BY SHUBHI MALHOTRA & Dr. ADITYANJEE Introduction In the summer of 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social a photograph of himself strolling alongside North Korean dynastic dictator Kim Jong Un at the Capella Hotel in Singapore, the site of their historic 2018 summit. The image was not a photograph of a new meeting. It was a nostalgic gesture; a piece of political messaging directed as much at Pyongyang as at Trump's domestic audience. Yet its meaning was unmistak

Dr. Lin Chia-lung Minister of Foreign Affairs ROC (Taiwan) The rules-based international order is under growing strain as authoritarian states seek to weaken its safeguards and reshape international rule to serve their own interests. Even the fundamental principles of peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition against the threat or use of force, which are enshrined in the United Nations Charter, have been openly challenged and flagrantly flaunted. Today, the internatio

By Rose Abraham, Research Intern, C3S Guided By Commodore R S Vasan (Retd, IN), Director General, C3S Introduction This issue brief assesses the strategic logic underpinning India's alternative connectivity strategy, examines the opportunities and implementation challenges associated with these initiatives, and identifies policy measures that can enhance their effectiveness amid an increasingly fragmented and competitive geopolitical environment. Belt and Road Initiative and

By Vadehi Gupta, Research Intern, C3S Guided By Dr. Ashik Bonofer, Member, C3S Abstract In 2021, during the semiconductor shortage, it was unexpected that only a limited number of governments regarded it as a manageable market fluctuation. As the chip shortage intensified, automobile manufacturing plants in Europe and North America ceased operations, consumer electronics experienced multi-month delays, and defence procurement projects were postponed across various continents

By Mugdha Joshi, Research Intern, C3S Guided By Prof. Ramu Manivanan Abstract This paper aims to analyse the China-Taiwan relationship through different lens of technological statecraft in the case of semiconductor considerations. Taking into account frameworks of techno-statecraft, techno-economic statecraft, and techno-geopolitics, this paper takes apart the specific case of sub 7 nm semiconductor chips and establishes that Taiwan holds significant leverage over China in s

By Pruthvi G More, Research Intern, C3S Guided By Prof. Ramu Manivanan Abstract Traditionally, a nation’s Grand Strategy is evaluated by considering external indicators of power such as its overseas ports, navy or its investments abroad. However projection of power externally is possible only when the foundation back home is strong. For a long time now, China’s active rise has heavily banked upon “demographic dividend”. A huge and young workforce led it to gain the title of

By Patricia Cherlyn Introduction The growing partnership between China, Russia and Iran amidst the Iran war and the Ukraine war has been a concern for Western policymakers. The US and its allies currently face increasing security challenges from China, Iran, Russia and North Korea, as they defy the liberal international order, which was proposed and preserved by the US to maintain its status quo. However, these countries, termed as “the axis of aggressors” are seen as a thre

By Annunthra Rangan & Aditya Singh The current US-Iran confrontation can no longer be understood as a bilateral contest between Washington and Tehran. Six months into a war imposed on Iran on February 28, 2026, the conflict has widened into a broader struggle over the political and economic architecture of West Asia itself. Having failed to subdue Iran through military force, the United States has turned to an increasingly punitive campaign of economic strangulation, a form

By Arul Braighta, 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. Introduction The global landscape of diplomacy,

Guided By Dr. Ramumanivanan Abstract Outer Space today has become one of the most important and strategic arenas of global politics, because today states depend on it for communications, navigation, intelligence, surveillance, financial institutions, and most importantly military coordination. A domain that was once a scientific exploration and an achievement towards mankind, became a domain of strategic statecraft and power projection where economic power, technological adv

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 Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part X 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 A Detailed Strategic Case Study Examining the Evolution of China's Diversified Energy Ecosystem across Conventional, Renewable and Emerging Ener

Read the full Issue Brief at this link: Annunthra Rangan is a former Senior Research Officer at C3S. The views expressed here are of the author's own and do not reflect the views of C3S.)

By Subramanyam Sridharan Abstract In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has increasingly become embedded within state governance, intersecting technology, political control and sovereignty within the broader framework of national policies. China stands out as an exemplary case, where AI-driven surveillance systems work concurrently with legal and institutional frameworks that sustain governance and state control to ensure data security and revitalize the existing digital i

By Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part IX 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 A Detailed Case Study on How China Has Strategically Differentiated Itself from Other Leading Spacefaring Nations and Built One of the World's

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 Commander YVV Prasad, IN (Retd.) Part VIII 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 "The true measure of a nation's agricultural strength is not the extent of its fertile land, but its ability to transform science, technology

By Subramanyam Sridharan, Distinguished Member, 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. Introduction The ‘Unmanaged Great P

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