Image Courtesy: Wikipedia Commons

C3S Issue Brief III

From Look East to Act

East: Flowering of an

Asian Renaissance

Balasubramanian C

Research Officer

Chennai Centre for

China Studies

November 05 2019

About the Author

Balasubramanian C. is a Research Officer at Chennai Centre for China Studies. He has

completed his Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors in Commerce. His areas of

interest include Sino – Russian Relations, Soft Power and Diplomacy, Ancient Indian Strategic

thoughts, Security and Strategic Studies.

About C3S

The Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies

Registration Act 1975 (83/2008 dated 4th April 2008), is a non-profit public policy think tank.

We carry out in depth studies of developments relating to China with priority to issues of

interest to India such as geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics of India-China relations,

Chinas internal dynamics, border issues, Chinas relations with South Asian countries, prospects

of trade, the evolution of Chinese politics and its impact on India and the world, ASEAN and

SAARC relations, cultural links, etc. C3S attempts to provide a forum for dialogue with China

scholars in India and abroad and give space for the expression of alternate opinions on China

related topics. We also provide a database for research on China with special attention to

information available in Chinese language. Additionally, events, lecture discussions and

seminars are organised on topics of current interest.

What is an Issue Brief?

C3S launches its Issue Brief initiative. An issue briefs is a summary of the knowledge

surrounding an issue or a problem. It summarises the issue giving clear, concise and complete

information describing all facets of a particular issue including a detailed illustration in the form

of images, data and facts. It also includes recommendations for action and predictions on the

future course of an issue.

Issue Briefs are available for download as PDFs.

„0h, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet‟

„The Ballad of East and West‟

Poem by Rudyard Kipling

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an official trip to Thailand and met with

Prime Minister of Thailand Gen. (retd.) Prayut Chan-o-cha. The Indian PM also participated

in a series of summits viz. of 35th

ASEAN Summit, 14th

East Asia Summit (EAS) and 16th

India-

ASEAN Summit including one on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

The Indian Community in Thailand organised a grand reception for the Indian Prime Minister

named “Sawasdee PM Modi”. In the Thai language, the word „Sawasdee‟ is used for greetings

and goodbye. „Sawasdee‟ has its origination from Sanskrit word „Svasti‟ which means

welfare. India and Thailand are close maritime neighbours having historical and cultural

linkages. In the contemporary context, India‟s „Act East‟ policy (AEP) is complemented by

Thailand‟s „Look West‟ policy which has made the relationship deep, robust and multifaceted.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi‟s participation is considered to be momentous due to

India‟s stakes in the region. ASEAN and its related Summits are key elements of India‟s

foreign policy, most notably India‟s “Act East Policy” (AEP). At the event hosted by the Indian

diaspora, PM Modi asserted „India's Northeast to be a gateway to Southeast Asia‟ through

AEP. India‟s Look East Policy (LEP) shaped engagements with India‟s South Asian and South-

East Asian Neighbours, including its extended neighbours in Asia – Pacific for nearly two and a

half decades. Initially, India‟s LEP was conceived as an „Economic Policy‟ to cultivate ties with

South East Asia. Substantially with the deepening of interests and inclusion of „Security‟

component gave a strategic dimension to it. Today, it has attained a „Multi-Layered‟

comprehensive relationship status with cultural, economic, political, institutional, strategic and

security component with intrinsic „Naval‟ constituents. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi‟s

first term in 2014 India‟s „LEP‟ gathered greater momentum and was upgraded to “Act East

Policy” (AEP). This is more than a mere change of words; it denominated a paradigm shift in

India‟s diplomatic connotation on this region.

The objective of this Issue Brief is to elucidate the significance of India‟s North Eastern Region to Act

East Policy and larger integration of the South Asian Region. Does India‟s vision Indo – Pacific

complement its larger ambitions? A contrast with China and policy prescriptions for India is made.

Map depicting South East Asian Region Image Courtesy: Nations Online Project

This morphing of India‟s AEP rests on four cardinal pillars :

1. Culture,

2. Commerce,

3. Connectivity and

4. Capacity Building.

AEP has imparted greater strategic and diplomatic vigour to India‟s ties with the South Asian,

South-East Asian and ASEAN region. This „rejuvenated vitality‟ is essential for connecting

India‟s North Eastern Region (8 Sister States) with the South East Asian Region (SEAR) and

ASEAN, it is a priority in AEP of India. There is mounting recognition now in New Delhi that

success of AEP will largely be determined by enhanced connectivity, security, stability and

development of its North Eastern Region, which was neglected in the past. This recognition has

contributed to New Delhi‟s concerted efforts in maintaining multi-layered approach in

cooperation with the SEAR in areas encompassing security, strategic, political,

counterterrorism, & defence collaboration in addition to economic ties and many such efforts

are in this direction. This AEP has stretched itself to go beyond its geographical coverage to

include countries like Japan, South Korea, and Australia including Pacific Islands Nations. It

got a renewed direction called “Act Far East Policy” to include Russia into its sphere stitching a

wide geographical and „Strategic Imagination‟ in India‟s Foreign Policy.

