India’s Foreign Policy Re-orientation

What is the issue?

In recent times union government has shifted considerably in its policy signalling with his neighbouring nations.

What are India’s recent stands on foreign policies?

• Indian Prime Minister visited Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, three of India’s most important partners in Southeast Asia recently for foreign policy positioning.
• In the past few months, the government has shifted considerably in its signalling, with China and Russia for informal summits.
• These measures have taken place at a time the U.S. administration has sharpened its aim at China and Russia with sanctions and threats of a trade war.
• India tries for a strategic posturing on the global stage, and striving for a more balanced approach in what it increasingly sees as an uncertain world.

What are the significant foreign policy improvements?

• India has maintained its commitment to relations with the U.S. in order to build a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region, maintain the “international rules-based order”.
• It plans to work together to combat terrorism and terror financing as they have done more recently at the UN and the Financial Action Task Force.
• India’s has showed its interest in membership of the Quadrilateral with the U.S., Japan and Australia to tackle Chinese influence in south Asian region.
• At the same time India has also ready to co-operate in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation the Russia-China-led grouping of Central Asian countries.
• It is significant that in Singapore India chose the platform of the Shangri-La Dialogue of defence leaders of the Asia-Pacific region to emphasise Indian “strategic autonomy”.

What is India’s plan on Shangri-La dialogue?

• The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) is a "Track One" inter-governmental security forum held annually by an independent think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
• It is attended by defence ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific states.
• The summit serves to cultivate a sense of community among the most important policymakers in the defence and security community in the region.
• In the recent meet India has referred the concept of the “Indo-Pacific” to India’s relations with Russia, the U.S. and China.
• India used the dialogue to unveil a seven-point vision for the Indo-Pacific region.
• While warning the world about the possible return of “great power rivalries”, India emphasised the importance and centrality of the ASEAN in the concept of the Indo-Pacific.

Source: The Hindu