The China Factor in India’s Supercharged Battery Ambitions: Dependency and Opportunity

By Daniel Balazs and Xinyue Hu

On February 1, 2025, India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to exempt certain lithium-ion (li-ion) battery related raw materials—cobalt powder and waste, lead, zinc, among others—and equipment from customs duty. These are recent steps among a set of government-backed measures aimed at localising li-ion battery manufacturing in India. As the Indian government steps up these efforts, it has to account for external dependencies. As a central player in global battery supply chains, China is a key source of battery-related raw materials, equipment, and technology for India. This means that China is simultaneously a source of opportunity and vulnerability to India’s battery ambitions. To cope with this situation and pursue its state goals, India must rely on China while also reducing dependence on it.

ASEAN’s Next Plan for Food, Agriculture and Forestry Needs to Prioritise Action

By Elyssa Kaur Ludher

As ASEAN faces escalating food insecurity from trade disruptions and climate impacts, immediate implementation is essential in four key areas: boosting intra-regional trade, enhancing cross-sector enablers like channelling research and development (R&D) to climate-smart and digital inclusion, diversifying food stockpiles beyond rice, and protecting regional environmental commons.

The ASEAN Political-Security Community: A Flawed Project in Crisis Management

By Brian Oh Seng Leong

The ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), which was intended to be a pillar for regional peace and political stability in Southeast Asia, has fallen short in its response to the Myanmar civil war. Originally established to promote a resilient, dynamic, and rules-based community built on shared values and norms, the APSC has been hindered by ASEAN’s traditional principles, leaving it poorly equipped to address crises that threaten not just individual members, but the entire region.