Commentary
Find our newspaper columns, blogs, and other commentary pieces in this section. Our research focuses on Advanced Biology, High-Tech Geopolitics, Strategic Studies, Indo-Pacific Studies & Economic Policy
NDTV | 'Indian Threat', '1962 War': How Chinese 'Experts' Are Batting For Pak Over India
By Anushka Saxena
In the aftermath of the terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun commented that Beijing firmly opposes all forms of terrorism. And yet, China's posturing around the state of India-Pakistan relations has largely stuck to three assertions, which express its implicit support for Pakistan's position.
By Anushka Saxena
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ThinkChina | Xi’s purge: Can a divided army fight?
By Anushka Saxena
The absence of CMC Vice-Chairman He Weidong raises questions on the stability of the Chinese PLA. As Beijing continues to emphasise “actual” combat preparedness and turn the heat on Taiwan, there is little scope for a military that cannot win a conflict it promises to.
By Anushka Saxena
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Indian Express | China is turning the heat on Taiwan
By Anushka Saxena
Since the inception of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Lai Ching-te’s presidency in Taiwan, China’s policy signalling vis-à-vis the island has become much harsher and more aggressive. China’s stance on Taiwan has taken a more urgent and assertive turn in recent months. The unveiling of the new Shuiqiao amphibious vessels at Zhanjiang port in Guangdong, coupled with heightened activity and aggressive posturing by the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command — including the recent Strait Thunder 2025A exercises — signals a sharpened focus on readiness and control. At the same time, internal probes into top military figures such as Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice-Chairman He Weidong, former Political Work Department head Miao Hua, and Eastern Theater Commander Lin Xiangyang have effectively dismantled what was known as the “Taiwan-Fujian” faction within China’s military leadership. Adding to the sense of impending conflict, some outlets, citing unnamed intelligence sources, have suggested that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could occur within six months — further fueling anxiety and speculation.
By Anushka Saxena
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Indian Express | In global trade war, China is unlikely to blink first. It has options to counter Trump
By Amit Kumar
By Amit Kumar
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Moneycontrol | US’ cyber security strategy relegates Russian threat, makes China main target
By Lokendra Sharma
The Trump administration has shown definitive signs of shuffling its hierarchy of threats. Russia, the focus during the last three presidencies, is no longer seen through the same lens. Resources are now being shifted to tackling China. It assumes salience in the backdrop of an intensifying US-China trade war
By Lokendra Sharma
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Firstpost | Agentic AI: The next frontier in artificial intelligence
By Arindam Goswami
Agentic artificial intelligence follows the natural evolution of AI and a logical technological trajectory. These are new types of systems that can proactively identify problems, create plans, and execute complex tasks across digital environments with minimal human supervision. Regulatory response to these developments has to keep up.
By Arindam Goswami
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Moneycontrol | From Technological Rivalry to Global Governance: The path forward
By Arindam Goswami
The current geopolitical landscape is shaped by technological nationalism, driven by competition in AI and semiconductors. However, game theory and historical examples suggest that this phase will evolve into co-operative frameworks, balancing national interests with global technological cooperation
By Arindam Goswami
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Firstpost | How Trump’s tariffs can be opportunity in crisis for India
By Arindam Goswami
While Trump’s tariffs aren’t designed to help India, they may inadvertently provide the external catalyst needed for India’s economic transformation. Sometimes, the most valuable gifts come in the most unexpected packages.
The Donald Trump administration’s recent imposition of tariffs on Indian goods could have a silver lining if India can seize the opportunity. In conditions reminiscent of the 1991 crisis that opened up India’s economy, India could use this opportunity for its long-overdue economic transformation by fostering a more export-oriented economy. This is an opportunity to shift the domestic Overton window on protectionism, albeit under pressure.
By Arindam Goswami
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Moneycontrol | Lessons from China's support for local startups — a path to innovation for India
By Arindam Goswami
China's local governments drive innovation through fiscal autonomy, incentives, and policy experimentation. India can adopt similar reforms by enhancing fiscal power, creating innovation zones, and aligning municipal leaders’ incentives with startup growth to foster a competitive, innovative economy
By Arindam Goswami
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The Diplomat | China Revises PLA Regulations to Focus on ‘Conscious Discipline’
By Anushka Saxena
As a code of conduct for the PLA, the revised regulations are further expected to emphasize combat effectiveness as the military’s top priority.
