India’s ‘Act East’ Policy: An In-depth Examination and Its Implications

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PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION PAPERS

Examine India’s Policy of ‘Act East. (HPAS Mains Question Paper 2022 – GS 2, Q.9)

India’s ‘Act East Policy’ was launched in 2014 to replace the country’s previous ‘Look East Policy,’ which began in 1991. The policy’s primary goal is to strengthen India’s engagement with Southeast Asia and promote economic, cultural, and strategic ties with the region. India’s Act East Policy is based on the 4 C’s – Culture, Commerce, Connectivity, and Capacity Building. 

The ‘Act East Policy’ represents a significant shift in India’s foreign policy approach to Southeast Asia, traditionally considered a peripheral region. The policy seeks to increase India’s economic, strategic, and cultural ties with Southeast Asian countries.

One of the policy’s primary goals is to improve connectivity between India and Southeast Asia. To improve connectivity and facilitate trade and investment flows, India is investing in infrastructure projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, and the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

Another policy goal is strengthening India’s cultural and people-to-people ties with Southeast Asia. India is encouraging greater cultural exchange and cooperation, such as the establishment of the Indian Cultural Centre in Cambodia and the establishment of Nalanda University. This resurrected ancient university seeks to strengthen intellectual and cultural ties between India and Southeast Asia.

The policy also seeks to strengthen India’s strategic engagement with Southeast Asia, particularly in defence and security cooperation. India has signed several agreements with Southeast Asian countries to enhance security and defence cooperation, and it is working to strengthen its naval presence in the region.

The ‘Act East Policy’ has already yielded notable results, with India’s trade and investment ties with Southeast Asia rapidly expanding in recent years. India’s cultural and people-to-people relations with Southeast Asia have also strengthened, with the region showing a growing interest in Indian culture and spirituality.

India has taken various initiatives under the Act East policy to enhance its ties with South East Asian countries:

1. Improved Connectivity: India invests in infrastructure projects to improve connectivity with Southeast Asia. Some of the key initiatives undertaken by India to improve connectivity and facilitate trade and investment flows include the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, and the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

2. Cultural Cooperation: India encourages greater cultural exchange and cooperation with Southeast Asia. Some of the key initiatives taken by India to strengthen cultural ties include establishing the Indian Cultural Centre in Cambodia and the revival of Nalanda University. This revived ancient university seeks to promote intellectual and artistic relations between India and Southeast Asia.

3. People-to-People Ties: India has improved people-to-people ties with Southeast Asia. The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was formed to promote cooperation and dialogue between India and the Mekong region, and the ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks was created to promote intellectual and policy exchange between India and Southeast Asia.

4. Strategic Engagement: India is working to strengthen its strategic engagement with Southeast Asia, particularly in defence and security cooperation. India has signed some agreements with Southeast Asian countries to enhance security and defence cooperation, and it is working to strengthen its naval presence in the region. India and Indonesia have also formed a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation.

5. Economic Ties: India encourages increased trade and investment with Southeast Asia. Some of the key initiatives taken by India to promote more significant economic ties with the region include the establishment of the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.

However, the policy faces some obstacles, including competition from China, which has already established a significant economic and strategic presence in Southeast Asia. Furthermore, the approach faces implementation challenges, such as insufficient infrastructure and regulatory bottlenecks that can deter trade and investment flows.

The Act East Policy initiatives of India seek to strengthen its engagement with Southeast Asia and promote stronger economic, cultural, and strategic ties with the region. These initiatives will boost India’s regional standing while encouraging greater cooperation and integration in the Asia-Pacific region.

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