- Prelims: Current events of national and international importance(indo-pacific, QUAD, BRI, Hambantota port, Act east policy,
- Mains GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings involving India or affecting India’s interests, Significance of Indo-Pacific for India etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- The world is embracing a ‘new normal’ where new fault lines are being reconfigured in the Indo-Pacific.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context / Indo-Pacific:
- The Indo-Pacific is a geopolitical construct that has emerged as a substitute to the long-prevalent “Asia-Pacific.
- Indian ocean and pacific ocean: It is an integrated theater that combines the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and the land masses that surround them.
- Strategic and economic: It is both a strategic as well as an economic domain comprising important sea-lines of communication
- Maritime security: The Indo-Pacific is also associated with maritime security and cooperation.
- US: It describe the Indo-Pacific as a region that starts at the:
- Western shore of the Americas and ends at the shores of the Indian subcontinent.
- India and Japan: the concept is much broader in expanse, extending to the shores of the African continent.
- Major stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific include: India, U.S.A., Australia, Japan, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members and other maritime nations that occupy the strategic positions in the Indian and Pacific Ocean including small island countries.
Significance of Indo-Pacific region for India:
- Strategic significance: The Indo-Pacific is a multipolar region that accounts for over half of global GDP and population.
- Mineral Resources: Maritime regions have also become important storage areas for essential resources such as fish stocks, minerals, and offshore oil and gas.
- Economic Growth: The Indo-Pacific area accounts for approximately 60% of world GDP, making it the most important contributor to global growth.
- Commerce: Many of the world’s most important choke points for global trade are located in this region, including the Straits of Malacca, which are crucial for global economic growth.
