Dr. Arvind Kumar*
With Ukraine and Taiwan hogging limelight as the most dangerous hotspots entailing the potential of triggering the Third World War because of increasing tensions between the United States and Russia over Russian military manoeuvres on Ukraine on the one hand, and between the US and China over Chinese hegemonic designs over Taiwan, the increasing Chinese strategic moves through its enhanced naval and military activities in South China and in the areas contiguous to the Indo-Pacific region portend ominous threat to the security and sovereignty of the countries situated in the Indo-Pacific region. And this makes this region the third most dangerous hotspot.
The Indo-Pacific region· alludes to the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, which interconnect in Southeast Asia. Admittedly, German geopolitical scholar Karl Haushofer is credited for using the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ in his works in the 1920s; nevertheless, this term is said to have garnered prominence in contemporary usage in the aftermath of the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in one of his speeches in 2007, had remarked: “We are now at a point· at which the Confluence of the Two Seas is coming into being. The Pacific and the Indian Oceans are now bringing about a dynamic coupling as seas of freedom· and of prosperity.” The Japanese Premier’s remarks came at a time when the geopolitical and geo-economic power shift was taking place from Europe to Asia, especially to the East and Southeast Asia. The faster pace of the emergence of multipolarity warranted theoretical and pragmatic paradigms to consolidate multipolarity. In the wake of changing geopolitical scenario, many experts had started feeling the limitations of the then-existing frameworks like Asia-Pacific in effectively dealing with new geopolitical realities and emerging geo-economic engagements. And the emerging notion of the Indo-Pacific was seen as a viable alternative to efficiently cope with new challenges.
Japan can be credited to be among the first countries to emphasise the term ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ in its official pronouncements. For the past about half-decade, Washington has played a prominent role in the evolution of the concept of Indo-Pacific, and over these years it has also translated this concept into its three pillars of security, economics, and governance. There are frequent allusions to this concept in American policy documents, such as the 2017 National Security Strategy, 2018 National Defense Strategy, 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, and 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States. These reports envisage an inflection point in the evolution of this concept that has become a force to be reckoned with. This region’s growing economic clout, its strategic location, and potentially pivotal role in global diplomacy sufficiently equip it to garner the attention of Washington.
India had in 2018 outlined its vision of the region encompassing these elements – free, open and inclusive, the centrality of the ASEAN, and the connectivity – and in order to assuage any kind of apprehensions, countries like the US, Japan, and India emphasised that the grouping will serve as the pivot around which the entire focus will revolve. The ASEAN had also seemed inclined to the notion when in 2019 its Outlook on the Indo-Pacific was brought out that imbibed the principles of ASEAN centrality. The release of its strategy for the region in 2019 by France, release by the European Commission its strategy for the Indo-Pacific in September 2021 were sufficient testimony to the fact that the Indo-Pacific region has had garnered enough clout in political, economic, and strategic terms.
Geopolitical & Geo-Economic Complexion
Location of strategic Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs) in the Indian and Pacific oceans through which nearly 90 percent of exports transit through and about 35 percent of all European exports go to the Indo-Pacific region, thus making the region the largest trading partner of Europe, it is inevitable for all prime stakeholder like the US, China, Japan, Australia, India ASEAN, and others to fully navigate the geopolitical and geo-economic significance of this region and accordingly devise their strategies. SLOCs located in this region facilitatethe transition of two-thirds of the global container trade. Large economies like China, Japan, and India are substantially dependent on these SLOCs for their trade and energy supplies. As a sequel to the growing threat of maritime piracy and location of two significant chokepoints – Bal al Mandeb and the Malacca Straits on either side of the Indo-Pacific – necessitates ensuring the security of these SLOCs. And that is the underlying reason that all major stakeholders have been emphasising ‘an open, free and peaceful Indo-Pacific region anchored on a rule-based order.’
Apart from being home to more than half of the global population, the Indo-Pacific region is also endowed with ample mineral and maritime resources. The US has rechristened its erstwhile Pacific Command to ‘Indo-Pacific Command. In the wake of the growing geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the Indo-Pacific region along with many stakeholders articulating their strategies accordingly, Beijing has not overlooked these developments, especially in the light of contentious claims and counterclaims over the islands in the proximity of the South China Sea. Rather China has become more assertive and scrambling for expanding its outreach in the region. Through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing has been able to expand its economic and military footprint in some of the strategically located littoral countries in the Indian Ocean and its growing naval prowess in the South China Sea is seen as a threat by some ASEAN countries that also have some stakes in the South China Sea. While India, Japan, and Australia share a common strategic vision with Washington for a free, and open Indo-Pacific region, the ASEAN has also called for promoting an enabling environment for peace, stability, and prosperity through an ASEAN-Centric rule-based regional order in the Indo-Pacific.
