Mentors Comments:

• Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/navigating-the-indo-pacific-6170525/
• Introduce with the idea of the Indo- Pacific and its relevance.
• Then discuss India’s role in it.
• Mention various challenges India faces in the region.
• Mention the ways through which India can assert its role.

Answer:

The acceptance of the Indo-Pacific as a single strategic construct linking the contiguous waters of the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean has gained currency in the last few years with the shift in the geopolitical centre of gravity to this region.

India’s conception of Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific has been interpreted differently by various countries in their outlook or vision documents. Prime Minister Modi in his speech at Shangrila Dialogue in 2018 had clearly indicated the geographical reach of India’s idea of the Indo-Pacific starting from Africa to the Americas, which covers both the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in tandem with that of Japan.

He had also emphasized on a few major aspects which reflect India’s policy perspective on Indo-Pacific, which included “inclusiveness”, “openness”, “ASEAN centrality” and that the concept was not directed against any country.

Significance of Indo- Pacific region for India:

• Strategic: India is concerned with Increasingly aggressive Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific seen through Belt and Road Initiative, flouting of International rules in the South China Sea. India views itself as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Economic: India in ASEAN, Japan, China has major trading partners in the Indo-Pacific. Nearly 90 per cent of India’s trade passes through the India Ocean. In this context-free, open and rule-based system in Indo-Pacific is in line with India’s long term objectives. India is also increased its focus on “Blue Economy”
• India is planning to put greater energy to the IORA because the heart of its Indo-Pacific policy is rooted in the Indian Ocean. This integrates the blue economy part of the Indian policy with the security part.
• India wants to address and engage with Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia are key partners in the region for India. 

Ways through which India can assert its identity in Indo-Pacific

• India has launched SAGAR (Security and Growth for All) maritime initiative which gives priority to the Indian Ocean region for ensuring peace, stability and prosperity of India in the Indian Ocean region.

• Defence and Security Partnerships: In the form of Malabar Exercise (India-Japan-US), QUAD grouping (India-US-Japan-Australia), SIMBEX (Singapore-India), etc, India is building regional partnerships to ensure free and open India-Pacific

• Boosting its own naval and defence capabilities.
• Forging strong economic relations through FTA’s and regional trade agreements.

Challenges for India

• The region is highly heterogeneous in terms of economic size and level of development, with significant differences in security establishments and resources.
• China is keeping a close watch at India’s engagement through strategic dialogues, military exercises and security agreements with many Indo-Pacific countries.
• China’s military build-up in the South China Sea and its sweeping territorial claims across the strategic waterways.
• Terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean Region
• The renaming of the U.S. Pacific Command to S. Indo-Pacific Command as well as the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act in December 2018 showcase Washington’s more serious engagement with the Indo-Pacific.

Economically and strategically, the global centre of gravity is shifting to the Indo-Pacific. If the region’s stakeholders don’t act now to fortify an open, rules-based order, the security situation will continue to deteriorate—with consequences that are likely to reverberate worldwide. Commerce and connectivity, in particular, will have to be prioritised if India is to take advantage of a new opening for its regional engagement.