Chinese companies are in talks to snap up more businesses and land in Pakistan after sealing two major deals in recent months, a sign of deepening ties after Beijing vowed to plough $57 billion into a new trade route across the South Asian nation. A dozen executives from some of Pakistan’s biggest firms told Reuters that Chinese companies were looking… Read more »
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has moved to clean up political funding with limits on cash donations and new “election bonds”, but some politicians and election officials said the measures would have limited impact. With several state polls about to begin that will help determine his chances of re-election in 2019, Modi’s administration sought to tackle widespread perceptions of vote buying… Read more »
Bangladesh is determined to relocate Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar to a Bay of Bengal island that critics say is unliveable, a Bangladeshi minister said, adding that the move is temporary and Myanmar will ultimately have to take them back. Around 69,000 people have fled the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State to Bangladesh since the Myanmar military launched… Read more »
China signed a deal with Sri Lanka late last year to further develop the strategic port of Hambantota and build a huge industrial zone nearby, a key part of Beijing’s ambitions to create a modern-day “Silk Road” across Asia. The agreement was welcome relief for the island nation of 20 million people. As they try to reduce the country’s debts,… Read more »