Geographically coherent and more like minded grouping than SAARC
Economic
Countries with Buyont growth – 6.5%
FTA in progress
Sectors like Fisheries , Tourism, Transport, Energy – all of which will help India
Act Asia
Would complement Indian measures like Trilateral Highway, Kaladan
North East
Social Issues – Drugs, Terrorism
Issues
Refugee
Formality
Role of Himalayas as a geographical break
Chinese influence
Simialr – BCIM, SASEC
Lack of interest fgrom Thailand – CMLV
BCIM
Ban, Chi, India, Myanmar
BCIM Corridor
The BCIM Economic Corridor is a modern version of the Silk Road.
It is planned to run from China’s Kunming province to Kolkata in India, and link Mandalay in Myanmar and Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh through a network of roads, railways, waterways, and airways under a proper regulatory framework
Improve connectivity and infrastructure – power projects, telecommunications etc.
Energy resources, agriculture, and trade and investment.
Benefits to India and BCIM as a whole
Together, the BCIM countries account for 9 per cent of the global landmass and 40 per cent of the global population.
Special emphasis on inter-regional road network as roads are the cheapest route of trade. This will lower transportation costs between India and China by 30 per cent and escalate already growing Sino–Indian trade through the BCIM Corridor.
The BCIM Corridor will allow all four countries to exploit existing complementarities in trade — in terms of both sectors and products.
Myanmar is a primary goods exporter and has abundant cheap labour
. India has positioned itself as a leading services exporter.
China is the largest manufacturing exporter in the world; and
Bangladesh, like many other South Asian countries, engages in both services export and low-end manufactured goods.
To address energy security, BCIM sub-regional cooperation can capitalise on hydrocarbons in Bangladesh, hydro-electric and mineral resources in Northeast India, natural gas reserves in Myanmar, and coal reserves in East Indian states like Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and China’s Yunnan province.
Corridor will provide access to sea for north-eastern States
Will connect far Mainalnd & east via NE
Trade increases through this region
Infrastructure creation in the NE
Also paving way for energy transfer
Chicken’s Neck is over crowded
Myanmar gas pipeline
OCEAN AND INDIA
Project Mausam
SAGAR
Safety and Growth for all in the Region
Coastal Radars
Other issues – China – MSR, String of Pearls, Energy Security, Piracy, Disaster, Oceanic Resources, Continental Shelf , Port Led Security, Trade
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA):
1st ever leaders summit recently – JAKARTA
Could revitalise
It is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean. IORA was established in 1997 to promote cooperation in the Indian Ocean region. It Association comprises 20 member states
It was formerly known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative and Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).
tripartite in nature, bringing together representatives of Government, Business and Academia, for promoting co-operation and closer interaction
It is based on the principles of Open Regionalism for strengthening Economic Cooperation particularly on Trade Facilitation and Investment, Promotion as well as Social Development of the region.
The objectives of IORA are as follows:
To promote sustainable growth and balanced development of the region and member states.
To focus on those areas of economic cooperation which provide maximum opportunities for development, shared interest and mutual benefits.
To promote liberalisation, remove impediments and lower trade barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim.
Importance now because of Project Mausam
MGC
Mekong Ganga cooperation
CMLV ( Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam ) , India and Thailand
Formed in 2000
Currently has no permanent secretariat and no budget
Thailand lost interest in MGC after it formed ACMECS with the same group of countries minus India
Elaboration required
Project Mausam
Aim- to establish cross cultural linkages and to revive historic maritime cultural and economic ties with 39 Indian Ocean countries.
The 39 countries includes Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Yemen, South Africa, Philippines, Pakistan among others.
launched in 2014
China showed intention to link it with Maritime Silk Road.
# String of Pearls
It is a Ministry of Culture project with Archaeological Society of India (ASI) as the nodal agency
2 central aim
to reconnect and re-establish communications between countries of the Indian Ocean world, which would lead to an enhanced understanding of cultural values and concerns;
while at the micro level the focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime milieu.
The central themes that hold Project ‘Mausam’ together are those of cultural routes and maritime landscapes that not only linked different parts of the Indian Ocean littoral, but also connected the coastal centres to their hinterlands.
Limited connectivity and smalll sizes to make investment profitable
Difficult times with neighnours
India alleged to play role in internal politics
Nepal– Support to Madhesis in blockade, hand in attempting tackle of Oli Govt
Maldives– Publi criticism of policies targeting ex prez Mohd Nasheed prompting sharp reply
Mynamar– Hot Pursuit and building of border wall
Bhutan– LPG subisdy
Overall- Parliamentary committee observed Indian loan and aids to south asian nations have fallen by 20%
Shanghai cooperation organisation (sco)
India was an observer from 2005 the multilateral grouping.
Total 8 members now – India, China Russia Pakistan Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan
focus areas- MILLITARY COLLABORATION connectivity, counter terrorism, energy sector, increasing trade, drug trafficking
Other details of Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These countries, except for Uzbekistan, had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation.
The SCO is seen as a counter to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
its affiliates account for about half of the world’s population.
The SCO has established relations with the United Nations, where it is an observer in the General Assembly, the European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
It also has Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia as observers, and Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey as dialogue partners.
Benefits to India
Allows India greater access to central Asia- minerals, oil, expert market
Solidifies plans to build trade routes to Russia via Chahbar port in Iran – INSTC, Ashbagat
Politically, a balance against the pro -US tilt
With SAARC, RCEP and now SCO , India can have economic treaties with almost the entire Asia
Forum to check against spread of terrorism
All the benefits of Central Asia
Plus, a platform for India Pak to engage with – as seen in UFA talks
May counter the Chinese influence in the region
Cons
Called Anti NATO – and may harm our American Relations
