– By Aanchal Bajaj
– Intern IPPCS’21
An upgrade to the Look East Policy, which was conceptualized to increase economic growth and India’s engagement with South-East Asia in 1991, is the Act East Policy (AEP), implemented in 2014 with the objective of scoping and detailing the potential of improving the industrial growth of the North-East region of India while developing a strategic relationship with the extensive neighborhood of the Asia-Pacific region. Initiated under the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the AEP is a diplomatic initiative that seeks to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations through constructive engagement with Southeast Asian countries in the fields of connectivity, trade, culture, defense and interpersonal contact at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. The North Eastern Region of India has paid a heavy price due to the unstable period it witnessed in the recent past decades where anti-government militarized protests and violence constantly derailed initiatives taken for the development of the region. The economic contraction manifested in diverse ways: lack of infrastructure, absence of modern health services and scarce job opportunities. Act East Policy will help North East India in restoring economic stability while creating strategic regional ties. Due to north-east India’s geographic proximity, connectivity is the key to maintain regional cooperation with south-east Asia. Focusing on cooperation through preferential trade and investment agreements, the Act East Policy will be able to stimulate inclusive growth and achieve the North Eastern Region Vision of making it at par with other developed regions of the country.
One of the prime measures through which Act East Policy is achieving tangible results is by strengthening its connectivity and maritime cooperation with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS). A robust strategic partnership is underway with Japan and South Korea to create a new convergence of interests. Japan has simultaneously shown interest in investing its technology in north-east India. The fifth bilateral cooperation meeting was held between Delhi and Tokyo this year to set out a vision of ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ through the platform of Act East Forum. The two parties exchanged information to deepen mutually beneficial cooperative relations and advance their alliance through healthcare, smart city and people-to-people exchanges. India-Japan seized the opportunity of the joint meeting to discuss about their connectivity building initiatives. The Act East Forum which is under Act East Policy, stated the advancement of ongoing transportation and water projects in north-east India which when completed will positively impact the national and regional economic activity. The projects of hydropower, sustainable development and harnessing of water resources in NER will be able to address problems of congestion, floods and will increase the standard of living and per capita income. In 2019, the Ministry of External Affairs of India commented on the global partnership of Japan and India. “A vast array of institutional mechanisms binds their partnership in such forums like the annual summit, strategic dialogue, defense dialogue, and numerous forums on energy cooperation, counter-terrorism, U.N. reforms, cybersecurity, and maritime cooperation. Further, India and Japan have institutionalized 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.”
The centrality of ASEAN’s role in the Asian diaspora makes it a key element in the Act East policy. There has been a rapid growth of trade and investment between India and ASEAN’s member countries. Policies such as ASEAN-India Free Trade Area have been the key to bring in investment. According to the AIFTA agreement tariffs for 75% of goods traded between ASEAN and India have been eliminated which will consecutively create economic benefits and increase international trade. An intensive infrastructure trilateral highway which will stimulate economic growth and improve the connection between ASEAN and India is under construction. The highway will join Manipur thru Myanmar to Thailand and to boost the ASEAN-India alliance the highway will extend to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has declared a $ 1 billion credit line to strengthen the Act East policy by deepening the political and multifaceted cooperation between ASEAN and India. The completion of the trilateral highway will help North East India to inflate its trade and commerce prospects. In yet another achievement, India-South Korea signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement to construct a robust bilateral trade. Their relation has become multidimensional as both the nations share mutual interest in creating cooperation in defense domains. Foreign direct investment of South Korea has also amplified in India by reaching US$ 5.71 billion in 2018 mainly due to Seoul entering the automobile market of India and South Korea’s New Southern Policy. An integrated approach to form alliances and improve the economy of Northeast while pragmatically identifying objectives to accomplish them, will positively enhance Act East policy and help in achieving India’s vision.
