Act East Policy

The Act East Policy is India's plan to build strong ties with the countries to its east: Southeast Asia (especially ASEAN), East Asia (like Japan and South Korea) and the wider Indo-Pacific (like Australia). It covers trade, connectivity, culture, people-to-people links and security. It was announced in November 2014 as an upgrade of the older Look East Policy. A special goal is to develop India's Northeast by linking it to Southeast Asia.

Why does it exist?

For decades after independence, India's foreign policy looked mainly west and north. But Southeast and East Asia became the fastest-growing part of the world economy. India's Northeast also shares land borders with Myanmar and is close to Southeast Asia, yet it remained poorly connected. Act East aims to turn this closeness into trade, jobs and influence.

Where did it come from?

• Early 1990s, Look East Policy: After the 1991 economic crisis and the end of the Cold War, India under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao began the Look East Policy. Its focus was mainly economic ties with ASEAN.
• 1992 onwards, ties with ASEAN grow: India became an ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner in 1992 and a full dialogue partner in December 1995. Summit-level meetings began in 2002 (Phnom Penh). Ties became a Strategic Partnership in 2012 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022.
• November 2014, Act East: India announced the Act East Policy at the summits in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The change of word from "Look" to "Act" signalled a shift from words to action, and from only economics to security and strategy too.

How does it work? The 4 Cs

The policy is often explained through four Cs:

• Culture: shared links such as Buddhism, the Ramayana traditions of Southeast Asia, and the Nalanda University revival.
• Commerce: trade and investment, including the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), signed on 13 August 2009 and in force from 1 January 2010.
• Connectivity: roads, ports, digital links and flights.
• Capacity building: training, scholarships and development help.

Key connectivity projects

• Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project: links Kolkata by sea to Sittwe port in Myanmar, then by river and road to Mizoram. It gives the Northeast a route that does not pass through the narrow Siliguri Corridor.
• India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway: a road corridor from Moreh in Manipur through Myanmar to Thailand, often described as about 1,360 km long.

Security side

Under Act East, India has deepened defence ties with Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and others. It joins ASEAN-led platforms like the ADMM-Plus and the East Asia Summit. Joint naval exercises and defence exports (for example, the BrahMos missile system to the Philippines) are part of this.

Look East vs Act East (commonly confused concepts)

• Look East (early 1990s): mainly economic, mainly ASEAN.
• Act East (2014): economic plus strategic and security ties; covers ASEAN, East Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific; puts special focus on the Northeast.
• Act East vs Neighbourhood First: Neighbourhood First is about India's immediate neighbours in South Asia (like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka). Act East is about the eastern region beyond.
• Act East vs Indo-Pacific vision: The Indo-Pacific vision is wider and includes the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Act East is one of its main pillars in the east.

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Slow projects: Kaladan and the Trilateral Highway have faced years of delays, partly due to conflict and instability in Myanmar.
• Trade imbalance: India runs a large trade deficit with ASEAN under AITIGA. India has pushed for a review of the agreement to fix rules of origin and market access. India also chose not to join the RCEP trade deal in 2019.
• Northeast still under-connected: Better links inside the Northeast and to the border are still needed for the policy to benefit local people.
• Way forward: Finish connectivity projects, complete the AITIGA review, expand maritime and digital links, and build more people-to-people ties such as tourism and education.

Concepts to Know

• ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations): A regional group of Southeast Asian countries that work together on trade, security and culture.
• Dialogue partner: A non-member country that ASEAN meets regularly to cooperate on chosen areas.
• Siliguri Corridor ("Chicken's Neck"): A narrow strip of land in West Bengal that connects the Northeast with the rest of India. At its narrowest, it is only about 20–22 km wide.
• Trade deficit: When a country imports more from a partner than it exports to it.
• RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership): A large Asian free trade deal including ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. India stayed out in 2019.