Sri Lanka a tiny island country in the Indian Ocean has become an example of what Chinese investments can achieve. In the last two decades Sri Lanka has received around 15 billion in investments from China, making it one of the largest investors in the island nation. Sri Lanka has also joined the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013. The major wake up call to these investments came when Sri Lanka was unable to repay the loans and it had to lease out the Hambantota port to China for 99 years.

North Korea is not deterred by sanctions and continues to pursue its nuclear and missile development programmes. When the year 2022 dawned and the world’s attention was transfixed with Russia’s military operation in Ukraine on 24 February and, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un knew that this shall continue for quite some time, he seized the opportunity to focus on his own advancement of nuclear and missile firing activities. What the world witnessed soon was a slew of ballistic missiles, including hypersonic and long-range weapons.

Sri Lanka in India's neighborhood is reeling under economic, political, and social crisis. To listen to the insightful views on the reasons and implications of current development, join us on the podcast by Shri PM. Heblikar and Cchavi Vasisht.