Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Egypt (September 1-2, 2026) marked a shift in Beijing's engagement with West Asia.

Manoj Kewalramani writes for, and talks to, various media outlets across the globe on the BRICS Summit - 2026. Opinion piece in The Wire China: Xi’s Flying Visit to Delhi and the Quest for a ‘New Normal’ with India Quoted in South China Morning Post: India scores Brics win with joint declaration despite divides Quoted in The New York Times: As Oil Prices Rise, BRICS Leaders Have What U.S. Doesn’t: Iran at the Table Opinion piece in Money Control: 9/11 Attacks, 25th Anniversar

Every week, we recap highlights of the news from China. This edition comes amid several weeks of heightened activity around China’s foreign relations — from a recent summit to Xi Jinping’s upcoming visits to India and the US. By Rishika Singh Access the full edition here

It is difficult to overstate the scale of Mr. Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. Between 2012 and 2025, some 7.011 million party members were disciplined or dismissed. By Manoj Kewalramani Access the full piece here

China's latest threat assessment leaves India off its list of top external challenges. StratNews Global spoke to three leading China experts from India to understand what Beijing's silence really means—and whether India should read it as reassurance or strategy. Access the full piece here

In March 2026, India eased investment restrictions imposed in 2020, allowing some non-controlling investments linked to countries sharing a land border with India to proceed without prior government approval. While the change will benefit some Chinese investors, it is driven more by a desire to unblock global capital than by any strategic opening to China. Enduring political mistrust, trade imbalances and wider geopolitical pressures will continue to limit any deeper economic

China’s recent white paper outlines a transformation of the norms beneath the international order. By Manoj Kewalramani Access the full piece here

Xi dealt with Trump as his equal, pitting Beijing’s grand strategic concerns against Washington’s transactionalism. Yes, both sides outwardly agreed on some issues. But Beijing is playing a long game. By Manoj Kewalramani Read the full piece here

Chinese state media is depicting the summit as an opportunity for the United States to accept that the “right way” for the two powers to engage is as equals. By David Pierson & Berry Wang Access the full piece here

The war in West Asia has accelerated the unravelling of the post-Cold War order. For all its contradictions, this was an order that generated unprecedented wealth and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. But it struggled to reconcile power with principle and universality with diversity. It also produced shifts in the global distribution of power that it has been unable to adapt to. The question, therefore, is not whether the old order will endure. It will not. The real

The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, signed into law by Chinese President Xi Jinping, will come into effect July 1, 2026. It will allow the communist government to legally pursue sinicisation, the systemic process of aligning religious beliefs, ethnic identities, and cultural practices. By Tenzin Norzom Access the full piece here

Dealing with Pakistan may be frustrating but China has no option for now. By Surya Gangadharan Read the full piece here

The foreign policies of both countries have frequently converged, rooted in a shared commitment to strategic autonomy. This approach favours multilateral engagement while deliberately avoiding rigid forms of bloc politics reminiscent of the Cold War. By Manoj Kewalramani, Paco Milhiet Access the full piece here

Our new book: 'Taming the Dragon: A Manifesto for a New Modus Vivendi with China' (Rupa Publications) is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Here's what you can expect from the book: After years of deep mistrust stemming from the 2020 boundary standoff, India–China relations have entered a phase of cautious yet fragile re-engagement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meetings with President Xi Jinping in Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025 signalled a shared desire to stabil

I had the opportunity to attend the Munich Security Conference over the past few days. It was quite the whirlwind experience. Apart from the speeches and discussions on the main stage, there were several very interesting side-event conversations. These were, by far, much more candid. By Manoj Kewalramani Click here to access the full piece

Though often cast as a struggle for power, US–China competition is fundamentally a struggle over modernity. It is about which political and economic system can most effectively harness technology, shape global standards, and determine how future growth, governance, and innovation will be organised worldwide. As the US–China tech war takes shape, the real question is: which system will ultimately define the contours of the world’s technological and political future? Access the

The tariff war unleashed by Donald Trump targeting America’s allies, partners, and rivals jeopardised whatever little consensus that was beginning to take shape to counter China’s industrial overcapacity. By Amit Kumar, Manoj Kewalramani Read the full piece here

After five years of tensions, India–China relations have entered a phase of cautious and fragile re-engagement. The meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Xi Jinping in Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025 signal a shared desire to stabilise bilateral ties. These gestures are unlikely to ease the deeper structural faultlines. Key among these is the asymmetry in the balance of power between the two countries, along with their respective relationships with th

Manoj Kewalramani of the Takshashila Institution says the operation against Nicolás Maduro rests on weak legal ground and may not address Washington’s deeper concerns even as Donald Trump projects it as a political success. By Bala Chauhan For the full report, click here

The advent of Donald Trump as US president resulted in a disruptive 2025. China not only weathered the storm, it also indicated that it sees itself as the inheritor and reformer of the post-war institutional order. By Manoj Kewalramani To read the full piece, click here