Date: 05/12/2022

Relevance: GS-2: India and its Neighbourhood- Relations.

Key Phrases: ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policies, Indo-Pacific policy and strategy, Northeast, Indo-Pacific from the lens of culture, medical tourism, expanded people-related cooperation, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Why in News?

• Since 2018, India’s ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ policies have moved into the phase of Indo-Pacific policy and strategy.
• An effective way to work for a ‘free, open, inclusive, peaceful and prosperous’ Indo-Pacific is to see how these five characteristics may be made more applicable to our north-eastern and eastern region.

What is Indo-pacific?

• In terms of geo-spatiality, the Indo-Pacific is broadly to be understood as an interconnected space between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
• Its expanse is debated ranging from the eastern shores of Africa to the western coast of the United States, albeit with variations in definitions depending on each actor and their own geographic positioning in the vast expanse.
• In a more functional understanding, the interconnectedness and the interdependence of the two oceans are a product of growing forces of globalization, trade, and changing equations between various actors which has broken down older boundaries and opened up new avenues.
• Growing mobility across the oceans has helped formulate an integrated approach. Given that it contains the world’s most crucial sea routes, the world’s most populous nations fuelling high energy demands on its rims, and a stretch encapsulating the finest global commons, the Indo-Pacific is adjudged to be the centre of the globe in terms of politics and economics.

Indo-Pacific conclaves:

• Two Indo-Pacific conclaves were hosted by the Asian Confluence, a think tank leading in the study of India’s Northeast.
• The first was in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs and Manipur University, and the second had the United States Consulate General in Kolkata as the partner.It helped in clarifying the local needs and priorities of the eastern states along with the views of the Indo-Pacific through the lens of culture.
• A key takeaway is that the Indo-Pacific policy can deliver better results by absorbing and factoring in the perspectives of stakeholders at the ground level.

Issues that need to be addressed:

• Security:
  • Security conditions in the northeast region have improved significantly since 2017. However, the core issues behind the insurgency have remained unresolved.
  • The way forward is to address them substantially and accelerate the pace of development.
• Non-traditional threats:
  • The official perspective for security is that the pernicious phenomena of smuggling, drug trafficking, transnational border crime, insurgent activity, and the influx of refugees (from Myanmar) represent serious non-traditional threats.
• China factor:
  • China was viewed as a ‘constant player’ behind these nefarious activities. This has necessitated vigilance and strict action by the Assam Rifles and other security agencies.
• People-Sensitive border management:
  • Insensitive handling of those engaged in lawful exchanges with the neighbouring countries.
  • Considerable scope exists for more effective and people-sensitive border management in the future.

Development as a priority:

• Job creation:
  • The Northeast is on the right path to concentrate on economic development. More is awaited through improvement in roads linking north-eastern towns and job creation for thousands of graduates produced by local universities.
• Medical tourism:
  • Manipur needs to be promoted as the hub of medical tourism for other Indian States and neighbours such as Myanmar.
  • The State’s research and development facilities to leverage the region’s biodiversity should be expanded.
• Investment:
  • Accelerated development in the region requires increased investment by Indian corporates and foreign investors as well as better management.
• Blueprint for opportunities:
  • The strategic and business community need to contribute to crafting a concrete blueprint for leveraging opportunities relating to commerce, connectivity, and human capital development.

Cultural dimensions:

• There is a need for expanding the reach of cultural diplomacy and people-to-people cooperation through greater educational exchanges, tourism, and trade is desirable.
• The shared culture, history and mutual social threads that tie the region with India are also an important component towards fostering regional cooperation.
• Experts suggest that moving beyond geopolitics and geo-economics, neighbours should focus on “the geo-cultural dimension” of the Indo-Pacific.
• Diplomats from the region agree on the importance of expanded people-related cooperation which would lead to wider acceptance of the Indo-Pacific and consolidation of the Quad.

Way forward:

• Invest more in BIMSTEC:
  • The growing significance of the Bay of Bengal region permeates the thinking of scholars.
  • The concept of the Indo-Pacific seems distant, but the moment it is perceived as the outer circle of the Bay of Bengal and its littorals, it comes closer to home.
  • Therefore, member-states need to invest more in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to enhance its effectiveness.
• Inclusion of east in Indo-Pacific strategy:
  • In implementing India’s Indo-Pacific strategy, voices from Northeast and eastern India must be heard.
  • Thus, beyond ‘Look East’ and ‘Act East’ lies ‘Think and Relate East’, especially within our own country.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What role can India’s north-eastern and eastern states play in India’s Indo-pacific strategy? Discuss.