North-East India: Gateway to South East Asia

The geography of the North Eastern Region (NER) comprises of eight states viz. Arunachal

Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura; it positions

itself as the most favourable destination in the implementation of India‟s Look East Policy.

This „Geographical Benediction‟ is the gateway to South East Asia and future of India.

Therefore, socio-economic development, establishing communication, connectivity,

infrastructure, stability and security of the India‟s NER is imperative so that it can be connected

to the neighbouring South East and South-East Asian countries of Nepal, Bangladesh

Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bhutan & Cambodia, Laos. The yet to develop NER

of India will witness an economic transformation by connecting to SEAR which offers

unlimited economic opportunities and ample opportunity for development.

India‟s NER due to its critical geographic location is a conduit between two sub-regions of Asia

South Asia and Southeast Asia. The North Eastern Region comprises of about India‟s eight

percent land area and around three percent of the population of the country. The Northeast

region with predominant of its boundary being the international border, the problems and

peculiarities are even more accentuated. The States of the region is surrounded by China,

Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. The region has a long international border of (5182 km),

which is more than 99 % of its total geographical boundary. These States have an international

border with China (1395 km), Bhutan (455 km), Myanmar (1640 km), Bangladesh (1596 km)

and Nepal (97 km). On the other hand, the region is connected with mainland India through a

very narrow strip of land with a width of about 22 km called the Siliguri Corridor nicknamed

„Chicken‟s Neck‟. Given the peculiar geopolitical location, the region offers prospectus to

develop cross-border markets, which are likely to be more cost-effective for North East India‟s

surplus production than the distant national markets especially the South Asia and South-East

Asian Region (SEAR) due to its geographical proximity. It is a point of geopolitical and strategic

conjunction among SEAR, ASEAN and SAARC. The NER can be included in facilitate trade

and cooperation in various sub-regional groupings like BBIN, BIMSTEC, Mekong – Ganga

Cooperation and BCIM.

India‟s North Eastern Region surrounded by neighbouring countries viz. Bhutan, China,

Myanmar and Bangladesh Image Courtesy: Indian Defence Review

Among the others, the NER is not limited to trade potential but also a hub for India‟s „Power

Diplomacy‟ by exporting energy to its resource-starved neighbours given the substantial

hydroelectric potential it enjoys which is also carbon limiting form of energy. Besides, NER is

endowed with copious untapped natural resources especially numerous rare minerals like

Dolomite, Sillimanite, Carborundum including Uranium (Meghalaya). These states also hold

the potential for sandstone-type, hydrothermal vein-type and unconformity related uranium

deposits, besides rare metal and rare earth deposits, thus showcasing an enormous potential for

industrial development.

Various initiatives like Kaladan Multi-modal transit transport project, India-Myanmar-Thailand

trilateral highway, Trans Asian Highway, India-Myanmar rail linkages, Myanmar-India-

Bangladesh gas and oil pipeline project, and International Optical Fibre Network between

North-East India and Southeast Asia (It can aid NER of India to become an IT and ITES

hub), Border Haats (facilitate border trade) etc. can infuse fresh dynamism to the region in

increasing multi-faceted cooperation, increasing Trade and cooperation with SE – SEAR -

ASEAN countries.

Connecting SEAR via India‟s North East: Kaladan Multi Modal Project Image Courtesy: Indian Defence Analysis

Development of ASEAN Highway that can be accessed from the existing NH-39 & NH-36 of

Assam through Dimapur – Kohima - Imphal to reach Myanmar at the border town of Moreh

(Manipur, India). The 71 km stretch of NH-36 has been developed to two lanes and been

declared as „Asian Highway No.1‟.

This route assumes a lot of significance as it has been envisaged to connect Thailand, Laos,

Vietnam Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia along with the same highway network. This will

change the prevailing status of economic development of the NER. The NH 152 from Assam

has a direct link to the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan, putting India‟s NER in geographical

prominence.

India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway Image Courtesy: Business Standard

The NER has three distinct national highways connecting Bangladesh.

