Indo-Pacific Strategy — Definition
Definition
India's Indo-Pacific Strategy is a comprehensive foreign policy framework launched in 2018 that guides India's engagement with countries and regions spanning from the eastern coast of Africa to the western shores of the Americas.
This strategy represents a significant evolution from India's earlier Look East and Act East policies, expanding both geographical scope and strategic depth. The Indo-Pacific concept recognizes the interconnectedness of the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a single strategic space, where India's interests and influence naturally extend.
At its core, the strategy aims to promote a 'free, open, and inclusive' Indo-Pacific region where all nations, regardless of size, can prosper and develop according to their own choices and priorities.
The strategy emphasizes several key principles: respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful resolution of disputes, freedom of navigation and overflight, and adherence to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
India's approach is deliberately inclusive, seeking to work with all stakeholders rather than creating exclusive blocs or alliances. The strategy operates through multiple mechanisms including bilateral partnerships, multilateral frameworks like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), regional organizations such as ASEAN, and new initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).
A crucial component is the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which provides a practical framework for cooperation across seven key areas. The strategy addresses both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, including maritime security, climate change, disaster management, and economic cooperation.
It recognizes ASEAN's central role in regional architecture while building stronger partnerships with major powers like the United States, Japan, and Australia. The strategy also emphasizes connectivity projects, digital cooperation, and sustainable development as means to enhance regional integration.
Economically, it seeks to promote trade, investment, and technology cooperation while ensuring supply chain resilience and reducing dependencies. The strategy implicitly addresses the challenge posed by China's Belt and Road Initiative and assertive behavior in the South China Sea, offering an alternative vision based on transparency, sustainability, and respect for sovereignty.
For India, this strategy serves multiple purposes: enhancing maritime security, securing sea lanes of communication crucial for trade, building strategic partnerships to balance China's rise, and establishing India as a leading power in the region.
The strategy reflects India's transition from a largely continental to a more maritime-oriented strategic outlook, recognizing that India's future prosperity and security are intimately linked to developments in the broader Indo-Pacific region.