Sabena Siddiqi

An unsettled atmosphere prevails on the China-India border following accusations of trespass by Indian border guards in the Sikkim section, followed by an Indian attempt to obstruct ongoing construction activities by the Chinese frontier forces in the Donglang region. Demanding an Indian troop withdrawal as a precondition to any further meaningful dialogue, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged India to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter. Reaffirming that the Sikkim section of the China-India border is well-defined by treaties, the ministry’s spokesperson, Geng Shuang, pointed out that the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed these settlements in writing and has expressed no objections to them previously. Urging India to respect boundary treaties and China’s territorial sovereignty to maintain peace and stability, the foreign ministry also informed India through diplomatic channels that the entry of official Indian pilgrims at the Nathu La Pass, linking Sikki

Reinforcing links between regional countries, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded in 1985, with its current membership comprising of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. With an overall mixed performance, its highest point was in achieving an impressive 7.0 percent average growth rate over two decades. Promoting inter-action and mutual dialogue, SAARC worked for peace and harmony in the region by concentrating on common interests and settling regional issues. Unfortunately, ever since the cancellation of the last SAARC Conference in 2016, a vacuum has been created and the future credibility of the organization is at stake. Functionally viable, in the past the group put forth different trade structures and mechanisms such as the South Asia Free Trade Agreement and South Asia Preferential Trade Agreement. Lacking any definite roadmap ahead now, it seems to have been postponed indefinitely ever since I

Alarming statistics have come to light regarding the vital need to upgrade America’s infrastructure network. Neglected for decades, sheer apathy prevails as bridges, airports, highways and pipelines have fallen into disrepair. According to CNN: "Nearly 40 million Americans will kick off one of the busiest travel seasons in history this Memorial Day weekend, jarred by potholes on America's roads, crossing aging bridges, riding antiquated railways and taking off from airports that draw international scorn." A US$1 trillion overhaul of the nation's roads and bridges is on the cards even though there is no indication on the modalities as yet. Comparing the state of American infrastructure with that of third world countries, President Donald Trump envisaged a 10-year development plan covering maintenance and upgrades. Proposing to cover bridges and roads as well as the energy and water sectors, he told CBS News' John Dickerson in an interview: "We're

Sitting on a massive goldmine of energy reserves, Central Asia's Kazakhstan has 30 billion barrels of oil reserves while Turkmenistan's natural gas is estimated at 265 trillion cubic feet. As a result this region is extremely vital in the battle for resources and global dominance over the last decade. Located right in the center of Eurasia, it has considerable potential as a market for its natural gas, gold, copper, aluminum, iron and cotton as well. Geo-economically, CARs are indispensable trade partners for neighboring countries in this era. Being the third largest consumer of crude oil globally, India wants to have closer strategic and economic ties with the Central Asian states but its trade volume sits at just $500 million. Limited land connectivity has proved to be the major obstacle. Lacking borders with the Central Asian states, India is denied land access through Pakistan's territory due to constant friction between the two countries. Likewise, even after ha

Nowadays, running out of battery is the only concern when leaving home, as an estimated 40 percent of China’s population now carries less than $15 cash equivalent in their pockets, according to one report. It all started when China's Internet users decided they preferred to go online via their mobile devices, and then went on to avail themselves of Alipay, the payments option of e-commerce giant Alibaba. Following suit, the ubiquitous Wechat app launched Wechat Pay to keep its 500 million user base hooked; soon after, the Chinese search engine Baidu also introduced its own version of the wallet. As the movement grew, the Chinese government pro-actively allowed banks to include the QR Code scanning system and process mobile payments, bringing a new expanding market into the mainstream. Working on providing transparency, China's central bank established a nation-wide clearing house for mobile payment services. This was necessary, according to analyst Wang Pengbo, as "

The world's "most important bilateral relationship" made a positive new beginning with President Trump's state visit to China. The bonhomie produced bodes well for the world as they oversee one-third of the world’s economy, a quarter of its trade and command its two most powerful armies. Having achieved a landmark consensus on China-U.S. relations, President Xi Jinping announced: "The meeting between myself and President Trump sets the tone and lays a solid foundation for the solid development of the China-U.S. relationship. It will achieve more results and more benefits for people around the world." Amid the good vibes, President Trump was optimistic that the two countries could effectively resolve problems in the world together, and looked forward "to building an even stronger relationship." Regarding the trade imbalance, he surprised some by saying: "The U.S. really has to change its policies because they’ve gotten so far behind on

In the aftermath of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s unveiling of the unprecedented Vision 2030 reforms, a sense of renaissance seems to exist in Saudi Arabia. Diversifying the oil economy along new routes for rapid progress, it is definitely the brainchild of the young Prince; however, he modestly insists he is only "one of 20 million people. I am nothing without them." Nevertheless, such a holistic package for economic, cultural and societal reform has not been seen before in recent Saudi history. Opening up Saudi Arabia to the world, the Prince announced his country would become "moderate" and "open" and that he would "eradicate" radical Islamist ideology. "We are returning to what we were before -- a country of moderate Islam open to all religions and to the world," he told an audience of world luminaries attending a major investment conference in the country. Announcing a futuristic new city named "NEOM," 33

In a significant new development, China has proposed initiating an economic corridor with Myanmar to advance bilateral trade links, creating a central intersection for the Belt and Road Initiative between Southeast Asia and China. Addressing the media while on a recent visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced, "China and Myanmar have great potential for cooperation as they are highly complementary in economy. To further enhance China-Myanmar comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, China has proposed building the China-Myanmar economic corridor." Starting from Yunnan in southwestern China, the corridor would proceed south to Mandalay in Myanmar, eastward to Yangon and then westward to the Kyaukpyu special economic zone. This would boost connectivity and facilitate development throughout Myanmar. Three branches of this network would operate along with a proposed $1.5 billion oil pipeline through the Bay of Bengal. Deepening economic co

Usually, movies are for entertainment, providing escape from a monotonous routine, and causing a clash of cultures is rare. Yet in India today, the Bollywood movie Padmavati has created a rift and split the masses into two camps.  Amid unprecedented debate and extreme threats, India has seen real-time rioting for most of this year. Named after a mythical Rajput queen whose existence cannot be proven historically, references only being found in poetry around the year 1540, the controversy has served to expose the vulnerability of society to movies and the poignant effect they have on the masses.  At times such as these, movies can become larger than life and create new imaginary battlegrounds. It all began when the hard-line faction, Rajput Karni Sena, accused famous movie maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali of having insulted the legendary Hindu Rajput queen's memory by depicting her as a heroine with an historic Muslim king.  Soon, its members were vandalizing cinemas a

Leaving behind decades-old social rules, Saudi Arabia is at a turning point for the first time since 1979 when conservative laws and norms were initially enforced. Nowadays, families in Saudi Arabia look forward to going to the movies as the first of planned 2,000 cinemas is due to open in March. As described in the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman's Vision 2030, things are moving ahead. Discussing the significance of these steps, the Saudi Culture Minister Awwad Alawwad  explained, "This is a watershed in the development of the cultural economy in the kingdom. Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification. "By developing the broader cultural sector, we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the kingdom's entertainment options." Diversifying the Saudi economy had also become a necessity, keeping in mind the plunge in global oil prices since 2014. With "Vision 2030," Saudi Ar