By Arul Braighta Arulanantham Image Courtesy: China Daily 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. Executive Summary Between Octob

The Annual Report 2025–2026 of the Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) presents a comprehensive overview of the Centre’s activities, achievements, and contributions over the past year. It reflects C3S’s continued commitment to advancing research and analysis on China and its implications for India and the broader Indo-Pacific region. During the year, C3S sustained its focus on producing high-quality research, organising discussions on issues of strategic relevance, and fos

By Annunthra Rangan Image courtesy: AIIA March 28th marks one month since the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran. In the weeks that followed, Tehran has suffered significant losses, including the deaths of key figures within its leadership. Yet despite the scale of the assault, Iran has shown no signs of capitulating and the manner in which Washington has handled this conflict has raised serious questions about the coherence of its strategy

By Harsh Sinha and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: News X Introduction The expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in February 2026 brought an end to the last remaining bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and the Russian Federation. This change represents a fundamental shift from a regulated bipolar nuclear order that was carefully crafted during the post-cold war era to an uncertain, unpredictable and competitive multip

From the first strike to the burning Strait By Arul Braighta Arulanantham Image Courtesy: The Virginian The Spark: How a War Without a Declaration Began On the night of February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a massive coordinated strike on Iran under the operational name Operation Epic Fury. The targets were not ambiguous. They explicitly targeted Iranian missile infrastructure, nuclear sites, air defenses, and the leadership of the Islamic Republic itself.

By Prof Yoichiro Sato and Dr. Adityanjee Introduction Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led a charm offensive in her recent summit meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, March 19 th , 2026. The summit succeeded in generating mostly positive receptions both in Tokyo and Washington, D.C. Aside from the successful visual and sound presentations, however, there were both additional notable successes, as well as shortcomings. The key topics discussed included the

By Rohit KA and Dr. Adityanjee Image Courtesy: The Economist Introduction In 2018 in its White paper on China’s Arctic policy China formally declared itself as a “Near-Arctic” State. The rhetoric about the near-Arctic state had been floated around by China since 2012-2013 onwards at the time of its initial application for an observer-ship in the Arctic Circle. This concept of China as a “near-Arctic country," raises a fundamental question: does this represent mere verbal gymn

The Chennai Centre for China Studies invites applications for its Summer Internship Programme . This internship offers students and young researchers an opportunity to engage with contemporary issues related to China, contribute to research discussions, and develop analytical writing on China-related topics. Interested candidates can submit their CV/Resume, a writing sample, and a 300–500 word abstract on a research topic of interest . To learn more about the internship progr

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 Balaji Chandramohan As India starts re-organizing its military command matrix it will be interesting to see how this reconstitution will be perceived in the years to come and the sum effect it will have on New Delhi’s evolving Maritime Strategy. 1 Theatre Command and Integration  in Indian context from a maritime connotation  India’s approach to theatre command was influenced by  China's military modernization, under President Xi Jinping, which has been marked by reforms t

By Annunthra Rangan Image Courtesy: Times of India Abstract: The recent conflict involving Iran has reshaped regional geopolitics in West Asia, raising critical questions about war management, deterrence, and the responses of major external actors. This paper examines how Iran has navigated the conflict through a strategy centered on asymmetric deterrence, distributed military command, and economic pressure through energy geopolitics. Particular attention is given to Iran’s a

By Abia Fathima, Research Officer Image Courtesy: ORF The year 2025 has emerged as a definitive turning point for China’s premier Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The year 2025 marks the most substantial level of engagement in the history of the BRI. Since its launch in 2013, the BRI has served as the central conduit for China’s global economic and geopolitical vision. Nevertheless, the level of data that has been registered in 2025 marks a clear shift away from the past trend

By Annunthra Rangan, Senior Research Officer Image Courtesy: Middle East Eye West Asia is once again on the edge. Following a short but intense conflict between Iran and Israel in 2025, and mounting tensions involving the United States, Tehran is reportedly seeking to replenish and upgrade its depleted missile capabilities. As part of this effort, Iran is close to finalizing a major arms agreement with China,  potentially one of the largest weapons transfers in their history.

By Shilpa Susan John , Research Officer, C3S Image courtesy: CNBC China’s dual position as the largest greenhouse gas emitter that contributes around 30% of world total and as the largest producer of renewable energy creates a complex dynamic in the global climate landscape. China’s transformation is shaped by environmental needs and the urgent requirement for technological change at a crucial time. For the past decades of the century, the country was infamous for its greenho

By Annunthra Rangan, Senior Research Officer, C3S The two-day workshop on China’s Influence Operations in South Asia  was successfully conducted on February 9–10, 2026, bringing together students of media, journalism, and international relations for an intensive academic and simulation-based learning experience. The programme combined expert lectures, panel discussions, student paper presentations, and a live diplomatic simulation exercise titled The Diplomat , enabling parti

By Abia Fathima and Shilpa Susan John, Research Officers, C3S “ASEAN 3.0: Charting Economic Pathways in an Era of Adversarial Trade and Tariffs” was conducted on 4th of February, 2026, at CHRIST University, Bangalore. The one-day conference was organised to examine the evolving economic and strategic partnership between India and the ASEAN nations. Set against a global backdrop of protectionism and shifting trade dynamics, the event brought together diplomats, academics, and

By Dr. Adityanjee and Guncha Shandilya Image Courtesy: DRaS Introduction: China’s contemporary diplomatic posture can be traced back to Deng Xiaoping’s strategic counsel in the 1990s to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): “Hide your strength and bide your time.”  Although Deng articulated this philosophy, it was his successor, the 3 rd  generation CCP/PLA Leader Jiang Zemin, who formalized this phrase in its widely recognized form. For over two decades, this pragmatic doctrine

By Dharshini Renganathan, Research Intern, C3S Guided by, Mr. MR Sivaraman IAS (Retd), Distinguished Member, C3S Image Courtesy: Unsplash Abstract: This research aims to examine the recent development in the fast fashion industry in the background of unethical practises in the employment of labour which has tended to dominate the debates amongst consumers of fast fashion garments. The fast fashion goods are manufactured in  China by Multi-National Companies owning well-know

By Yashita S, Research Intern, C3S Guided by Major General Rajiv Narayanan , Distinguished Member, C3S Image Courtesy: Scroll Abstract: Existing scholarly views on military transformation highly focus on quantitative comparisons of hardware such as aircrafts, ships, tanks or defence budgets. These studies provide valuable data on modernization but restrict them to arms and ammunitions, neglecting the importance of institutional reforms which focus on how lessons are absorbed

By Kirsten Wilfred Coelho, Research Intern, C3S Guided by Commodore R S Vasan, Director General, C3S Image Courtesy: SCMP Abstract: Undersea cables make up a key component of global internet communications, and the Chinese state has succeeded in expanding its global footprint via diplomatic measures involving this infrastructure. This approach comes under the Digital Silk Route programme and broader Belt and Road Initiative, and has come under the scrutiny of multiple countr