Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC ? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two ? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this new organisation?. (UPSC CSE Mains 2022 - General Studies Paper 2)
BIMSTEC
- The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)is a regional multilateral organisation.
- Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.
- Out of the 7 members,
- Five are from South Asia –
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
- Two are from Southeast Asia –
- BIMSTEC not only connects South and Southeast Asia, but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
- It mainly aims to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development; accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region.
SAARC
- SAARC- South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation has eight member countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- SAARC was first envisioned in the late 1970s by Gen. Ziaur Rahman, the military dictator of Bangladesh.
- Initially, India was apprehensive about SAARC because it perceived the grouping to be an attempt by its smaller neighbours to unite against it.
- It feared that the association might lead to Asia’s own Cold War, creating a pro-Soviet–anti-Soviet rift.
- Eventually, India agreed to join SAARC due to the interest expressed by the neighbouring countries. The first SAARC meeting took place in Dhaka in 1985, and there have been 18 summits till date.
SAARC and BIMSTEC are not Parallel. SAARC was a dream to achieve economic integration in south Asia but got negated due to the obstructionist diplomatic posture of Pakistan. The BIMSTEC offers the realization of India’s dream to economic power politics through fusion of organizational pathology with Elements of Act East Policy.
- BIMSTEC brings South Asia and Southeast Asia together. SAARC had this limitation.
- SAARC was to foster South Asian regional integration but failed due to Pakistani insistence on bringing Kashmir during dialogue.
- In BIMSTEC, bilateral issues are not discussed because grouping is modelled on the lines of ASEAN and favours economic deepening.
Indian foreign policy objectives vis-à-vis this new organization
BIMSTEC is India’s new regional diplomacy template.
- India’s Act East Policy syncs with BIMSTEC and explains why India is investing diplomatic energy in BIMSTEC.
- Enables India to display latent power in Southeast Asia, a region with the hard power dominance of China.
- India’s economic growth, a core Indian national interest lies with BIMSTEC
- India is planning to merge the Motor Vehicles Agreement with neighbours BIMSTEC.
- The strategic challenge of China as BIMSTEC has two economic powers is spreading fear among BIMSTEC members.
The region is abuzz with competitive diplomacy. China is ceding space for India in BIMSTEC while it pursues Lancang- Mekong Cooperation. India is the rising star of the BIMSTEC, and this syncs well with competitive elements.
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