7 October 2022, NIICE Commentary 8320
Avinav Singh Khatri
The term “Indo-Pacific” has gained currency in India’s strategic discourse over the last year. From a geopolitical standpoint, it signifies the inclusion of the Western Pacific in India’s security objectives, thereby expanding beyond the conventional concentration on the Indian Ocean. As a result, the Indo-Pacific has become a new theater in India’s foreign policy engagements, marking a shift in the geopolitical environment in which New Delhi has stretched its threats beyond its continental borders to its maritime domain. A new strategic environment, coinciding with China’s rise, has influenced India’s attitude to the region. India is projected to play a crucial role in the new environment, given its rapid ascent in recent years. With recent actions, India seeks to create an “autonomous, self-reliant” foreign policy.
Maritime Security: Major Concern in the Indo-Pacific
One of the fundamental reasons for developing the concept of Indo-Pacific strategy is the realization of threats in the maritime domain by different countries of this region. The growing presence of the Chinese navy and their aggression has forced many countries to form multilateral groups to tackle Chinese aggression. Many countries are coming together with maritime security dialogue and advanced naval exercises as a result of the common threat possessed due to the growing Chinese aggression.
The Indian Ocean, rather than the South China Sea, is India’s main priority in terms of national security. India has stretched its threats beyond its continental borders to its maritime domain due to the tense situation caused by Chinese aggression. As India and Australia recently recognized, “many of the future challenges are likely to occur in and emanate from, the maritime domain: Looking at the security situation of the entire region, the importance of maritime security dialogues and joint naval exercises is felt inevitable by India. In recent years, India has created a network of security agreements with several regional countries. Malabar Naval Exercise is one of the most critical maritime exercises.
“Throughout history, the maritime domain has been crucial in establishing new and emerging powers shaping regional dynamics and the larger security architecture”. The great power competition today is no different. As China’s maritime dominance rises in the Indo-Pacific region, the Indian navy has recently participated in joint exercises and port visits. Most Southeast Asian countries, as well as Japan-US and many other countries welcome an increase in Indian naval assets in the region.
India and Development Partnerships in the Region
When we look at the Indo-Pacific strategy from India’s point of view, we see that the utmost priority is given to partnerships. Various partnerships are being made based on shared ideas and interests, outlining the possibilities and challenges in the Indo-Pacific. In an emerging power competition, India has tried to present itself as a crucial player in stabilizing a hostile environment through cooperation and innovative solutions for the middle and small powers.
Partnerships have been influential in the Indo-Pacific since the beginning. India grew its presence in the broader region by boosting collaborations and establishing new alliances. India’s cooperation with Japan, the United States, France, and, more recently, Australia is the most prominent emerging component of the country’s external economic ties. They are at the core of India’s Indo-Pacific alliances. India has also expanded its cooperation with African nations, Indonesia, the Philippines, Iran, Oman, Singapore, and organizations such as ASEAN and the European Union. India has also formed meaningful partnerships with several Indian and Pacific Oceans islands. Because of these growing partnerships, an increase in maritime trade and sea network based on respect for the rule of law and order has been taking shape in the Indian Ocean, which has spread throughout the Western Pacific coast. These have created a continuous stretch of ocean space connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
“Free and Open Indo-Pacific” shares many principles, including freedom of navigation and overflight, economic growth, tariff-free trades, peace, prosperity, security, securing maritime security and global marine commons, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, promoting marine awareness, and protecting marine biodiversity, blue economy, addressing climate change and rising sea level issues, all these lies at the heart of Indo-Pacific Partnerships. Indo-Pacific represents a free, open, and inclusive area for India. In the Indo-Pacific region, India promotes a rule-based, open, balanced, and stable environment that elevates all nations on the tide of commerce and investment.
India believes that the formation of new security architecture is required due to the shift in global power and changes in the foundations of the global world order. As a result, India is seeking collaboration to create a new security architecture for the region’s peace and security. This new security architecture should be free, open, and inclusive, based on solid values and principles that respect rules, law, norms, customs, and dialogues. Partnerships with ASEAN are India’s utmost priority, which can play an essential role in forming this new security architecture.
