THE SOUTH – SOUTH EAST ASIA AND CHINA CONNECT FORM LOOKING EAST TO ACTING EAST A TWO DAY JOINT SEMINAR CONDUCTED BY
DEPT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CENTER FOR EASTERN AND NORTH AND JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY (JU), KOLKATA EASTERN RESEARCH STUDIES (CENERS-K)
The region has half the world’s population, two of the largest and fastest growing economies the second and fourth largest armed forces in the world, and the fourth and sixth largest countries area wise. In the Mahanian Principle of Piillars of Power this region should have been the fulcrum of the world. Yet, except India and China who are the fastest growing economies in the world and are poised to play instrumental roles in the strategic political and security balance in Asia with global ramifications, their contrasting political systems, economic priorities, and regional aspirations provide for a precarious balance that is of keen interest to the world in general and South and South East Asia in particular.. With the global economic slowdown, the vast economic engines of these two nations – the proper functioning of which are crucial to keeping their populations, and the populations of neighbouring countries satisfied and maintaining internal order – all nations in this region have have no choice but to engage ever more closely with each other.
- India’s engagement with Southeast Asia is showing signs of revival. But will the new interaction produce result concrete results or remain rhetorical as in the recent past. There is a solid foundation to build on. There is the historical memory of the cultural interaction in the ancient period when Indian empires flourished across Southeast Asia. But there is also the memory of India’s benign neglect of Southeast Asia in the postcolonial years, and a gradual recognition of the importance of the region in the early 1990s. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao initiated the Look East policy in 1992, driven by Indian economic and political imperatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Act East policy in 2014 because India aimed to establish its strategic imprint in Southeast Asia in order to cement its historical cultural, trade and religious ties. 3. China has a substantial ex patriate population in this region which allows for a great advantage to them and a challenge to India. In this matrix, India and China are key regional players that need to set aside their differences and engage each other in trade and economy, ensuring not only each other’s prosperity but also of Southeast Asia that, in turn depend on the large markets of China and India. 4. India had received encouragement from the US and from countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia that desire that India should play a greater role as a provider of security in the region. With the abrogation of Trans pacific pact by the Trump Administration, does India and the countries of South and South East Asia have the were withal to go it alone in the face of the ever expanding trade and secutity ambitions of China? Will India seize the opportunity?
- The transition from India’s Look East to Act East policy- what would it take?
- The Chinese perspective on India’s Act East policy and Indian view of Chinese Trade expansionism.
- The Southeast Asian view of Indian Polices and implementation.
- The Asian view of of India- China relations. Will it Balloon onto another cold war in Asia?
- India and the South China Sea dispute. How is Indian Ocean Region affected ?
- The United States’ policy of Rebalancing towards Asia, and India’s role in it
- Economic Imperatives – investment and trade between India and China. Will it overshadow security concerns?
- Building trust – is economic engagement the way?
- America, Russia and Japan: The strategic balance ????