India must exploit its image of a close trustworthy partner

The United Statesrecently released a formal Indo-Pacific strategy to substantially engagein this zone. This densely populated zone, with nearly half of the world’s population, has the potential to drive two-thirds of the global economy in a few years. This is the last frontier of influence and an ideal playground for any show of influence and strength by a global power. The strategy acknowledges thegrowing influence in the region of China, which is flexing itseconomic, technological, military muscles to coerce the region into accepting dominance and there by expanding its influence quotient right up to American borders. An excerpt from the strategy particularly pinpointed towards Chinese aggression in the region reads: “From the economic coercion of Australia to the conflict along the Line of Actual Control with India to the growing pressure on Taiwan and  bullying of neighbors in the East and South China Seas, our allies and partners in the region bear much of the cost of the PRC’s harmful behavior. In the process, the PRC is also undermining human rights and international law, including freedom of navigation, as well as other principles that have brought stability and prosperity to the Indo-Pacific.”

The brief strategy therefore is to engage with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen them and having shared vision of peace prosperity, security while upholding human rights, free and open sovereigns and respect for rules-based world order. The five pillars of advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific,building connections with the region and beyond, driving regional prosperity,enhancing the security shield in and for the region and building a regional resilience to threats are all achievable. This is going to be a challenge since unlike many other regions, the Indo-Pacific isnot a homogenous fabric of humanity. It is perhaps the birthplace of many religions and beliefs and therefore a unique mesh of cultural diversity stitched together by land and the sea. In comes China, themajor disruptor despite having no colonial past, fixed on treating the territory as its imperial playground. To the relief of many, India does feature prominently in the strategy paper, whereby the United States has atleast on paper, put its weight behind India, to emerge as a regional leader and continue to expand its economic might. This is a strong signal for the global order, that has been eyeing the region. India has managed well, in its recent realignment with QUAD.India’s external affairs minister was simultaneously making statements regarding the border issues with China at the QUAD external affairs conference in Australia, when this document was released. The backdrop suggests a synchronized effort by the United States and India (strategic allies) to take their relationship to the next level of growth. It also suggests acceptance of India as key regional player which could use its influence with other Southeast Asian nations and build new ones with Australia, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam. India has recently upgraded its domestic investment policies through the performance linked incentive schemes to build resilience in key supply chains, spread across sectors which had been badgered by the dominance of China (as the factory of the world) during the Covid pandemic. The aim for India is to truly start engaging with its neighborhood to reinstate its position as a close trustworthy partner as opposed to dominance by stealth and compromising schemes such as the loans for building critical infrastructure coming from China. Many of these translate into transferring sovereign country’s ownership rights over its resources to the Chinese Government. This will also require India to closely work with ASEAN and ensure fair and transparent terms of trade agreements.

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