BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)

BIMSTEC is a regional group of seven countries around the Bay of Bengal: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Its aim is to cooperate on trade, connectivity, security, energy, climate and people-to-people links. It connects South Asia with Southeast Asia. Its permanent secretariat (main office) is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Why does it exist?

Countries around the Bay of Bengal are neighbours by sea and land, but trade and transport links between them were weak. A regional group lets them plan roads, ports, power lines and trade rules together. For India, BIMSTEC is useful for two reasons. It links India's Neighbourhood First policy (South Asia) with its Act East policy (Southeast Asia). And it offers a working forum for regional cooperation at a time when SAARC has been stuck.

Where did it come from?

• 6 June 1997: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration and formed BIST-EC.
• 22 December 1997: Myanmar joined, and the name became BIMST-EC.
• 2004: Nepal and Bhutan joined. At the first summit in Bangkok on 31 July 2004, the group took its present name, BIMSTEC.
• 2014: The permanent secretariat opened in Dhaka.
• 30 March 2022: The BIMSTEC Charter was signed and adopted at the fifth summit in Colombo (held virtually).
• 20 May 2024: The Charter entered into force. BIMSTEC now has a legal personality, meaning it is a formal international organisation that can sign agreements.

Summits so far

1. 2004, Bangkok (Thailand)
2. 2008, New Delhi (India)
3. 2014, Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar)
4. 2018, Kathmandu (Nepal)
5. 2022, Colombo (Sri Lanka)
6. 4 April 2025, Bangkok (Thailand)

How does it work?

BIMSTEC works through summits of heads of state or government, ministerial meetings, senior officials' meetings and the secretariat, headed by a Secretary General. The chair rotates among members in alphabetical order. Decisions are taken by consensus, which means everyone must agree. Like most regional groups, BIMSTEC does not take up bilateral disputes between members; those are handled directly between the two countries, often in side meetings at the summit.

The seven sectors and lead countries

In 2022, BIMSTEC cut its many sectors down to seven, each led by one member:

Key agreements and plans

• Master Plan for Transport Connectivity (adopted 2022): a long list of road, rail, port and waterway projects across the region.
• BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement (2004): the plan for a free trade area, but agreements on goods, services and investment are still being negotiated after two decades.
• Sixth Summit (2025): leaders adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030, the first time-bound vision for a "Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC", and signed a Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement. Bangladesh took over the chair.

Size and importance

The seven members together have about 1.7 to 1.8 billion people, roughly a fifth of the world's population, and a combined GDP of around US$5 trillion (2023 estimate). The Bay of Bengal is a key sea route and has rich fisheries and energy resources.

India's position

India is the largest member and pays the largest share (about 32%) of the secretariat's running costs. It leads the security pillar. India invited BIMSTEC leaders to the swearing-in of its new government in 2019, a sign of the importance it gives the group. Projects such as the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (India–Myanmar) and the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway support BIMSTEC connectivity, though they are separate projects.

Commonly confused concepts

• BIMSTEC vs SAARC: SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was formed in 1985 in Dhaka, has 8 members (including Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Maldives) and its secretariat is in Kathmandu. No SAARC summit has been held since the 18th summit in Kathmandu in 2014; the 2016 Islamabad summit was cancelled after India and others pulled out. BIMSTEC has 7 members, no Pakistan, Afghanistan or Maldives, includes Myanmar and Thailand, and its secretariat is in Dhaka.
• Five BIMSTEC members are also in SAARC: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Two are ASEAN members: Myanmar and Thailand.
• Bangkok Declaration (1997, BIMSTEC) vs Bangkok Declaration (1967, ASEAN): both were signed in Bangkok but created different groups.
• BIMSTEC vs BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal): BBIN is a smaller sub-regional group, known for its Motor Vehicles Agreement.

Issues, criticism and the way forward

• Slow progress: For many years summits were rare, and the free trade area is still not complete.
• Limited funding and staff: The secretariat is small compared with the group's ambitions.
• Tensions among members: Bilateral problems, such as the Rohingya refugee issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar and strains in India–Bangladesh ties, can slow group decisions.
• Political instability: Changes of government and conflict in some member states affect continuity.
• Way forward: The Charter and the Bangkok Vision 2030 give a clearer structure. Experts suggest finishing the trade agreements, speeding up the connectivity master plan, stronger cooperation on disaster management and maritime security, and more funding for the secretariat.

Concepts to Know

• Regional grouping: A club of neighbouring countries that agree to work together on common issues like trade and transport.
• Secretariat: The permanent office and staff that run the day-to-day work of an organisation.
• Consensus: A way of deciding where a decision is taken only when all members agree; no voting.
• Legal personality: The status that lets an organisation act as a legal body, for example to sign agreements.
• Act East Policy: India's policy of building closer economic and strategic ties with Southeast and East Asia.