Message from the east

The Indian subcontinent8217;s neighbourhood has for centuries been defined by the waters around the peninsula rather than the mountains and...

The Indian subcontinent8217;s neighbourhood has for centuries been defined by the waters around the peninsula rather than the mountains and the deserts up north. From his prison cell in the 1930s Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru offered his unique 8216;8216;glimpses into world history8217;8217; and rediscovered India pointing to our civilisational links to the Asia to our east. Nehru8217;s search for an 8216;8216;Asian identity8217;8217; was rudely disrupted by the Cold War and it was the first post-Cold War Indian prime minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, who once again urged the nation to Look East. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee8217;s successful travels to the East this past week have been able to build very effectively on the foundations laid by Rao and successive governments to increase India8217;s economic engagement with the region.

While the growing trade and investment relationship offered the right environment for an increased dialogue between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations ASEAN, the shared security concerns in the era of globalised terrorism have helped accelerate this process. A confluence of mutually beneficial economic relations and mutually shared security concerns has helped cement closer relations between India and ASEAN. Those who see the shadow of China on this relationship are needlessly fishing in troubled waters. It is clear that neither India nor ASEAN, nor indeed China, has any interest in myopic zero-sum games. Rather the increased interaction between India, ASEAN and China, and indeed Japan and Korea, can be part of a win-win scenario in which there are economic gains and security assurances for all.

For this process to reach its logical end 8212; creation of an Asian Economic Community 8212; the Indian economy must become more competitive and open. Those who view globalisation as a western conspiracy to re-impose colonialism miss this emerging phenomenon of greater regional economic integration. For India the process of India-ASEAN economic integration, through first steps like the India-Thailand Free Trade Agreement and India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, is a natural process of reaching out to its wider Asian neighbourhood. But India8217;s economic and civilisational neighbourhood is even wider and spans all the way from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea and increased economic liberalisation as well as investment in maritime, air and land connectivity are necessary for India to be more meaningfully integrated with her neighbours. This process can help improve ties with China. For India8217;s smaller neighbours there is a message. Regional economic cooperation can be a win-win and a non-threatening process in which India is no longer the only big player. This should make other South Asian economies feel more confident and encourage the process of regional cooperation. If this region wastes more time, India has other, perhaps more attractive, options that it will pursue. The choices are clear.