In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, India’s economy shrunk by 23.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020. This was a historic contraction, going down as the worst in the nation’s history. No other major economic power suffered as greatly during these past six months, and coming on the heels of 3.1 percent growth in the first quarter, it stings.As if to add insult to injury, now China and India are facing increasing tensions along their Himalayan border.

China's surprise pledge to slash its carbon footprint to zero by 2060 was met with cautious applause, but fresh spending on coal to rev up a virus-hit economy threatens to nullify its audacious bid to lead the world into a low carbon future.The fossil fuel has powered China's economic surge over the last thirty years, and the nation burns about half the coal used globally each year.Between 2000 and 2018, its annual carbon emissions nearly tripled, and it now accounts for nearly a th

China on Thursday lashed out at the United States (US) at a high-level United Nations (UN) meeting over its criticism on the coronavirus, with its envoy declaring, "Enough is enough!"Two days after President Donald Trump used his annual address to the General Assembly to attack China's record, the US ambassador to the UN also took an outraged tone – after which her Chinese counterpart showed palpable anger."I must say, enough is enough!

Xi Jinping's shock promise to lead the world into a safer climate future was thin on details, leaving many questions unanswered on how the world's worst polluter will meet a 2060 carbon neutral target.China is responsible for over a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming.But it is also the biggest global investor in renewable energy - a country whose energy policy points both ways. We look at what China has achieved, what needs to be d

China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, recently declared that aggression and expansionism have never been in the Chinese nation’s “genes.” It is almost astonishing that he managed to say it with a straight face.

In any normal year, I would be in New York City now for the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The event represents the greatest concentration of global policymakers in one place and is the high point on the diplomatic calendar. But this year is far from normal, and “UNGA week” is going virtual with events held online – a familiar format for us all in recent months.

United States (US) President Donald Trump cast blame on China over the coronavirus pandemic in an address on Tuesday before the United Nations (UN), whose chief warned against a new "Cold War" between the two powers.At a General Assembly held almost entirely virtually due to COVID-19, Trump delivered a speech in election campaign mode, while Chinese President Xi Jinping instead unveiled ambitious new targets to fight climate change.As the US death toll from COVID-19 reached the grim

A deal to restructure ownership of the popular video app TikTok was thrown into doubt Monday when President Donald Trump vowed to block any deal that allows its Chinese parent firm to retain any control.The comments raised fresh concerns over a weekend deal that appeared to avert a United States (US)-ordered ban of TikTok, which the Trump administration has called a national security risk and has threatened to ban without ownership changes.The deal would make Silicon Valley giant Oracle the d

China ramped up its rhetoric over Taiwan on Monday, describing any support for its independence as "doomed to fail", and threatened retaliation against United States (US) diplomatic visits to the island.Taiwan has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory awaiting reunification.The island is a flashpoint with Washington, which promises military support to the elected government and has sent two envoy

China on Saturday launched a mechanism that would allow it to sanction foreign companies, upping the ante in a tech war with the United States (US) a day after Washington moved to curb popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat.China's long-expected "unreliable entities list" is seen as a weapon for Beijing to retaliate against the US, which has used its own "entity list" to shut Chinese telecom giant Huawei out of the US market, while also moving against TikTok and WeCha