In recent times, India and South East Asia have witnessed an unprecedented rise in foreign trade... Pushkar Risbud an FY student of MSC. goes on to explain to us the reasons and the history behind it.
When it comes to the geographical location of our nation, India has occupied one of the most strategic positions in world trade and markets. The Indian landmass has a central location between East and West Asia. India is a southward extension of the Asian continent. The trans-Indian Ocean routes, which connect the countries of Europe in the West and the countries of East Asia, provide a strategic central location to India. The Deccan Peninsula protrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus helping India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa, and Europe from the western coast and with Southeast and East Asia from the eastern coast. No other country has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has and indeed, it is India’s eminent position in the Indian Ocean, which justifies the naming of an Ocean after it.
India’s “Look East” policy has been one of the major pillars of the Indian Foreign Policy since the 1990s. The formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an outcome of significant changes in global political relations and India’s economic liberalization. India’s search for economic space resulted in the formulation of the “Look East” policy. The “Look East” policy has today matured into the “Act East” policy.
Apart from the ASEAN, India has taken other policy initiatives in the region that involve some members of the ASEAN such as BIMSTEC, MGC, etc. We have also upgraded our relations to a strategic partnership with Singapore in November 2015. Thus, we now have strategic partnerships with Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, and of course, the ASEAN and forged close ties with countries in the Asia - Pacific region. Further apart from ASEAN, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and East Asia Summit (EAS), we have also been actively engaged in regional fora such as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), Mekong Ganga Cooperation and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
India’s relationship with ASEAN is an important element of our foreign policy and the foundation of our Act East Policy. The up-gradation of the relationship into a strategic partnership in 2012 was a natural progression to the ground covered since India became a Sectoral Partner of the ASEAN in 1992, dialogue partner in 1996, and Summit Level Partner in 2002. There are in total 30 dialogue mechanisms between India and ASEAN, cutting across various sectors. India has set up a separate mission dedicated to ASEAN and EAS in Jakarta in April 2015 with a dedicated Ambassador to strengthen engagement with ASEAN and EAS.
India and ASEAN observed a 25-year dialogue partnership, 15 years of Summit level interaction, and 5 years of Strategic Partnership throughout. In 2017, India undertook a wide range of 60 commercial activities both in India and through our mission in ASEAN member states, which culminated in the India - ASEAN Commemorative Summit - January 25, 2018, in New Delhi. The commemorative activities included an ASEAN-India Regional Diaspora event in Singapore, a Youth Summit, a Music Festival, an Artists’ Retreat, Port calls by Indian Naval Ships, a Workshop on Blue Economy, a Connectivity Summit, a meeting to reinforce our Network of Think Tanks, a Dharma-Dhamma Conference, a Hackathon, and Startup Festival, a Global SME Summit, a Business and Investment Meet, and Expo, a Textiles Event, an ICT Expo, a Business Council Meeting, a Film Festival and the inauguration of an India-ASEAN Friendship Park in the heart of our national capital, New Delhi. The astonishing variety and breadth of these activities laid a firm foundation for an enduring partnership for the future.
The question at the heart of this topic is now - why is India’s relation with the South East more significant than what it was a decade ago. The answer is quite simple: cultivating, economic, social, and cultural ties. India has much to do in common with South Asia than any other part of the world. Common cultures, common legacy, and destruction caused by the colonization, agrarian-based economy, and the growing dependency of developing countries on the developing and emerging ones. Though India is experiencing a slowdown, it’s neighbors and other economies in the Indo-China are booming up. Bangladesh is currently a growing economy at GDP growth predicted to reach 8% by March 2020. The Asian Development Bank says that Bangladesh has the fastest growing economy in the Asia - Pacific Region. Since 2009, Bangladesh's economy has grown by 188%. At a time when many countries are looking inwards and closing their doors, Bangladesh is open for business.
Thus, on a concluding note, India should further continue to strengthen its ties with the SouthEast Asian countries. India is already like a “big brother” for the South Asian Nations. India should, thus, come up with more collective agreements on socio-economic and environmental cooperation.