Indo-Japan Cooperation
Japan is a key partner in India’s Act East Policy and both countries have taken many positive measures to strengthen mutual friendly ties towards shared economic growth and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region with special emphasis on maintaining peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region. India in its Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative, unveiled in November 2019, showcased Japan as a pivotal partner. Initiatives embarked upon by New Delhi and Tokyo for realising a free and open Indo-Pacific, including also the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, all are designed for an Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and open to all countries of the region.
Mutual exchange of visits at the highest level through bilateral, regional, and international forums have been instrumental in providing an enormous boost to economic ties with a massive investment of Japan in India’s different sectors. In September 2021, the then Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga on his way to Washington held a summit meeting with India’s Prime Minister. In October 2021, Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held a summit telephone talk with the Prime Minister of India, and the two leaders concurred to further develop bilateral relations and work closely towardthe realization of a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
India and Japan share security cooperation on the basis ofthe Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation between India and Japan outlined in 2008, and there are other frameworks of security and defence dialogue also between the two countries, such as the Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting (“ 2 + 2 ” meeting), annual Defence Ministerial Dialogue and Coast Guard-to-Coast Guard dialogue. On September 9th 2020, the Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of India Concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Indian Armed Forces (so-called “Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement” or ACSA) was signed . ACSA came into force on July 11th, 2021.
The Economic relationship between Japan and India has witnessed a steady expansion in recent years. The volume of trade between the two countries has increased, with India being the 18th largest trading partner for Japan, and Japan is the 12th largest trading partner for India in 2020; and there has been an increase in direct investment from Japan to India, and Japan was the 4th largest investor for India in 2020. Japanese private-sector’s interest in India is rising, and, currently, about 1, 455 Japanese companies have branches in India. Both counties have reiterated commitment to synergizing India’s demographic dividend and Japan’s capital and technology to realize the true potential of the Japan-India economic partnership for a prosperous future. In this regard, both countries have welcomed the agreement to conclude a Bilateral Swap Arrangement of $75 billion, the launching of a comprehensive Japan-India Digital Partnership, and other cooperation and initiatives.
It is noteworthy that India and Japan regard the geographical expanse of the Indo-Pacific region from the west coast of the United States to Africa’s east coast, whereas the US has until recently alluded to the Indo-Pacific as the stretch “from Hollywood to Bollywood, and from penguins to polar bears.” Interestingly, there is growing interest in countries in and around Indo-Pacific to define the region in accordance with their strategic interests. According to Australia, this region encompasses the eastern Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean connected by Southeast Asia, including North Asia and the United States. India has established a new Indo-Pacific Division along with a new Oceania Division in its Ministry of External Affairs. Accordingly, Washington has renamed its USPACOM (US Pacific Command) to USINDOPACOM (US Indo-Pacific Command).
Way Forward
Cooperation between India and Japan is indispensable for the future of the Indo-Pacific region, and both countries can jointly work together in cooperation with other countries of the region, especially the US, Australia, and ASEAN countries to help maintain peace, security and tranquility in the region and ensure rule-based order. China’s growing naval prowess in the South China Sea and its scramble for military bases in the littoral states of the Indian Ocean under the garb of its Belt and Road Initiative pose a serious threat to the peace-loving countries of the region. In view of the controversies over the claims and counterclaims over some of the islands located in the vicinity of the South China Sea between China and some ASEAN countries, and China’s quest for expanding its overreach in the Indian Ocean, it is essential o strengthen the economic and military capacities of the member counties located in the Indo-Pacific region.
India for many years has been engaged in enhancing maritime cooperation in its maritime neighbourhood through joint naval exercises, paying naval goodwill missions to friendly ports, and extending cooperation by imparting training to respective naval personnel of friendly countries. Increased defence cooperation between India, Japan, and the US along with other countries is essential to ensure ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’, and a strong Indo-Pacific is essential to rid the region from the hegemonic designs of China.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