1. Guwahati (Assam) – Jorabat (Meghalaya) – Shillong (Meghalaya) – Dauki (Meghalaya) –

Sylhet (Bangladesh) – Dhaka (Bangladesh) –totalling 467 km.

2. Guwahati (Assam) – Jorabat (Meghalaya) – Shillong (Meghalaya) – Karimganj (Assam) –

Sutarkandi (Assam) – Sylhet (Bangladesh) - Dhaka (Bangladesh) – totalling 657 km.

3. Guwahati (Assam) – Paikan (Assam) – Dalu (Meghalaya) – Dhaka (Bangladesh) – totalling

261 km in the Indian Territory.

The above connectivity measures possess considerable „Geopolitical & Strategic‟ significance,

its development is pivotal for the NER due to its proximity to China. China‟s claims over the

Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh and Doklam Crisis are a grim reminder to India‟s lax

approach in the development of its NER. China is far ahead of India in infrastructure,

connectivity and development of its ties with bordering countries including India‟s

neighbourhood. A model that India can emulate from is China‟s success in connecting south-

western province of Yunnan to Myanmar. This gives China an advantage in trade with ASEAN

and connectivity to Myanmar‟s Kyaukpyu Port facility and helps aid the development of

China‟s south-western hinterland. Kyaukpyu is a coastal town along the Bay of Bengal in

Myanmar‟s western-most state of Rakhine. China has committed to building a „Deep Seaport‟

in Kyaukpyu which provides tangible economic and strategic benefits to China in its quest to

develop its inland provinces. But there remain concerns among mandarins in New Delhi and

within civilian and military representatives in Myanmar about „Sinic‟ intentions, that China

could leverage the port at Kyaukpyu for military purposes posing threats to Myanmar‟s

sovereignty and posing instability in the region as a whole.

The Dual Model: The East-West Compact

Rudyard Kipling in his famous poem “The Ballad of East and West” wrote „But there is

neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed‟. Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time

spoke of “Look East, Link West” at the „Make in India‟ conference in 2014 at New Delhi

before he headed out to the U.S. on his first prime ministerial visit. At the White House, post-

meeting with the then US president Barack Obama the Indian PM declared that “America is

an integral part of our Look East and Link West policy”. In the geopolitical spheres, this

initiative directs of a broader comprehensive cooperation. It is understood to be a pre-birth of

„Indo – Pacific Conceptualisation‟ in the „Indian Geopolitical Imagination‟.

First India‟s decision to rebrand „LEP 2.0‟ as „AEP‟ reflected India‟s commitment to building

longer-term strategic and economic association benefitting India by closer relations with SE –

SEAR – ASEAN – extending upto the Indo - Pacific. The Ministry of External Affairs received

a new vigour and considerable diplomatic energy was spent in building deeper ties with CMLV

countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam), Japan, Australia and with ASEAN giving it a

special diplomatic and strategic character. On strategic issues, India has increasing convergence

on security interests with key partners in ASEAN both in a bilateral and multilateral format.

Closer cooperation in combating terrorism, collaborating for peace and stability in the region

and promotion of maritime security based on international norms and laws are being pursued.

A key aspect in India‟s AEP and India‟s Indo – Pacific Vision is engagement with the Pacific

Island Countries on a wide range of issues including global warming and climate change related

negotiations. Forum for India Pacific Islands Co-operation (FIPIC) was formed in November

2014, to strengthen India‟s relationship with the Pacific Island Countries. The first FIPIC

summit was held at the level of Heads of Government in November 2014 in Suva, Fiji. It serves

as a platform to further India‟s association with the 14 island nations of the Pacific like Fiji,

Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Marshal Etc. It is a vital

strategic factor in syncing India‟s AEP and India‟s Indo – Pacific Vision. As China entrenched

its relations with India‟s neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India deepens its own

„Strategic Tentacles‟ with the neighbouring Asian states as well as in the IOR countering

Chinese inspirations.

Moreover cooperation with Pacific Island nations is crucial for India to garner support for the

India‟s candidature for permanent membership of a reformed UNSC. FIPIC countries prove

crucial in meeting „Climate Justice‟ and issues of „Climate Refugees‟, On „Issues Of Equity‟

under „Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) Principles, seeking „Climate

Finance‟, coordination in climate change negotiations and climate change summits. India can

anchor its diplomatic clout from the Indian diaspora and the strength it offers, several countries

in the Indo - Pacific Region have a large concentration of people of Indian origin; Fiji alone has

around 35 % of Indian Origin Diaspora. They act as tools of „Soft Power Diplomacy‟. Trade

and investments, security and strategic interests are other shared interests that the region offers

making it substantial for India to engage. The FIPIC Region is rich in resources such as oil, gas,

sea bed minerals etc. increasing the strategic content of the relationship.

