1 week Ago
As the Indo-Pacific becomes the new geopolitical centre of gravity, ‘Act East’ has evolved from a...
Read More The difference between “Look East" and “Act East" is beyond just semantics—it marked a shift in urgency, ambition, and outreach. It wasn’t just about economic cooperation anymore; it was about security and defence, too. PM Modi’s version of the policy was sharper, more strategic, and unmistakably assertive.
At the core of it was Southeast Asia, particularly the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Over the last decade, India has gone from a cautious observer to an active participant in Southeast Asia’s economic, security, and geopolitical framework. It has reaffirmed its support for ASEAN centrality and called for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Modi’s just-concluded visit to Thailand for the BIMSTEC Summit is a timely reminder of how far the policy has come. There, India elevated its relationship with Thailand to a strategic partnership and announced the establishment of a “strategic dialogue" between their security agencies—signalling a new chapter in India’s security cooperation with a country it had long under-engaged. Despite Thailand being India’s eastern neighbour and Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, it had not received its due space in Delhi’s strategic vision until now.
By drawing on the shared Hindu-Buddhist heritage of both nations, Modi effectively used cultural diplomacy to deepen ties. A key outcome was the Maritime Transport Agreement, which paves the way for India’s Northeast to access the Bay of Bengal via Southeast Asia. The India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway further underscores the progress of the Act East initiative.
In fact, the gains from the Act East policy contradict recent remarks made by Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus on Northeast India having no access to the sea, and Bangladesh being the “only guardian of the ocean". The scale of India’s eastward engagement since 2014 has been staggering. Modi has made three visits each to Singapore and Indonesia, forging fintech and maritime partnerships.
His 2017 trip to the Philippines was the first by an Indian PM in 36 years. In 2018, Modi invited all 10 ASEAN leaders as chief guests for India’s Republic Day celebrations—an unprecedented diplomatic move marking 25 years of India-ASEAN dialogue. In 2024, Modi made history again by becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Brunei.
This year, Indonesia’s President was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day. PM Modi’s visits have translated into real outcomes. India’s trade with ASEAN nearly doubled—from $71 billion in 2016–17 to over $130 billion in 2024.
ASEAN is now India’s fourth-largest trade partner, and India is ASEAN’s seventh-largest. Infrastructure, too, has kept pace. The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport project are game-changers for India’s Northeast—landlocked but in the process of finally being linked to Southeast Asia via roads, waterways, and ports.
The Agartala-Akhaura rail link with Bangladesh further integrates this region into India’s regional economic strategy. Security has emerged as a core pillar of Act East. India’s sale of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines marked its entry into the regional arms market.
Vietnam and Indonesia are close to signing their own deals for the BrahMos. Meanwhile, defence and logistics agreements with Vietnam and joint naval exercises have deepened India’s Indo-Pacific security footprint. The 2023 India-ASEAN Maritime Exercise was a significant milestone, conducted in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), launched by Modi in 2019, complements ASEAN’s own vision and offers a framework for regional maritime stability, freedom of navigation, and domain awareness. This strategic push is also about balance—especially in the context of China’s growing assertiveness. Whether it’s tackling grey-zone threats, protecting sea lanes, or boosting deterrence, India has emerged as a reliable security partner.
Participation in the Quad—alongside the US, Japan, and Australia—further reinforces its Indo-Pacific credentials. Quiet conversations about expanding this into a “second squad" involving the Philippines and other like-minded nations suggest a growing demand for India’s presence in the region. Technology and digital diplomacy are becoming newer pillars of the policy.
Agreements with Singapore and Malaysia on semiconductors, digital public infrastructure, and fintech signal a pivot toward next-gen partnerships. India’s Digital Public Infrastructure model is gaining traction as a blueprint for inclusive digital growth, backed by initiatives like the India-ASEAN Digital Fund. The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme also plays a quiet but impactful role in capacity-building across Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
Challenges remain even as things take off with the East. China remains a dominant economic player in the region despite the security challenges it poses. Meanwhile, India’s trade deficit with ASEAN is still wide.
The Free Trade Deal signed with ASEAN back in 2009 has not favoured India in the way that it wished. While trade grew, the trade deficit has ballooned to $44 billion. With imports growing faster than exports, it’s a crucial task for the Act East Policy to deliver on the economic front.
While goods trade has grown, India must aggressively push services exports—IT, fintech, education—to bridge the gap. Connectivity projects face delays, and bureaucracy often hampers implementation. Moreover, while strategic outreach has widened beyond Singapore and Vietnam to include Brunei and the Philippines, countries like Thailand are only now getting the attention they deserve.
What’s different today is the clarity of vision. India is no longer just responding to global shifts—it is helping shape them. As the Indo-Pacific becomes the new geopolitical centre of gravity, Act East has evolved from a diplomatic slogan into a winning strategy.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views..
