In recent weeks, the media and policymakers in South Asia and beyond have closely followed developments pertaining to the Kartarpur Corridor. The Corridor, opened despite tensions between India and Pakistan over the past year, was inaugurated on 9 November by Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, on their respective sides of the India-Pakistan border.

This paper argues that the enhanced US-Vietnam economic ties reflect the fact that Washington has begun to recognise Vietnam’s economic potential and geopolitical significance.

While the term 'Indo-Pacific' has enjoyed growing use over the last decade among analysts and policy-makers in the United States and Australia, a number of more recent developments have resulted in the narrative gaining greater traction.

There is no doubt that there is immense scope and potential for Chinese investment in India, especially in infrastructure. New Delhi, for its part, should not be bogged down by the baggage of the past and must work to address key issues, such as bureaucracy, that are impeding Chinese investment.