ACT EAST POLICY (INDIA-VIETNAM)
Source: The Hindu
Context
India and Vietnam are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
Shared Concerns
- India is essentially a maritime nation and the oceans hold the key to India's future.
- India's external trade (Over 90 per cent by volume and 70 per cent by value) is by sea.
- India is dependent on the seas for its trade and commerce.
- India has intensified its efforts to engage with maritime neighbours, including Vietnam.
India-Vietnam Relations
- India's relations with Vietnam are based on a set of historical commonalities that predate any conflict between India and China as well as that between China and Vietnam.
- The strategic dimensions of Indo-Vietnamese relations, initiated during the 1980s, began unfolding in the form of structured and institutional arrangements during the 1990s.
- Vietnam has become a valuable partner in India's political and security engagements in the Indo-Pacific region. As India pursues its "Act East Policy".
- Both shared strategic concerns (such as energy security and open and secure sea lines of communication) and make policy choices without undue external interference.
- India's broadening economic and strategic interests in the region and Vietnam's desire for strategic autonomy.
- Both countries will benefit from a stronger bilateral relationship.
- The territorial disputes and shared apprehensions about their common neighbour, China.
- Vietnam is of great strategic importance because its position enables it to control "The South China Sea the true Mediterranean of the Pacific".
- The maritime domain has become essential to India and Vietnam's cooperation.
The driving forces
There are four key motivations behind India's growing maritime engagement with Vietnam.
- India's aspiration to counter an assertive China by strengthening Vietnam's military power.
- With India's increasing trade with East and Southeast Asia, India has begun to recognise the importance of its sea lines of communication beyond its geographical proximity. The South China Sea occupies a significant geostrategic and geo-economic position, resulting in India's renewed interest in the South China Sea.
- India desires to intensify its presence to track potential developments in the maritime domain that could affect its national interest.
- The Indian Navy underlines the importance of a forward maritime presence and naval partnership that would be critical to deterring potential adversaries. India's maritime strategic interests in the region are well established, including the fact that almost 55 per cent of India's trade with the Indo-Pacific region passes through the South China Sea.
- India sees an open and stable maritime commons as being essential to international trade and prosperity. It has an interest in protecting the sea lanes.
- With this renewed interest in the maritime domain, freedom of navigation, a peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for international laws have become salient features of the Indian approach.
- India is willing to take a principled stand on territorial disputes in the hope that it contributes to the stabilisation of the Indo-Pacific.
- Such positions align closely with Vietnam's stance on the management of the South China Sea disputes.
| The scope and scale of India-Vietnam strategic and defence cooperation, particularly in the maritime domain, is deepening with a clear vision, institutional mechanisms and the necessary political support from both governments. |
Joint Vision for Defence Cooperation
- A Memorandum of understanding on mutual logistics support in June 2022 has further strengthened mutual defence cooperation.
- India announced a U.S. $500 million, Defence Line of Credit, to enhance Vietnam's defence capability.
- India also agreed to expand military training and assist the Vietnam Navy's strike capabilities.
- It is providing "comprehensive underwater combat operation" training to Vietnamese sailors at INS Satavahana in Vishakapatnam.
- India's Defence Minister handed over 12 high-speed boats to Vietnam and a Khukri-class corvette is also expected to be gifted soon.
- Vietnam is also "exploring the possibility of acquiring Indian-manufactured surveillance equipment such as unmanned aerial vehicles.
Using frameworks
Wide-raging practical cooperation in the maritime domain through a maritime security dialogue, naval exercises, ship visits, Coast Guard Cooperation, training and capacity building.
The mutual convergences on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region are synergising their efforts to work in bilateral as well as other sub-regional and multilateral frameworks. Such as
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- The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA),
- The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC),
- The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation,
- ADMM-Plus or the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-plus.
- The Special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)- India Foreign Ministers Meeting in June 2022 has proposed an ASEAN.
- India Maritime Exercise and informal meeting between India and ASEAN Defence Ministers in November 2022.
Both countries are also looking at collaboration around the seven pillars of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
Other potential areas
| The meaningful academic and cultural collaborations, shipbuilding, maritime connectivity, maritime education and research, coastal engineering, the blue economy, marine habitat conservation and advanced collaboration between maritime security agencies. |
- The IPOI framework presents immense opportunities for India Vietnam Relations to aid regional progress and Peace.
- The leaders' road map will help address common challenges and decisively navigate towards making an India-Vietnam Partnership that helps stabilise Indo-Pacific.
