CHINA’S RARE EARTH EXPORTS DOMINANCE

From Control to Coercion

China’s latest rare earth export control measures reflect its strategy to weaponise supply chain dominance amid domestic economic pressures and ongoing trade tensions. While strengthening short-term leverage, prolonged restrictions risk undermining China's cost competitiveness and global confidence. For countries like India, these measures underscore both strategic vulnerabilities and opportunities to diversify and de-risk critical mineral supply chains.

 
Image name
CHINA AND INDIA IN ASEAN

Competing Strategies for Influence and Partnership

Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has become the focal point of Asia’s strategic and economic transformation, with ASEAN at the center of global trade, maritime connectivity and geopolitical competition. China and India increasingly see the bloc as essential to their regional strategies: China as a partner for trade, technology, and security, and India as the cornerstone of its Act East Policy (AEP). The AEP has evolved from a diplomatic initiative into a comprehensive framework, with India strengthening cultural, defense, and multilateral engagement across the region. Meanwhile, China has pursued an expansive agenda through initiatives like the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area and the Belt and Road Initiative, deepening economic and infrastructural integration. Beijing’s approach extends beyond economics to maritime cooperation, regional governance, and influence-building, setting a high benchmark for regional engagement. In this context, India faces the challenge of translating the AEP into tangible influence, balancing ASEAN’s developmental priorities with its own strategic ambitions, while measuring its progress against China’s extensive outreach.

 
Image name
WHOLE-PROCESS PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACY

China’s Alternative Governance Model

To many external observers, the Chinese notion of democracy is contradictory to the country’s one-party political system and its limited space for dissent. Nonetheless, the Chinese party-state has consistently portrayed itself as a system that embodies democratic values, albeit in a form tailored to its own political and cultural context.

 
Image name
सीपीपी की विचारधारा पर चलते चीनी धार्मिक कानून

चीन में पंथ कर्मियों के आचरण पर सख्ती कोई नई नहीं

चीनी धार्मिक कानून के अनुसार कोई भी राज्य निकाय, सार्वजनिक संगठन या व्यक्ति नागरिकों को किसी भी धर्म में विश्वास करने या न करने के लिए बाध्य नहीं कर सकता; न ही वे उन नागरिकों के साथ भेदभाव कर सकते हैं जो किसी भी धर्म में विश्वास करते हैं या नहीं करते, लेकिन वस्तुस्थिति इतनी भी लचीलापन लिए हुए नजर नहीं आती।

 
Image name
INDIA'S SOFT PUSH FOR POWER IN SOUTH ASIA

Shaping a Favourable Tomorrow

The Special Issue “India’s Soft Push for Power in South Asia: Shaping A Favourable Tomorrow” was ideated keeping in mind the increasing need for Indian policymakers to mitigate challenges emerging against New Delhi’s South Asian policy. Through each chapter, contributed by emerging Indian scholars specializing in India’s neighborhood policy, the publications envisions new and existing strategies to effectively leverage India’s soft power appeal in South Asia. 

 
Image name
PILGRIMAGE, POLITICS AND SOVEREIGNTY

India, China and the return to Kailash

Religious exchanges, especially pilgrimages to Mount Kailash, have long symbolized the fluid cultural ties and contested sovereignties between India, Tibet, and China. The recent reopening of the Kailash yātrā reflects cautious Sino-Indian rapprochement post-Galwan. However, such religious engagement implicitly challenges Beijing’s authority in Tibet. Pilgrimage remains a subtle yet potent site of geopolitical tension and cultural assertion.

 
Image name

Publications

Ranging from op-eds to issue briefs, special reports and more by our Community of senior and junior Scholars

Daily CiCM Newsletters

Subscribers every evening receive crisp insights divided into sections: China’s social media, regional news and an India Watch

Countries Reached

Within an year of inception, ORCA began being accessed and read across continents with consistent readership that has only grown over time

China's Provinces at a glance

Made with the intention of furthering our audience's knowledge, our interactive map will tell you some interesting facts about each province in China.

Autonomous Regions Provinces Municipalities

Latest Publications

Image name
Issue Brief

CHINA AND INDIA IN ASEAN


Image name
Reviewing Chinese Culture

ZERO DAY ATTACK- A WARNING SHOT FOR TAIWAN


Image name
Backgrounders

WHOLE-PROCESS PEOPLE’S DEMOCRACY


Image name
Opinion Pieces

CHINA’S RARE EARTH EXPORTS DOMINANCE


Write for Write for

ORCA ! ORCA !

Join us in advancing knowledge and fostering meaningful discussions on China and Asia! Check out ORCA's submission guidelines and send us your work.

Get Started

Subscribe now to our newsletter !

Get a daily dose of local and national news from China, top trends in Chinese social media and what it means for India and the region at large.

Please enter your name.
Looks good.
Please enter a valid email address.
Looks good.
Please accept the terms to continue.