Though the Act East policy is a proactive developmental tool with distinct advantages, there also exist certain points that might lead to threats for the NER. A major aspect is the international security implication for North East India. To illustrate this factor, the Kalandan project authorized to connect ‘the north-east linking Kolkata to Mizoram via Sitwe port’ is under threat due to the perilous Arakan Army in Myanmar being powered by China. Cross border illicit activities predominantly human trafficking and smuggling of drugs can take place through the Kalandan Transport Project. In order to consolidate ‘security and growth for all in the region’ and strengthen the Act East Policy, the SAGAR initiative has been introduced by the Prime Minister of India to protect maritime traffic and provide humanitarian support through the Indian Ocean. The initiative has come into effect due to China’s threatening stance to disrupt India’s national security primarily due to its territorial claim on Arunachal Pradesh and its plan to construct a hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river (Brahmaputra) in Tibet which will terribly affect the agriculture of Assam. Northeast India is important for Act East Policy to fulfil its developmental goals, endorse its foreign policy and revive an integrated economy through investments but with belligerent threats arising through China’s aggressive stance, India should move ahead cautiously without decoupling.
onducted a total of five underground nuclear tests, breaking a 24-year self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing. Pakistan followed, claiming 5 tests on May 28, 1998, and an additional test on May 30. The unannounced tests created a global storm of criticism, as well as a serious setback for decades of U.S. nuclear nonproliferation efforts in South Asia. On May 13, 1998, President Clinton imposed economic and military sanctions on India, mandated by Section 102 of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), and applied the same sanctions to Pakistan on May 30. Some effects of the sanctions on India included: termination of $21 million in FY1998 economic development assistance; postponement of $1.7 billion in lending by the International Financial Institutions (IFI), as supported by the Group of Eight (G-8) leading industrial nations; prohibition on loans or credit from U.S. banks to the government of India; and termination of Foreign Military Sales under the Arms Export Control Act. Humanitarian assistance, food, or other agricultural commodities are excepted from sanctions under the law. 
The first ministerial level meeting of QUAD was held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Before this, the QUAD had
AusIndEx is an exercise between India and Australia which was first held in 2015.The Australian 
On recommendations of the Japanese government, the four countries met at Manila, Philippines for ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) originally, but also ended up having a meeting of what we call the first meeting of four nation states on issues of 
On his official visit to India, Japanese PM Mr. Shinzo Abe reinforced the ties of two nations, i.e., Japan and India with his famous speech about 
In 2007, Japanese President Shinzo Abe resigned from his post citing health reasons. This had a significant impact on QUAD as he was the architect & advocate of QUAD. His successor, Yasuo Fukuda, did not take up QUAD with such zeal leading to dormancy of the forum. (
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, also called Great Sendai Earthquake or Great Tōhoku Earthquake, was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which struck below the floor of the Western Pacific at 2:49 PM. The powerful earthquake affected the northeastern coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island, and also initiated a series of large tsunami waves that devastated coastal areas of Japan, which also led to a major nuclear accident. Japan received aid from India, US, Australia as well as other countries. US Navy aircraft carrier was dispatched to the area and Australia sent search-and-rescue teams. 
India and Australia signed the 
The India-Japan Agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy was signed on 11 November, 2016 and came into force on 20 July, 2017 which was representative of strengthening ties between India and Japan. Diplomatic notes were exchanged between Dr. S. Jaishankar and H.E. Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India. (
The foreign ministry
The Officials of QUAD member countries met in Singapore on November 15, 2018 for consultation on regional & global issues of common interest. The main discussion revolved around connectivity, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, maritime and cyber security, with the view to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the 
The 23rd edition of trilateral Malabar maritime exercise between India, US and Japan took place on 26 September- 04 October, 2019 off the coast of Japan. 
