The Indo - Pacific Journey

Context: More countries are sharing India’s vision for the strategically significant Indo-pacific region.

India’s vision of the Indo-Pacific:

• Aligning efforts with others: Indo-Pacific is the vast maritime space stretching from the western coast of North America to the eastern shores of Africa.

• It has figured in our meetings with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and also helped advance our cause under Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD).
• Strengthening economic interconnectedness (threatened by the rise of China):  Indo-Pacific ocean system carries an estimated 65% of world trade & contributes 60% of global Gross Domestic Product.

• In sync with the  “Security and Growth for All in the Region” (SAGAR) doctrine.

• The 7 pillars of SAGAR: Maritime security, Maritime ecology, Maritime resources, Capacity building and resource sharing, Disaster risk reduction, Technology cooperation and Trade connectivity. Examples of India’s effort include - 
• Peacekeeping efforts: or anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
• Provided Coastal surveillance radar systems: to Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Maritime domain awareness: provided by the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre.
• Indo-Pacific complements it with : freedom of navigation, open connectivity and ensuring territorial integrity and sovereignty of all.

• Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts: 

• Founding Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a corollary to such efforts.
• Notable missions: Operation Rahat in Yemen in 2015, Relief efforts during oil spill on Mauritius 2020, the earthquake in Indonesia in 2019, Cyclone Idai in Mozambique.
• Supporting friendly countries during COVID -19 Pandemic. E.g. India had sent Rapid-response medical teams to countries like Kuwait and Maldives.
• Tackling the remanent of colonialism: Many countries in the region still suffers from elements of colonialism (dependencies and skewed arrangements).

• Indo-Pacific complements it by focusing on supply chain resilience and diversification in post-COVID period.

• Incorporated neighbours under concentric semi-circles:  

• Arc of the outer neighbourhood: covers Gulf, Southeast Asian and ASEAN countries  
• Inner most semi-circle: includes South Asian countries that share Indian ocean, civilisation and cultural heritage with India.
• For e.g. Religious linkages through the spread of Buddhism, the building of Hindu temples in Vietnam (Cham Kingdom), Maritime linkages created by Cholas and Pallavas.
• Outermost semi-circle: includes the countries, whose interests intersect with ours. E.g. QUAD countries, France, Indonesia and the Pacific Islands.
• Resonates the centrality of ASEAN: By virtue of its location, its longevity and its social and economic attainments.
• A 21st Century locus: of political and security concern and competition, growth and development, and of technology incubation and innovation. 
• This is evident from the fact that Germany, France and Netherlands, despite being physically distant, are a crucial stakeholder in the Indo-Pacific.

Conclusion: As the prospect of the region is on the rise, it is expected that more countries will release its Indo- pacific strategies on the lines of India’s Indo-Pacific vision.