By Shilpa Susan John, Research Officer, C3S. An occasional Paper is a single topic research summary of the knowledge surrounding an issue or a problem. It summarises the issue giving clear, concise, and complete information describing all facets of a particular issue including a detailed illustration in the form of images, data, and facts. It also includes recommendations for action and predictions on the future course of an issue. Abstract The landscape of global developmen

Image Courtesy: Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) Abstract Technological innovation has become a pivotal driver of national power, economic resilience, and strategic influence in the contemporary international system. In an era where advanced and emerging technologies—ranging from artificial intelligence and semiconductors to telecommunications and defense systems—are tightly interwoven with national security imperatives, states confront a profound strategic dilemma: whe

Guided by Abia Fathima, Research Officer, C3S Abstract Rare Earth Elements (REEs) have emerged as indispensable components of present day economic and military architecture, playing a significant role in domains such as EV, renewable energy and advanced military systems. The People’s Republic of China like the US was an early entrant into the sector and began to invest heavily in it ever since the 1950s. An undoubtedly important factor in China’s consolidation in the field o

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part VII of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development. Image Source: Gen Ai Aim of the study The aim of this article is to examine the evolution of China's Financial Sovereignty and Economic Statecraft as one of the m

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part VI of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development. Image Source: Gen Ai Abstract This strategic case study examines how the People's Republic of China systematically built the industrial foundations of its contempo

C3S China Watch is a fortnightly bulletin offering news and analysis related to China from an Indian perspective. The newsletter is compiled by Team C3S. It has emerged as an essential brief for the research community, strategic affairs community, and China watchers from around the globe.

By Mr. Cris Fernando Anand Perez, C3S Research Intern Introduction The contemporary international system is undergoing a fundamental reconstruction, where rigid structures of formal institutions of multilateralism are being challenged by the “Bypassing the Bureaucracy” of social relations. For decades, the international system was defined by the legalistic, proceduralized interactions with institutions. However, the system is increasingly finding these formal institutions wit

By Mr. Pruthvi G More, C3S Research Intern Introduction Ever since China declared its goal of becoming a maritime power back in 2012, it has aggressively and proactively advanced towards achieving it through domestic lawfare, a core component of the PLA’s “Three arfares” doctrine coupled with naval modernisation at breakneck speed. Beijing has now moved beyond merely guarding its coastline; given that its colossal economy is almost entirely dependent on seaborne trade, this i

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part V of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development. Image Source: Gen Ai AIM OF THE PAPER The purpose of this article is to examine one of the most consequential yet often underappreciated dimensions of China's rise:

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part IV of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development Image Courtesy: CGTN AIM OF THE PAPER This article examines the growing realism of large-scale cyber warfare in the contemporary strategic environment and evaluates

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part III of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development Image Courtesy: CGTN AIM OF THE PAPER The rise of China as one of the world's foremost shipbuilding and maritime powers represents one of the most significant indu

By Shubhi Malhotra and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: China US Focus Introduction In diplomacy, the calendar is rarely incidental. When Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Beijing on the evening of May 19, 2026, for his 25th visit to China, the direction of events surrounding the trip carried a message as deliberate as it can be. His arrival came barely four days after U.S. President Donald Trump had concluded his own two-day summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping

By Abia Fathima, Research Officer, C3S Image Courtesy: The Atlantic Introduction Coined by Political Scientist Graham Allison in the early 2010s and popularised in his 2017 book Destined for War, the “Thucydides Trap” has become a term for a terrifyingly simple historic pattern, a pattern which displaces dynasties as a rising power threatens its existence. The Thucydides Trap has transformed from an academic footnote to one of the most heavily scrutinised idioms in modern geo

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part II of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development Image Courtesy: CGTN AIM OF THE PAPER Manufacturing capability has historically served as one of the most important foundations of national economic strength, techn

Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part I of INDIA- CHINA SERIES INDIA AND CHINA : Lessons from Four Decades of Scientific, Technological and Industrial Transformation - Reflections on Science, Technology, Industry and National Capability for India's Next Leap: Strategic Insights for India's Future Development Image Courtesy: CGTN AIM OF THE PAPER This paper seeks to examine how sustained national vision, long-term planning, institutional continuity, educational investments, i

By Shubhi Malhotra & Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: The Print Introduction The Indian Ocean is no longer merely a highway for commerce. It has become the principal arena of twenty-first-century geopolitical competition in the maritime domain, a theatre where great powers jostle for influence, non-state actors exploit ungoverned maritime spaces, and climate-induced disasters test the resilience of small island nations. Against this backdrop, the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

By Balaji Chandramohan Image Courtesy: MC In an effort to boost its strategic presence ahead of the centenary of the People Liberation Army, China’s Air force and Army has jointly increased its strategic reach in the Tibet region and in the Lhunze Air base pointing towards India’s Northern borders which may have wider strategic impact as India is contemplating dividing its Air Land forces and integration among its Tri Services to negate threats from both Pakistan and China in

C3S China Watch is a fortnightly bulletin offering news and analysis related to China from an Indian perspective. The newsletter is compiled by Team C3S. It has emerged as an essential brief for the research community, strategic affairs community, and China watchers from around the globe.

How the 2026 Beijing summit reshapes risks and opportunities for regional middle powers By Rohit KA and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: Asia Times A summit shaped by Iran, trade, and Taiwan The US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 - 15, 2026, in the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade. This was Trump’s first state visit to China in his second term. The US agenda focused on stabilizing a strained relationship amid

BY SUBRAMANYAM SRIDHARAN, DISTINGUISHED MEMBER, C3S Let there be a relaxation of tension across the board, as it existed between 1988 and 2012 despite the presence of the Dalai Lama and his self-exiled Government here. Image Courtsey: Newsonair Modus vivendi requires the two parties to either openly agree to a common minimum program setting aside deeper conflicts for the time being or arrive at an informal understanding to do so. Modus vivendi would also require equitable tr