India-ASEAN has a long history of friendships and partnerships that dates back decades. This partnership is the fundamental pillar of India’s foreign and Act East policies. Over the period, cooperation has been established in various economic, socio-political, cultural, and many more dimensions. More recently focus has been shifted to establishing ties between traditional and non-traditional security cooperation. Regarding the political and security dimensions, India’s relationship with ASEAN places ASEAN at the center of its Indo-Pacific vision of security and growth for all in the region. The ASEAN countries and India share everyday worries and goals when Asia is through a disruptive phase that could decide the region’s future power balance. Considering the geographical position and its composition of middle power nations, ASEAN is significantly important in the Indo-Pacific strategic partnerships as it lies in the center, interlinking the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific. India’s preference for multilateral world order is rising, and India-ASEAN partnerships are becoming increasingly important.
Considering all the developments in various dimensions that are taking place in the Indo-Pacific, it can be said that the Indo-Pacific has grown into the most important platform for international collaboration in the twenty-first century.
Indo-Pacific Future Prospects
When we assess the Indo-Pacific strategy, it will not be wrong to say that QUAD is the primary driving force of this entire concept. BRICS was the forum that symbolized India’s “strategic autonomy.” However, in recent years, India has become closer to the United States and the US-led QUAD. India’s years of oscillation between the BRICS and the QUAD have been viewed by many as a reflection of New Delhi’s geopolitical insecurity between the East and the West and between Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific. Various geopolitical changes have developed over time, and the QUAD is essential to India’s answer to China’s enormous challenge.
C Raja Mohan, in his article, “The QUAD’s importance to India’s strategic autonomy,” states, “Global Times, the Chinese newspaper known for its controversial commentary on world affairs, warns that if Delhi continues to get closer to Washington, India “will eventually lose its strategic autonomy” and become America’s “hatchet man against China.” But if it had continued with its logic of realpolitik, the paper could quite easily see it is the very quest for “strategic autonomy” that is generating a new Indian warmth towards the US”.
Beijing has emerged as New Delhi’s most serious rival, and the United States is rapidly becoming a part of the solution. India’s QUAD participation is a reaction to such geopolitics. Also, these four countries have made it clear that QUAD is not only looking for a military alliance; we want to do broader things that interest everyone. So, it can be said that they are making it easier for the rest of the region to collaborate with QUAD. Considering all these, it can be said that QUAD is a broader framework for regional cooperation and is essential for India’s strategic autonomy. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether QUAD is here to stay and whether it will become a significant foundation for structuring regional order.
In the recent past, the UK’s interest in the Indo-Pacific has been growing. The UK’s new Indo-Pacific foreign and security policy remains firmly grounded inside the Euro-Atlantic zone, with the US as its “most vital strategic partner” and Russia as its “most severe threat.” The UK’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific is based on economics, security to ensure freedom of navigation in a region of increasing geopolitical conflict and possible flashpoints, and morals to promote open societies and support international rules and standards. The UK wants to “deepen” its Indo-Pacific participation, join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and join the ASEAN Dialogue Partnership. One of the UK’s most important strategic allies in the region is Japan. Also, India welcomes the UK’s participation in the Indo-Pacific. The UK launched its naval support facility in Bahrain in April 2018, marking its first permanent presence in the Western Indian Ocean since its armed forces left East of Suez in the 1970s. All these developments show the UK’s profound interest in the Indo-Pacific. However, the UK’s ambition to be the European partner in the region “with the largest and most integrated presence” in the next nine years appears ambitious.
Considering the geographical location and the developments in international politics, the Horn of Africa, Eastern Africa, and Gulf nations are vital for the Indo-Pacific strategy. So there exists a possibility of including Eastern African and Gulf countries in the Indo-Pacific Strategy.
The Indo-Pacific region is well-known for its economic and demographic variables and the significance of its sea lanes for international trade and energy flows. This strategy is not just a military alliance but also a broader framework for regional cooperation. As a result, there is a possibility for more initiatives in areas such as climate change, biodiversity, global marine commons, sea connectivity and trade, rules-based order, and values of democracy for governance.
Conclusion
India is the world’s largest democracy and is often regarded as a rising international player in the region; the role played by India is very important for the strategy. The long-term stability of the Indo-Pacific area, which encompasses the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, is vital to India. Assessing the Indo-Pacific, it holds vast areas for cooperation with ample opportunities for India through which India can create meaningful impact and notable presence in the region. Also, there are challenges dealing with Chinese aggression being on top and other non-traditional security challenges. However, much will depend on how India practices its diplomacy.
Avinav Singh Khatri is a Research Intern at NIICE.
