India’s Act East Policy: Objectives, Milestones, and Strategic Partnerships in East and Southeast Asia

India’s Act East Policy represents a shift in foreign policy toward the extended neighbourhood in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Formally announced in 2014 at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit in Myanmar, the policy upgraded the Look East Policy launched in 1991. While the earlier policy focused on trade and economic ties with Southeast Asian nations, the Act East Policy expands this vision into active engagement spanning strategic, defense, digital, and security domains across the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Core Pillars and Objectives

The 4Cs Framework

The Act East Policy operates under four main pillars:

• Culture: Preserving and promoting civilisational links, shared Buddhist heritage, and tourism across South and Southeast Asia.
• Commerce: Expanding bilateral trade, investment, integration with regional supply chains, and market access.
• Connectivity: Developing physical, digital, and maritime infrastructure to link India’s North Eastern Region directly with Southeast Asia.
• Capacity Building: Extending technical assistance, educational scholarships, skill development programmes, and human resource training through schemes like the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

Primary Strategic Objectives

• Regional Security and Stability: Supporting a free, open, rules-based Indo-Pacific while advocating ASEAN centrality in the regional security architecture.
• Economic Integration: Expanding bilateral trade and facilitating investments with major Asian economies.
• Development of North East India: Positioning the North Eastern states as the gateway to Southeast Asia through cross-border trade corridors.
• Strategic Counterbalance: Balancing geopolitical influences in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea through proactive maritime cooperation.

Strategic Partnerships and Bilateral Engagement

Engagement with ASEAN Nations

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) forms the central pillar of India’s Act East Policy. India became a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1992, a Full Dialogue Partner in 1996, a Summit-level Partner in 2002, and elevated the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. Key regional partners include:

• Singapore: Serves as India’s main trade and investment bridge in Southeast Asia, with substantial foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow into India.
• Vietnam: A key defense partner in East Asia. India has supplied patrol boats, extended defense lines of credit, and shares maritime security cooperation in the South China Sea.
• Indonesia: Co-initiator of coordinated maritime patrols in the Malacca Strait. Development of Sabang Port enhances India’s naval accessibility in the Andaman Sea.
• Myanmar: Acts as the physical land bridge connecting India’s North Eastern states with the ASEAN landmass.
• The Philippines: Acquired India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, marking a major milestone in India’s defense exports.

Extended Regional Partnerships

• Japan: Key partner in financing major infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail and developmental projects across India’s North East.
• South Korea: Engaged through a Special Strategic Partnership, focusing on electronics manufacturing, shipbuilding, and technological integration.
• Australia: Part of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Quad framework, collaborating on maritime domain awareness and critical minerals supply chains.

Major Connectivity Projects

Regional and Multilateral Frameworks

ASEAN-Centric Platforms

• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): Focuses on multilateral security dialogue and preventive diplomacy.
• East Asia Summit (EAS): Forum for strategic discussion on political, security, and economic issues in the Indo-Pacific.
• ADMM-Plus: ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus platform for military cooperation, maritime security, and humanitarian assistance.

Sub-Regional Initiatives

• BIMSTEC: Connects Bay of Bengal littoral countries, bridging South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC): Comprises India and six Mekong countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam) focusing on tourism, culture, education, and transport.
• Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue): Strategic forum featuring India, Japan, Australia, and the United States working on maritime security, supply chain resilience, and digital infrastructure.

Challenges Facing the Policy

• Project Delays: Implementation hurdles and security instabilities in neighboring countries like Myanmar have slowed down major infrastructure projects.
• Trade Imbalances: Trade deficits with ASEAN member countries and India’s exit from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2019 present economic challenges.
• Security Dynamics: Growing maritime presence and infrastructure development by competing global powers in the Indian Ocean Region pose continuous strategic tests.

Key Facts to Remember

• The Look East Policy was launched in 1991 under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
• The Act East Policy was formally launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit in Myanmar.
• The pillars of the Act East Policy are encapsulated in the 4Cs: Culture, Commerce, Connectivity, and Capacity Building.
• ASEAN-India bilateral relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 during the 19th ASEAN-India Summit.
• The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connects Kolkata port to Sittwe port in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
• India and Indonesia conduct joint maritime exercises named Samudra Shakti and joint patrols called IND-INDO CORPAT.
• The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was established in 2000 in Vientiane, Laos, involving six member countries.
• The Philippines became the first foreign nation to purchase India’s BrahMos missile system under defense export agreements.