Speeding up Kaladan project to be centrepiece of Sushma's Asean visit

India hopes to combine economic leadership with faster delivery of projects

There is an interesting sidelight to the itinerary of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to three Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) nations this week. 

In Indonesia she will inaugurate a meeting of an Asean-India network of think tanks, which has been moribund for the past two years. Its last meeting was held in 2015.

India has begun to run fast in the Asean region to shore up ties with the 10 member nations, but it is still slow compared to the pace of the other suitor, China. “While delay in the meetings of the think tank does not amount to