Indo-Pacific

Introduction:

The Indo-Pacific area encompasses the Pacific and Indian Oceans in Southeast Asia. The Indo-Pacific area, formerly known as the Asia-Pacific region, was recently renamed. This symbolizes the strategic regional comprehensive economic partnership between India and the United States.

• The Indo-Pacific idea is opposed by China, which sees it as a result of American efforts to limit its own growing economic and military powers. The term “Indo pacific region” is also commonly used to refer to a US-led containment policy against China
• During the Trump administration, the “Free and Open Indo Pacific region” idea attempted to limit China and, therefore, reflected the rising strategic competition between the United States and China
• The change from Asia-Pacific to the Indo pacific region is more than an issue of pragmatics. It reflects the world’s seismic geopolitical upheavals over the last two decades or more

Issues in the Indo-Pacific region:

India-Pacific Island Countries:

• Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu are the 12 Pacific Islands

• These countries have received a one-million-dollar Special Adaptation Fund from India. This is on top of the yearly payout of US$200,000 to each island group

• India’s relationship with these countries is dominated by renewable energy, diaspora ties, and strategic interests

QUAD:

• India, Japan, Australia, and the United States of America constitute the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) or QUAD, an informal strategic conference
• Even though this alliance is perceived as anti-China and aims to safeguard countries of the Indo-Pacific region from hostile acts, it is not focused towards a particular country

The South China Sea Dispute:

• The South China Sea is located in the Pacific Ocean and is a central maritime corridor. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Brunei are all disputing maritime territory

• China’s nine-dash line, which encompasses the Paracel and Spratly islands, claims practically the whole territory. It has recently established settlements in the area and dispatched fishermen to carry out their duties

India’s Initiatives and India’s Perspective on the Indo-Pacific :

• Indo pacific region and Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative: 

The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) was announced during the East Asia Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 4, 2019. The IPOI, as an open global initiative, adds to the current regional cooperation architecture and mechanisms to focus on seven central pillars: Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Capacity Building, and Resource Sharing, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Science, Technology, and Academic Cooperation, Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport.

• India sponsored the 11th Delhi Dialogue with the ASEAN Member States on the topic “Advancing Partnership in the Indo-Pacific” on December 13-14, 2019, as well as the 6th Indian Ocean Dialogue with the IORA Member States on the theme “Indo-Pacific: Re-imagining the Indian Ocean via an Expanded Geography.” Emerging Indo-Pacific architecture and marine connectivity were important topics of discussion at both sessions. India sponsored the 4th East Asia Summit (EAS) Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation in Chennai on February 6-7, 2020, collaborating with Australia and Indonesia. The conference, which brought together delegates from EAS Participating Countries, focused on maritime security, maritime safety, and the Blue Economy, among other issues

Conclusion:

• India’s Perspective of the Indo-Pacific vision is a natural continuation of its eastward progress under the Look East Policy, now known as the Act East Policy.
• India’s Indo-Pacific policy has emphasized avoidance rather than differentiation. India promotes a “free and open Indo-Pacific.“
• SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) is a concept presented by India, which believes in an Indo-Pacific that is open, free, and inclusive, based on a cooperative and collaborative rules-based system.

As there are many stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific, India needs to maintain the delicate balance between the interests of all stakeholders.. Thus, India should carefully design its Indo-Pacific policy focusing on its long-term strategic and economic interests in mind.