Context:

• This article is based on a news “Indo Pacific region is ‘a web of interdependencies’: Army Chief” which was published in the Hindu. Recently, the 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs’ Conference (IPACC), was held alongside the 47th Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar and the Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum in New Delhi.

Territorial Disputes & Terrorism in Indo Pacific Region

• Territorial disputes and transnational threats of terrorism are among the many land-related challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, Army Chief General (Indian Army).

What is the Indo Pacific Region?

• The term “Indo Pacific region” gained prominence recently and refers to a geopolitical concept that surrounds a vast maritime area in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean.
• It spans from the eastern coast of Africa to the western coast of the Americas and is strategically significant due to its major trade route, important sea lanes, and critical maritime chokepoints it contains.
• The USA sees the Indo Pacific region as a free and open region based on rule-based order.
• ASEAN interprets it as a model of cooperation based on shared power.
• Track 1.5 Dialogue: Held between India, France and Australia with focus on the identification of security challenges and issues in the Indo-Pacific.

What Initiatives Has India Taken to Shape the Indo Pacific Region?

• India stands for a free, open and rules-based Indo Pacific region. For India, the Indo-Pacific is an inclusive space for all stakeholders based on common responsibilities and common interests.
• India’s vision towards the region is based on the trinity: open, integrated and balanced region.
•  India’s Indo Pacific policy has been transformed significantly covering the whole gamut of the ocean and it has taken various new policy initiatives on the Indo Pacific region.
• Act East: Moving from Look East Policy to Act East policy.
• SAGAR: Strategic vision for the Indian Ocean, “Security and Growth for All in the Region” (SAGAR).
• Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative: It is an initiative that builds upon the SAGAR initiative. It endorses an open, inclusive, non-treaty-based global initiative for mitigating challenges especially in the maritime domain through practical cooperation.

What is the strategic importance of the Indo Pacific Region?

• Economic Vitality: Indo Pacific region is the most populous region and encompasses some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, including India, USA, Japan, China, and Four Asian Tiger Countries/Economies, etc.
• Strategic Location: This region serves as a crossroads for trade and transportation between Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Control over key maritime routes and chokepoints in the region is essential for global power projection and security.

• Important Chokepoints in the Indo Pacific region are Strait of Malacca, Strait of Hormuz, Bab-el-Mandeb, and Mozambique Channel.
• Security: Maintaining peace and the law-abiding nature of stakeholders in the region has gained significant importance in the backdrop of rising security challenges in the region with China emerging as an aggressive player.
• Opportunities for India:
  • The ongoing trade war between China and the United States, as well as the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, have led many multinational corporations to pursue a China Plus One strategy, which involves diversifying their supply chains outside of China in order to reduce dependence on the country.
  • Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF): It is a US led initiative and aims to strengthen economic partnership among participating countries. India agreed to three out of four pillars viz. supply chains, tax and anti-corruption and clean energy.

What are the Challenges in the Indo Pacific Region?

• Chinese Threat: China is using military and economic coercion to bully its neighbours, advance unlawful maritime claims, threaten maritime shipping lanes, and destabilise territory along its periphery in the Indo Pacific region.
  • Territorial Conflicts: China invaded and occupied Scarborough shoal in spite of the Philippine’s claims.
  • For India: Supply of military equipment to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Rising Chinese debt in the Indo Pacific region, as exposed by the recent Sri Lankan Financial Crisis.

• Maritime Security: Preventing piracy and illegal fishing are ongoing challenges in the region. For instance, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) alliance held several joint defence operations for mitigating Indo Pacific piracy.
• Regional Extremist Groups: Some countries in the Indo Pacific Region have faced threats from regional extremist groups with local grievances. For example, groups such as Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and Jemaah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia have been active in the region.
• Transnational organised crimes: They pose significant challenges to security, stability, and economic development. Major crimes in the region involve drug trafficking (Golden Triangle), human and wildlife trafficking, money laundering and smuggling.
• Geopolitical Alignments: The region sees evolving geopolitical alignments as countries seek to balance between major powers like the United States and China. Striking a delicate balance in alignment choices is a challenge for many nations.

Also read: Drug Trafficking in India

Other Issues in the Indo Pacific Region

• North Korean Threat: North Korea’s nuclear program and its missile tests pose a security challenge in the region. Its long-range missile poses an immediate security challenge.
• Environmental Issues: The Indo Pacific region is home to fragile marine ecosystems, including coral reefs. Environmental challenges such as climate change, marine pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction threaten the region’s biodiversity and livelihoods.
• Humanitarian Crises: Including refugee and migrant flows, can strain regional resources and stability. The Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh is an example of such a challenge.

Way Forward

• Multilateral Diplomacy and Dialogue: Promote dialogue and diplomatic negotiations as the primary means of resolving territorial issues, addressing security concerns, and finding peaceful solutions to conflicts in the Indo Pacific region. Encourage countries in the region to adopt confidence-building measures (CBMs) to reduce tensions and build trust among neighbouring nations.
• Strengthen Regional Organisations: Enhance the role and capacity of existing regional organisations like ASEAN, SAARC, and the Pacific Islands Forum to foster cooperation and conflict resolution in the Indo Pacific region.
• Counterterrorism Cooperation: Strengthen counterterrorism cooperation among countries in the Indo Pacific region by sharing intelligence, conducting joint exercises, and implementing measures to combat terrorist financing and recruitment.
• Transnational Crime Combating: Regional and international organisations like INTERPOL and UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) can play a crucial role in coordinating responses and building capacity to address the challenges including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and wildlife trafficking, through coordinated law enforcement operations and intelligence sharing in the Indo Pacific region.
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Take collective action to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adopting sustainable practices, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure.
  • Enhance disaster preparedness and response mechanisms to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, such as typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
• Promote Rules-Based Order: Encourage adherence to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to resolve maritime disputes and ensure freedom of navigation in the Indo Pacific Region.
• Soft Power Diplomacy: Promote cultural exchange, educational programs, and people-to-people ties to build understanding and trust among nations.

Conclusion

The Indo Pacific region is undeniably a complex web of interdependencies, where geopolitical, economic, and security concerns intersect. As highlighted in this article, it’s a region of immense strategic importance due to its economic vitality and critical maritime routes. The countries in the Indo Pacific region should have equal access to the use of common spaces on water and in the air that would require freedom of navigation, economic resources and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.