After the first ministerial level meeting of QUAD in September, 2019, the senior officials of US, Japan, India and Australia again met for consultations in Bangkok on the margins of the East Asia Summit. Statements were issued separately by the four countries. Indian Ministry of External Affairs said “In statements issued separately by the four countries, MEA said, “proceeding from the strategic guidance of their Ministers, who met in New York City on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly recently, the officials exchanged views on ongoing and additional practical cooperation in the areas of connectivity and infrastructure development, and security matters, including counterterrorism, cyber and maritime security, with a view to promoting peace, security, stability, prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held on 18 December, 2019, in Washington DC. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper will host Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar and Minister of Defense Shri Rajnath Singh. The discussion focussed on deepening bilateral strategic and defense cooperation, exchanging perspectives on global developments, and our shared leadership in the Indo-Pacific region.The two democracies signed the Industrial Security Annex before the 2+2 Dialogue. Assessments of the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Indian Ocean region in general were shared between both countries. (
The foreign ministers of QUAD continued their discussions from the last ministerial level meeting in 2019, on 6 October, 2020. While there was no joint statement released, all countries issued individual readouts. As per the issue readout by India, the discussion called for a coordinated response to the challenges including financial problems emanating from the pandemic, best practices to combat Covid-19, increasing the resilience of supply chains, and enhancing access to affordable vaccines, medicines and medical equipment. There was also a focus on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region amidst growing tensions. Australian media release mentions “We emphasised that, especially during a pandemic, it was vital that states work to ease tensions and avoid exacerbating long-standing disputes, work to counter disinformation, and refrain from malicious cyberspace activity. Ministers reiterated that states cannot assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
On September 24, President Biden hosted Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga of Japan at the White House for the first-ever in-person Leaders’ Summit of the QUAD. The leaders released a Joint Statement which summarised their dialogue and future course of action. The regional security of the Indo-Pacific and strong confidence in the ASEAN remained on the focus along with response to the Pandemic. 
The QUAD Vaccine Partnership was announced at the first QUAD Summit on 12 March 2021 where QUAD countries agreed to deliver 1.2 billion vaccine doses globally. The aim was to expand and finance vaccine manufacturing and equipping the Indo-Pacific to build resilience against Covid-19. The launch of a senior-level QUAD Vaccine Experts Group, comprised of top scientists and officials from all QUAD member governments was also spearheaded. 
Although the Tsunami Core group had to be disbanded on fulfilment of its purpose, however the quadrilateral template that formed remained intact as a successful scaffolding of four countries, as stated by authors Patrick Gerard Buchan and Benjamin Rimland in their diplomatic brief about QUAD ( you can access the brief at 
Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that the Core Tsunami Group was to be disbanded and folded and clubbed with the broader United Nations led Relief Operations. In a Tsunami Relief Conference in Jakarta, Secretary Powell stated that 
Soon after the Earthquake and Tsunami crisis, humanitarian reliefs by countries, viz., US, India, Japan, and Australia started to help the 13 havoc-stricken countries. The US initially promised $ 35 Millions in aid. However, on 29
At 7:59AM local time, an earthquake of 9.1 magnitude (undersea) hit the coast of Sumatra, an Indonesian island. As a result of the same, massive waves of Tsunami triggered by the earthquake wreaked havoc for 7 hours across the Indian Ocean and to the coastal areas as far away as East Africa. The infamous Tsunami killed around 225,000 people, with people reporting the height of waves to be as high as 9 metres, i.e., 30 feet. Indonesia, Srilanka, India, Maldives, Thailand sustained horrendously massive damage, with the death toll exceeding 200,000 in Northern Sumatra’s Ache province alone. A great many people, i.e., around tens of thousands were found dead or missing in Srilanka and India, mostly from Andaman and Nicobar Islands of Indian territory. Maldives, being a low-lying country, also reported casualties in hundreds and more, with several non-Asian tourists reported dead or missing who were vacationing. Lack of food, water, medicines burgeoned the numbers of casualties, with the relief workers finding it difficult to reach the remotest areas where roads were destroyed or civil war raged. Long-term environmental damage ensued too, as both natural and man-made resources got demolished and diminished.
No responses yet