India’s Act East Policy: The Vision Of East & Southeast Asia
- sujeetkofficial
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
Executive Summary
1. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landslide victory in May 2014 election provided the chance to build on this momentum to carve out a greater strategic role for India in the Indo-Pacific.
2. The ‘Look East’ policy has been a major part of India’s international engagement since its economic opening in 1991.
3. The policy has evolved from economic and diplomatic engagement with Southeast Asia to broader security and defence ties across the whole Indo-Pacific.
4. In recent years, India has signalled a willingness to play a greater strategic role in the region, deepening links with partners such as Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Australia.
5. India’s foreign policy has been driven in part by India’s strategy of external balancing against China, but has also been motivated by India’s desire for a greater role in global geopolitics and its rise as a trading nation.
6. China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean and assertiveness in maritime territorial disputes in East Asia have reinforced the relevance of an enhanced Indian role in East Asia and Southeast Asia for India and the Partners in the Indo-Pacific.
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already indicated his intentions to transform the Look East Policy into the “Act East”.
8. This report or research paper will analyse the foreign policy of India’s journey from “Look East” to “Act East” and the future of India’s relations with East and Southeast Asia under the Modi Government.
9. Outlining the origins and evolution of the Look East Policy under the previous governments in India.
10. It will then examine the importance of India’s Act East Policy. How India’s Northeastern Region will play an important role as a gateway of ASEAN, how Odisha can play an important role in India’s Act East Policy, along with Maritime and Trade Diplomacy, and Infrastructure connectivity projects, and India’s cultural and soft power diplomacy in East and Southeast Asia.
Author - Utkarsh Garg
Disclaimer:: The views, opinions and the data expressed in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated organization or institution
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