India’s Act East Policy

Establishment

• The Act East Policy, delivered in November 2014, is a stronger version of the “Look East Policy.”
• The policy makes a speciality of sustained engagement with Southeast Asian nations in areas together with connectivity, trade, lifestyle, defence, and people-to-people exchanges at bilateral, regional, and multilateral structures.

Aim

• The first purpose is to strengthen financial cooperation, cultural ties, and strategic relations with Indo-Pacific nations through a proactive and sensible approach.
• The policy also seeks to boost the financial development of India’s North Eastern Region (NER), serving as a gateway to Southeast Asia.

Initiatives to Enhance Connectivity under Act East Policy

• Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link: This rail link among India and Bangladesh aims to reinforce regional connectivity.
• Intermodal Transport and Inland Waterways: Initiatives encompass linking shipping modes and making use of inland waterways via Bangladesh to enhance exchange routes.
• Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project & Trilateral Highway: These projects aim to connect India’s North East with Myanmar and Thailand, improving connectivity with Southeast Asia.
• India-Japan Act East Forum Projects: Under this forum, tasks like road and bridge construction and hydroelectric electricity modernization have been initiated.
• India-Japan Act East Forum (2017): Established to collaborate on India’s “Act East Policy” and Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy,” the forum makes a speciality of modernising the North-East area’s infrastructure and promoting people-to-people exchanges.
• Support During the Pandemic: India prolonged clinical assistance, which include drug treatments and components, to ASEAN international locations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• PhD Fellowships for ASEAN Participants: India supplied 1000 PhD fellowships at IITs for individuals from ASEAN nations to foster academic collaboration.
• Quick Impact Projects (QIPs): India is enforcing small-scale, low-cost development initiatives in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, concentrated on areas like schooling, water sources, and health.
• Coastal Shipping and Inland Water Transport Initiatives: To increase the modal share of coastal delivery, 46 initiatives have been recognized under the Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, focusing on port based centres, coastal berths, and improving avenue, rail, and inland water infrastructure.

Significance Of India’s Act East Policy

• Counterweight to China: India’s proactive Act East policy positions it as a counterbalance to China’s aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea and the wider Indo-Pacific area.
  • This is particularly important for nations like Vietnam, the Philippines, and others that face territorial disputes with China.
• Strategic Outreach: The BrahMos missile deal among India and the Philippines, signed in 2022, highlights India’s growing strategic presence in Southeast Asia.
  • By providing the Philippines with military help, India strengthens its position in regional security, specifically against China’s assertiveness.
• Regional Security Cooperation: India’s lively participation in regional security forums just like the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Japan and the Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad) suggests its expanded engagement in the evolving safety structure of the Indo-Pacific.
• Economic and Diplomatic Engagement: India’s deepening relationships with nations like South Korea and Japan, which share issues about China, underscore the developing strategic partnership within the Indo-Pacific region.
• Impact of Bangladesh’s Political Developments: Bangladesh’s significance in operationalizing the Act East policy is stated.
• Strengthened Role inside the Indo-Pacific: Over the years, India has efficiently transitioned from the Look East policy to the Act East policy, expanding its footprint in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
  • India is becoming an important part of the region’s security and financial landscape.

Challenges to Act East Policy

• China encircles India through initiatives like the “string of pearls” and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in disputed territories.
• Simultaneously, China seeks India’s cooperation on global issues like climate change and globalisation.

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