Pradeep K Taneja, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia, addresses the discussion titled “Why the Bay of Bengal Matters for the World” on the final day of the ‘Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026’ organized by the Center for Governance Studies (CGS) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka on October […]
The session was moderated by Major General ANM Muniruzzaman (Retd.), President, BIPSS. In his opening remarks, he highlighted the growing importance of sub-border warfare in today’s geopolitical landscape, where cyber operations, economic coercion, disinformation campaigns and attacks on critical infrastructure are increasingly serving as means of governance without crossing the bounds of conventional warfare. Emphasizing […]
This idea is not at all new. The Kunming Initiative of the 1990s later evolved into the concept of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, which envisioned connecting Kolkata, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Kunming in China. However, tensions in India-China relations, ongoing border disputes, India’s objection to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Myanmar’s political instability […]
This correspondent spoke to diplomatic sources and analysts in Dhaka and Beijing about the joint statements issued after the meetings of the top leaders of the two countries in 2024 and 2025 and the joint communiqué issued after the visit this time. His comments, along with a review of the outcomes of the three visits, […]
Following the court order, the Trump administration initiated an investigation into unfair trade practices against several trading partners, including India, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 while imposing a tariff of 10 percent. In talks with Lynch and his team, New Delhi will seek relief from tariffs emerging from the investigation, an […]
On the eve of the summit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met in South Korea to press for progress in ending the long-running trade war between the two. Xi said the talks “reached a generally balanced and positive outcome”, and urged both sides to “safeguard the current positive momentum […]
Ali Wynne, senior adviser on US-China relations at the International Crisis Group, said the power dynamics have changed since Trump’s last visit to Beijing, when China went out of its way to woo Trump and buy billions of American goods. At the time “China was trying to convince the United States of its escalating position… […]
1. What is the biggest challenge for the economy right now? The key challenge is to manage multiple pressures simultaneously: curbing inflation, creating jobs, restoring investor confidence, reforming the banking sector and reducing risks in the energy sector. 2. Why is inflation being given maximum attention? Inflation currently stands at 8.71 percent, while wage growth […]
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a strategic mutual defense agreement in 2025, strengthening long-term ties but also limiting how far Islamabad can go in supporting Tehran. Sharif and his government have been quick to sidestep Riyadh and the prime minister recently visited for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pakistan also has close ties […]
Manoj Nandwana of Jai Virtra Entertainment, the film’s Indian distributor, said that a member of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) told him that the film’s theatrical release would “hinder India’s relations with Israel”. “After screening it for the board it was clear to me that they would not approve it for release in […]
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Paul Kapur will arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday to discuss the future of Dhaka-Washington relations. This will be his first visit to Bangladesh after his appointment to the US State Department, taking over from Donald Lu. He will stay in New Delhi before visiting Dhaka. […]