By Anushka Saxena
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Indian Express | The colonial era of AI is here — India must chart its own course
By Arindam Goswami
The Paris AI Action Summit, with its impressive array of declarations and initiatives, could not mask a deeper geopolitical reality: We have entered the colonial era of artificial intelligence, where corporate sovereignty increasingly trumps national sovereignty, and global governance and ethics have been put on the backburner while still being paid lip service. The final declaration by the real power players— the US and the UK — speaks volumes. They are the tech giants who have effectively colonised the digital frontier.
By Arindam Goswami
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Firstpost | Paris AI Summit: How Indo-French partnership can be a rule maker for future innovations
By Arindam Goswami
As co-chair of the AI Action Summit in Paris, India, under the prime ministership of Narendra Modi, has the opportunity to kickstart a new chapter in global technological cooperation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a pervasive impact across different sectors. In that sense, it is a general-purpose technology (GPT), to borrow the term from Jeffrey Ding’s GPT Diffusion Theory, which promises to reshape various sectors. Nations are grappling with both its enormous potential and inherent challenges. Now is the time to come together and collaborate on setting a strong foundation for the years to come.
With its considerable experience in building and running a vast digital public infrastructure, coupled with a workforce that has proven expertise in software development, India could become an important voice in the global AI discourse
By Arindam Goswami
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Firstpost | Creative insecurity: What India can learn from Chinese DeepSeek saga
By Arindam Goswami and Shobhankita Reddy
DeepSeek benefitted from a supportive structural Chinese research and development ecosystem that existed for several decades. Also, Xi Jinping’s vision for a ‘Chinese Dream’ and national rejuvenation is rooted in technological supremacy
By Arindam Goswami and Shobhankita Reddy
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The Hindu | India’s reliance on China for critical minerals
By Rakshith Shetty
Does China have unparalleled dominance in the critical minerals sector? How was it able to do so? What are the minerals for which India is heavily dependent on China? Why has India not been able to excavate the lithium reserves found in Jammu and Kashmir?
By Rakshith Shetty
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Life of Soldiers | Anti-Submarine Warfare: Doctrine and Capabilities of the PLA Navy
By Anushka Saxena
At the recently concluded Zhuhai Airshow in Guangdong, China, a new unmanned combat vessel of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the ORCA, made its debut as part of the Asian giant’s naval arsenal. As official sources highlighted, this 500-tonne displacement high-speed stealth unmanned surface combat vessel, equipped with a diesel-electric dual-mode propulsion system, is capable of performing a host of tasks including Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) fire strike, and air and missile defense. But perhaps what is most interesting, is its reported ability to perform anti-submarine search and strike autonomously. If true, the PLAN may just be ushering in a transformed era for China’s undersea warfare capabilities.
By Anushka Saxena
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Hindustan Times | Power shifts in China’s defence establishment
By Anushka Saxena
Xi’s anti-corruption campaign aims to consolidate power and ensure loyalty within the PLA but has inadvertently exposed factional divides.
By Anushka Saxena
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StratNews Global | China’s R&D Engine: Technology Diffusion Seamlessly Across Sectors
By Arindam Goswami
China's giant strides in developing cutting-edge technologies and ensuring these are disseminated where they are needed, is a tribute to the scientific eco-system they have evolved.
Massive investment, a deliberate alignment of, and removal of barriers between military and civilian research, and a clear commitment to becoming the global leader in critical technologies are vital characteristics of China’s S&T ecosystem.
It is a whole-system approach, which also focuses on building the requisite skill infrastructure, and recognises the capacity of General Purpose Technologies (GPTs) to increase economic productivity, and thereby, military prowess, by the process of diffusion into pervasive use in a wide range of activities and sectors.
By Arindam Goswami
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ThinkChina | Is India warming up to Chinese investment?
By Amit Kumar
China’s investments in India, historically underwhelming, have dropped further with India’s fears of China’s “opportunistic takeovers”, says Indian researcher Amit Kumar. But a more favourable Indian public discourse towards Chinese investments and the potential for win-win benefits could turn things around.
By Amit Kumar
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The Quint | A Partner in Taiwan
By Anushka Saxena
India welcomed a third representative office from Taiwan in Mumbai despite China’s efforts to undermine the latter.
By Anushka Saxena
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Money Control | India-China equation reset is at a new normal, not the old one
By Manoj Kewalramani
Power asymmetry between the two countries and the likelihood of just a limited easing in the trade relationship make going back to pre-2020 phase impossible. Moreover, there’s no evidence of a dialogue yet on next step towards de-escalation. Keep your fingers crossed and expectations contained
By Manoj Kewalramani
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