Deepening India-UAE Economic Cooperation through CEPA: Opportunities and Challenges

The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed in 2022, marks a significant transformation in the trajectory of bilateral relations between India and the United Arab Emirates. Moving beyond the traditional framework of energy dependence and diaspora-driven engagement, CEPA has institutionalised a broader framework of economic cooperation centred on trade expansion, investment facilitation, strategic connectivity, and geo-economic partnership.

Assessing Trump-Xi Summit

At a time when global trade tensions are escalating in Taiwan and the AI threat is overshadowing the world, the USA’s tilt in the Eastern Hemisphere points toward China’s growing global impact. The Iran-US war has surely caused a dent in China’s economic progress, but ideologically and politically it has gained an upper hand.

BIMSTEC – A Shining Example of Regional and South-South Cooperation

As global multilateralism faces growing strain and major international institutions encounter challenges, regional cooperation frameworks such as BIMSTEC are gaining renewed relevance. Bringing together seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region, BIMSTEC provides a focused platform to address shared developmental and security challenges through efficient consensus-building and practical cooperation. Anchored in the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030, the grouping is steadily strengthening institutional mechanisms and expanding collaboration across key sectors including trade, connectivity, energy, disaster management, and security, positioning itself as an important bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Quad in New Delhi: Japan Calls for Strategic Cohesion as Indo-Pacific Dynamics Enter a New Phase

The Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi highlighted the growing strategic importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation amid rising geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. With a strong emphasis on maritime security, resilient supply chains, and regional connectivity, Japan emerged as a leading voice advocating deeper strategic coordination and a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision among democratic partners.