“For India, the Indo-Pacific is no longer a peripheral concept borrowed from foreign strategic vocabularies; it has become the defining framework through which New Delhi understands its security, economic growth, and international role,” said Ambassador, Mr Anil Wadhwa, IFS, (Retired).
He was delivering the inaugural address at an International Seminar jointly organised by the Kolkata-based Think Tank, The Tagore Institute of Peace Studies (Tips) and the Public Policy & Research Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
The day-long seminar was well attended by members of the diplomatic corps, academic and the student community in Kolkata. Mr Sitaram Sharma, President, Tips, said that the seminar marked a “milestone” with “Kolkata reclaiming its place at Asia’s intellectual crossroads” with this very important seminar being hosted in this city.
About 80 delegates and observers from the USA, China, France, Japan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and academics from the University of Kolkata, Presidency University, Jadavpur University, Adamas University; ISI, Globsyn Business School; leading think tanks such as Makaias, Ceners-K; senior editors, journalists and commentators, as well as students of international relations and political science participated in the seminar.
India’s Look East Policy of the early 1990s was modest, focusing on trade investment, and cultural reconnection with Asean. “Over time, as China’s power expanded and the centre of gravity of global politics shifted decisively eastward, India recognised that passive engagement was no longer sufficient.
The transition from Look East to Act East signalled a more assertive, strategic and
security-conscious approach to the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Wadhwa said.
The Tagore Institute of Peace Studies (Tips)˝ in his chairman’s remarks, Mr Sitaram Sharma, Founder Chairman, Tips, said “ The Indo-Pacific transcends mere cartography; it is today the critical crucible where 21st –century power dynamics will be forged.
For New Delhi, India’s coastline and maritime interests in the Indian Ocean and its neighbouring region are now centre stage. Trade with Indo-Pacific is vital for India’s ambition to move towards a $10 trillion economy by 2030. There is, thus, possibly no maritime zone more central to India than the Indo-Pacific. It is for India to ensure that there is an open and rule-based order. smart diplomacy on New Delhi’s part, to navigate the quicksands of power dynamics and emerge as stabilising force,” Mr Sharma added.
Changing the course of the dialogue, Mr Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, Editor and Thought Leader, said that “If the Indo-Pacific region as a whole suffers from a sense of imbalance, crucial units within it are even more lacking in the equilibrium that alone can sustain steady growth.”
The statistical findings of the French-born economist Thomas Piketty, reveal a
grimly lopsided picture of India, where the richest 10 per cent control 60 per cent of its income; the top one per cent own 22.6 per cent of its assets. “This kind of economic inequality cannot but be reflected in poverty and consequent unrest and social tension.
How can such a biased society help to usher in a balanced whole?” Mr Datta-Ray asked.
Delivering the Plenary Address, Prof. Saugata Roy, President, West Bengal Federation of the United Nations underscored the role of the Indo-Pacific in the context of peace, security, development in the region. He emphasised that India can play a vital role in this regard, particularly ensuring balance of power and safe and secured sea ways for enhanced trade with freedom of navigation.
As the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh emphasised: “A stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region is crucial for India’s own progress and prosperity. It is to this end that India has taken forward the strategic transition from the Asia-Pacific to the Indo-Pacific framework,” Prof. Roy said.
