DPG Indo-Pacific Monitor
Indo-Pacific Monitor
Authors Commodore Lalit Kapur (Retd.)
Date: April 30, 2025
India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Thailand and Sri Lanka from April 03-05 and Saudi Arabia on April 22. In Thailand, he elevated bilateral relations to a strategic partnership and attend the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. The visit to Sri Lanka continued the upsurge in bilateral relations following the December 2024 visit of President Dissanayake to India. In Saudi Arabia, he expanded avenues for cooperation during the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council.
US Vice President JD Vance visited India from April 21-24. Other high profile visitors to India included the President of Chile from April 01-05, and Dubai’s Crown Prince on April 08.
China’s President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from April 14-18. The “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed by President Trump on all nations provided the backdrop to his discussions.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Vietnam and the Philippines from April 27-30. Trade and security issues dominated his discussions with counterpart leaders.
Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won 169 of 343 seats in the Canadian general election on April 29, falling just short of an outright majority. Carney will lead a minority government and will have to depend on other parties to pass legislation.
The April edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook was released on April 22. The Outlook projects global growth in 2025 dropping to 2.8%, from the 3.3% that was forecast in January 2025, on account of the tariff measures announced by the US and countermeasures by its trading partners. India remains the fastest growing major economy, with projections indicating it will grow by 6.2% in 2025 and 6.3% in 2026.
South Korea’s constitutional court upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol on April 04, formally dismissing him from office. An election to choose his successor has been scheduled on June 03, 2025.
South Korea’s Cheongju District Court rendered a fresh judgement directing Japan to pay compensation to the plaintiff in a case brought by the family of a former comfort woman. Japan lodged a strong protest. The case has the potential to destabilise Japan-South Korea relations once again.
China strengthened its assertions in the East and South China Seas, carrying out military drills in the Taiwan Strait on April 02, expelling Japanese fishing vessels from the Senkaku Islands on April 05-06, expelling a Philippines ship from the Scarborough Shoal on April 20 and seizing the disputed Sandy Cay Reef in the South China Sea on April 27.
The fourth edition of the India-US tri-service exercise Tiger Triumph took place in the Bay of Bengal from April 01-12.
IOS Sagar, with 44 trainees from nine friendly Indian Ocean countries, set off on its voyage to the Southwestern Indian Ocean on April 05. The ship visited Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala and Port Louis during the month, and will call at Port Victoria before returning to India in May. Meanwhile, the inaugural edition of multinational Exercise AIKEYME was co-hosted by India and Tanzania at Dar-es-Salam from April 13-18.
The USN destroyer William P Lawrence transited the Taiwan Strait on April 23.
These and other developments are covered in this Indo-Pacific Monitor Vol. VI, Issue 4. To read about them, please see the PDF attached.
US Vice President JD Vance visited India from April 21-24. Other high profile visitors to India included the President of Chile from April 01-05, and Dubai’s Crown Prince on April 08.
China’s President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia from April 14-18. The “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed by President Trump on all nations provided the backdrop to his discussions.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Vietnam and the Philippines from April 27-30. Trade and security issues dominated his discussions with counterpart leaders.
Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won 169 of 343 seats in the Canadian general election on April 29, falling just short of an outright majority. Carney will lead a minority government and will have to depend on other parties to pass legislation.
The April edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook was released on April 22. The Outlook projects global growth in 2025 dropping to 2.8%, from the 3.3% that was forecast in January 2025, on account of the tariff measures announced by the US and countermeasures by its trading partners. India remains the fastest growing major economy, with projections indicating it will grow by 6.2% in 2025 and 6.3% in 2026.
South Korea’s constitutional court upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol on April 04, formally dismissing him from office. An election to choose his successor has been scheduled on June 03, 2025.
South Korea’s Cheongju District Court rendered a fresh judgement directing Japan to pay compensation to the plaintiff in a case brought by the family of a former comfort woman. Japan lodged a strong protest. The case has the potential to destabilise Japan-South Korea relations once again.
China strengthened its assertions in the East and South China Seas, carrying out military drills in the Taiwan Strait on April 02, expelling Japanese fishing vessels from the Senkaku Islands on April 05-06, expelling a Philippines ship from the Scarborough Shoal on April 20 and seizing the disputed Sandy Cay Reef in the South China Sea on April 27.
The fourth edition of the India-US tri-service exercise Tiger Triumph took place in the Bay of Bengal from April 01-12.
IOS Sagar, with 44 trainees from nine friendly Indian Ocean countries, set off on its voyage to the Southwestern Indian Ocean on April 05. The ship visited Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala and Port Louis during the month, and will call at Port Victoria before returning to India in May. Meanwhile, the inaugural edition of multinational Exercise AIKEYME was co-hosted by India and Tanzania at Dar-es-Salam from April 13-18.
The USN destroyer William P Lawrence transited the Taiwan Strait on April 23.
These and other developments are covered in this Indo-Pacific Monitor Vol. VI, Issue 4. To read about them, please see the PDF attached.
