Recently a webinar was organized on “Act East Policy”.
About Act East Policy:
India’s ‘Act East’ policy i.e. ‘Work East Policy’ is a ‘diplomatic initiative’ to promote economic, strategic and cultural ties with the wider Asia-Pacific region at various levels.
It was introduced in 1991 by the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s ‘Look East Policy’ i.e. ‘Look East Policy’ is considered to be the modern version.
The “Act East Policy” was launched in November 2014 at the ‘East Asia Summit’ held in Myanmar.
Under the “Act East Policy”, the Government of India emphasizes on the 3 C’s (Culture, Connectivity, and Commerce) to develop better relations with ASEAN countries.
Major difference between “Look East Policy” and “Act East Policy”:
The “Look East Policy” focused on economic integration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the policy was limited to Southeast Asia only.
The “Act East Policy”, on the other hand, focuses on economic integration of ASEAN countries and security cooperation with East Asian countries.
Objectives of ‘Act East Policy’:
To promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic ties with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at regional, bilateral and multilateral levels.
To enhance the connectivity of North-East Indian states with other neighboring countries.
According to experts- Government of India believes in 3 C’s i.e. Culture, Connectivity and Commerce, (3 C’s – Culture, Connectivity, and Commerce) to develop better relations with ASEAN countries under “Act East Policy”.
Importance:
Under the Act East Policy (AEP), the ‘India-Japan Strategic Partnership’ has been taken to a whole new level, underscoring the importance of Indo-Pacific cooperation.
India believes in a free, open and inclusive ‘Indo-Pacific’ founded on a cooperative and cooperative law-based order.
‘ASEAN centrality’ remains an enduring contemporary feature of ‘Indo-Pacific’ at the regional level.
India has placed the ‘Indo-Pacific’ at the center of its contacts with countries in South, Southeast and East Asia. Gradually, the ‘Act East’ policy is turning into an ‘Act Indo-Pacific’ policy.
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