lost the first mover advantage but there’s benefit to gain from Indo-Pacific forum

India's centrality in the Indo-Pacific trade architecture should have made New Delhi launch IPEF much before US President Joe Biden did. It can still be a rule maker.

China wants to reduce smoking, but its largest revenue comes from tobacco. Solution? BRI

While China hopes to curtail domestic tobacco consumption by 2030, it also aims to control the global tobacco market in its entirety.

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka bets big on $14 bn China-backed Port City, wants reluctant India to invest

China has invested $1.4 billion in the strategically located project. But the Rajapaksa govt wants India to invest in the potential metropolis, which is Sri Lanka's first SEZ.

The era of Chinese optimism in Africa may be finally getting over

Given the importance of Africa in China’s foreign policy, Beijing is likely to course correct.

In dealing with China, India must address this fundamental contradiction

New Delhi needs clarity of thought and a national consensus on China. In the coming days, it will have to take a leaf out of the Chinese playbook.

Disputes, pollution, deforestation — what it’s like to live near CPEC project in Pakistan

China insists that BRI projects, of which CPEC is the centerpiece, are strictly vetted for environmental impacts and meant to benefit the locals. But in practice, it has fallen short.

Jaishankar wants equilibrium with China. But Beijing is playing a whole different game

Xi Jinping wants obedient clients, not independent partners. Galwan had to be the place where it finally dawned on India that ties with China are only possible with military strength.

On Camera

The K in K-Pop is already silent. And that’s OK

Audience data shows there are now more fans outside South Korea than at home. Like hip hop, there’s no reason why K-Pop can’t have a similarly inclusive trajectory while staying true to its core.

Paper in MoSPI journal flags financial inclusion gap—highest among Hindus, lowest for Muslims

Research paper, however, finds lowest indebtedness level among Muslims at 12.3% & highest among Hindus at 14.9%. Overall national financial inclusion level at 87.2%, indebtedness at 14.7%.

From battle of wits and daring air strikes to artillery fury, new details emerge of Operation Sindoor

Fresh details of operation conducted by IAF, Army have come out in gazette notification giving citations of those who were awarded Vir Chakra for their bravery.

Deepfake on duty: when I asked AI to read Op Sindoor citations

On 21 Oct, a buzz went up that the govt had released full list of gallantry award recipients along with Op Sindoor citations. I put an AI caddy on the job. It took me into a never-ending rabbit hole.