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Gs Paper-2
Syllabus: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Context:
The US and its allies — Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom — have launched a new initiative called ‘Partners in the Blue Pacific’ for “effective and efficient cooperation” with the region’s small island nations.
Why this new initiative?
- To counter China: The geostrategic competition in the pacific region intensified after China confirmed a common cooperation agreement with 10 Pacific nations.
What are the Partners in the Blue Pacific (PBP) initiative?
The PBP is a five-nation “informal mechanism” to support Pacific islands and boost diplomatic, and economic ties in the region.
- Aim: To enhance “prosperity, resilience, and security” in the Pacific through closer cooperation. Through the PBP, these counties will direct more resources here to counter China’s aggressive outreach.
- “Elevate Pacific regionalism”, and forge stronger ties with the Pacific Islands Forum.
- Areas of cooperation: climate crisis, connectivity and transportation, maritime security and protection, health, prosperity, and education”.
How is China trying to transform its ties in the Pacific?
- China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands: It raised serious concerns about the Chinese military getting a base in the southern Pacific, close to the US island territory of Guam, and right next to Australia and New Zealand.
- Common Development Vision: It is an agreement between 10 Pacific nations, which will help China to work with “traditional and non-traditional security,” and expand law enforcement cooperation with these countries.
- It made a warning that the Pacific states becoming part of “Beijing’s orbit”.
What is being done by the US and its allies to counter China?
Apart from PBP, the US and its allies launched
- Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF): It is a US-led initiative that aims to strengthen economic partnership among participating countries to enhance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. India is part of it along with 13 other countries.
- Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) — It is a plan to mobilise $600bn in fundingfor the developing world in a move seen as a counter to China’s Belt and Road plan.
- Global gateway by EU– to narrow the global investment gap worldwide
- Asia-Africa Growth Corridor: India-Japan collaboration for development, connectivity and cooperation between Asia and Africa.
Why is the Pacific region strategically important?
- US Department of Defence Report (2019): It called the Indo-Pacific the “single most consequential region for America’s future”.
- Huge geography: Spanning a vast stretch of the globe from the west coast of the United States to the western shores of India
- Huge population: the region is home to the world’s most populous state (China), most populous democracy (India), and largest Muslim-majority state (Indonesia), and includes over half of the earth’s population.
- Military importance: Among the 10 largest standing armies in the world, 7 reside in the Indo-Pacific; and 6 countries in the region possess nuclear weapons.
- Trading power: Nine of the world’s 10 busiest seaports are in the region, and 60 per cent of global maritime trade transits through Asia, with roughly one-third of global shipping passing through the South China Sea alone.
The US has long maintained a balance of power in the region with its hub-and-spoke system where America is the hub and its allies are spokes whose security is guaranteed by the US military power. China is trying to make its own version of the same system.
Insta Links
Practice Question:
Q. India’s carefully calibrated policy towards Indo-pacific is centred on two pillars of strengthening engagement and stronger partnerships with like-minded countries. Elaborate. (15M)
Source: Indian Express
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