Source: The Hindu
- Prelims: Current events of international importance(BIMSTEC, Bay of Bengal,Regional forums etc
- Mains GS Paper II: Significance of BIMSTEC, Indo-Pacific Region,Free and open Indo-Pacific, International organizations.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- June 6 marked the completion of 25 years since the 1997 Bangkok Declaration launched a modest grouping ( Bangladesh,India, Sri Lanka and Thailand) called BISTEC.
- Three countries (Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar) joined it later to make it the Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
- This unique set of five countries from South Asia and two from Southeast Asia are parents to an institution with an unwieldy name but lofty ambitions.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation(BIMSTEC):
- BIMSTEC is a regional multilateral organization.
- 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:
Myanmar
Thailand
- 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.
Genesis of BIMSTEC:
- It came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
- Initially, it was formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri-Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
- It was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ in 1997, following the inclusion of Myanmar.
- With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004, the name of the grouping was changed to ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC).
Principles of BIMSTEC:
- Sovereign Equality
- Territorial Integrity
- Political Independence
- No-interference in Internal Affairs
- Peaceful Co- existence
- Mutual Benefit
- Constitute an addition to and not be a substitute for bilateral, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States.
Areas of Cooperation:
- Trade and Investment
- Technology
- Energy
- Transportation and Communication
- Tourism
- Fisheries
- Agriculture
- Cultural Cooperation
- Environment and Disaster Management
- Public Health
- People-to-People Contact
- Poverty Alleviation
- Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime
- Climate Change
Key achievements of BIMSTEC:
- It has prioritized the sectors of cooperation, reducing them from the unwieldy 14 to the more manageable seven, with each member state serving as the lead country for the assigned sector.
- Its survival through the turns and twists of internal tensions like Rohingya influx into different countries within BIMSTEC.
- Unlike the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC), BIMSTEC has continued to hold its summits and meetings of Foreign Ministers.
- Unlike the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) which held only one summit since its establishment in 1997, BIMSTEC has succeeded in holding five summits so far; it has now resolved to hold regular summits once in two years.
- The grouping has also registered progress in combating terrorism, forging security cooperation, and creating mechanisms and practices for the better management of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
- Agreements and legal instruments provided the foundation for developing functional cooperation in select areas such as agriculture, trade, sustainable development and connectivity.
- Institutions such as an Energy Centre and the Centre on Weather and Climate are in place to push sectoral cooperation forward.
Fault lines in BIMSTEC:
- A major failure relates to the continuing inability to produce a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) 18 years after the signing of the Framework Agreement.
- Connectivity — in infrastructure(roads, railways, air, river, and coastal shipping links), energy, the digital and financial domain, and institutions that bring people closer together for trade, tourism and cultural exchanges. Only limited progress has been achieved so far,despite the adoption of the MasterPlan for Connectivity supported by the Asian Development Bank(ADB).
- The movement towards establishing the BIMSTEC Development Fund is minimal.
- The grouping has talked about the Blue Economy but is yet to begin any work on it.
- Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the activities of BIMSTEC.
Significance for India:
It allows India to pursue three core policies:
- Neighborhood First – primacy to the country’s immediate periphery
- Act East – connect India with Southeast Asia
- Economic development of India’s northeastern states – by linking them to the Bay of Bengal region via Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- Allows India to counter China’s creeping influence in countries around the Bay of Bengal due to the spread of its Belt and Road Initiative.
- A new platform for India to engage with its neighbors with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) becoming dysfunctional because of differences between India and Pakistan.
Important Connectivity Projects:
- Kaladan Multimodal Project – links India and Myanmar.
- Asian Trilateral Highway – connecting India and Thailand through Myanmar.
- Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicles Agreement – for seamless flow of passenger and cargo traffic.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC): ● The SAARC was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. ● Founding countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. ● Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005. ● The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal. ● Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC is based on respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and mutual benefit. ● Areas of Cooperation: 1. Human Resource Development and Tourism 2. Agriculture and Rural Development 3. Environment, Natural Disasters and Biotechnology 4. Economic, Trade and Finance 5. Social Affairs 6. Information and Poverty Alleviation 7. Energy, Transport, Science and Technology 8. Education, Security and Culture and Others |
Way Forward
- BIMSTEC should accelerate the region’s economic development by collaborating with the newly minted IndoPacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). New Synergy should be created between BIMSTEC and the IPEF.
- BIMSTEC Trio:
- In BIMSTEC, three members have special responsibility: Bangladesh as the host of the BIMSTEC Secretariat; Thailand as the representative of Southeast Asia and India as the largest state in South Asia.
- This trio must be the engine to pull the BIMSTEC train with imagination and determination.
- Business chambers and corporate leaders are yet to be engaged fully with the activities of BIMSTEC. This leaves the grouping largely in the hands of officials and experts. The involvement of the ‘Third Space’ needs to be expanded significantly.
- Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic assertion is vital for the implementation of India’s interests in the region along with leveraging the space as a building block for a multipolar world order.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
BIMSTEC can act as a bridge between South and South East Asia and represents a reinforcement of relations between India and these countries. Discuss. (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
