The power transition in North Korea is bound to produce more political intrigue in the coming months, with the junior Kim concentrating more on military modernization and nuclear programme to strengthen his position.

If the China-Japan maritime dispute in the East China Sea is not tackled and left to linger, it would have a serious impact on regional security.

South African President Jacob Zuma has affirmed the mutually beneficial economic relationship between China and Africa, including with his country, notwithstanding the negative sides to this relationship. It is clear that China’s role in Africa is changing the terms of engagement with the region. That is perhaps the biggest challenge for India and the rest of the world in their future Africa strategy.

Converging interests between India and South Korea is leading them to position themselves to work closely in the emerging Asian security architecture.

Indian decision makers played down the problems in the India-China relationship for the past decade in the expectation that deepening engagement would influence attitudes at the top level in China and thereby enable hardened positions to soften.