Asian Century

One inherent weakness that plagues India‟s AEP is relatively less involvement of India‟s NER.

There is a greater need for integration of the NER by providing infrastructure, communication,

access and capacity building. This has to be addressed with earnestness. A „Greater Institutional

Framework‟ between India – SE – SEAR can be adopted on „Cooperation & Collaboration‟ on

diverse issues like strategy and security, including transnational terrorism, combating drugs

trafficking, maritime piracy, maritime security and nuclear proliferation. Mutual legal assistance

and extradition treaties can be framed and expedited at the earliest to ensure peace and security

in Indian states of NER. Security is one of the most critical problems hindering trade and

development prospects combined with difficult geography. The secessionist tendencies, sub-

ethnic conflicts and consequent militancy by organizations like NSCN-K, NSCN-M, Garo

liberation etc. are stifling the development of the north-eastern region. As on January 2019,

AFSPA is enforced and is operational in the entire States of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur

(except Imphal Municipal area), three districts namely Tirap, Changlang and Longding of

Arunachal Pradesh.

The Indian Island Archipelago of Andaman & Nicobar remains an „untapped potential‟ in

India‟s Security Paradigm, it is India‟s anchor in changing dynamics of Indo – Pacific Region,

acting as India‟s „Eastern Eye‟ in IOR which is the emerging as a new theatre of conflict and

strategic competition in the post-cold war era. With China‟s aggrandizing behaviour in the

South China Sea, its increased presence in IOR and its strategic engagements encircling India

known as „String of Pearls‟ approach in geostrategic parlance; India‟s inclusion of this

Archipelago of Andaman & Nicobar can alter the maritime security dynamics in the Indo –

Pacific Region. India must leverage its maritime partnerships which can offset some of India‟s

shortcomings. A topical case is India and Japan coming together building „Asia – Africa Growth

Corridor‟ in the IOR through infrastructure and connectivity projects; here India‟s tight purse is

taken care of by Japan. In addition, The Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago offers significant

surveillance and monitoring advantages to India‟s navy. One of India‟s first attempts at

strengthening its military presence on the islands was establishing the country‟s only tri-services

command in Port Blair in 2001. If India can chart out a role for the islands in its maritime

domain awareness project, it can achieve far greater deterrence through staging India‟s

maritime footprint and power projection.

More People to People (P2P) contacts must be cultivated through the promotion of sports, soft

power, promoting shared culture etc. The SEAR carry deep imprints of Indian Culture. The

great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are civilizational connects that India shares with

SEAR countries especially Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia. India is birth land of world‟s four

major religions viz. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Buddhism forms a

civilizational and spiritual connect between India - SE – SEAR – ASEAN - regions. With the

idea of Indo – Pacific gaining recognition with differential perceptions it is prudent and

significant for New Delhi to focus on IOR and improvise on its „Ocean Governance‟. China‟s

expansionist behaviour and „Blue Water Naval‟ ambitions are a constraint and limitation to

India‟s „Blue Economy Potential‟. As China emerges as a major global power, it will expand its

military footprint across the globe, including dominating the maritime environment of IOR.

The rapid expansion of China‟s naval capabilities and broader military profile is a classic

manifestation of its great-power status. China‟s new naval strategy of “Far Sea Defence” is

aimed at giving Beijing the ability to project its power in key oceanic areas, including and most

significantly the Indian Ocean Region. India needs to take an active role in the shaping of the

agenda of Indo – Pacific and IOR as a whole. A prudent „Security Doctrine‟ for India must

include proactive, better cooperation and engagement with SEAR countries together with

countries in Indo - Pacific.

Indian Archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar in the Bay of Bengal Image Courtesy: JAPAN Forward

To conclude the idea of enhancing connectivity and establishing links between India‟s NER

and SEAR is a welcome step and has the potential to change the socio-economic, security and

strategic landscape of the region. Implementation of projects in time-bound manner will be a

positive step to start with; not stopping short the strategy it must involve India‟s NER with

various sub-regional initiatives like BBIM, BIMSTEC, and MGC etc.

The Indo – Pacific - SEAR has the potential to help realise „Asian Prosperity‟. Stitching

together the collective dreams of around 2.5 billion the region is set to usher in an arch of

prosperity sculpting in a new chronicle of „Asian Renaissance ‟.

*****