Visit to Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand will further strengthen India's Act East Policy: PM
The Prime Minister undertook a three-nation visit covering Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand
The visit was described as an effort to further strengthen India's Act East Policy through engagement in the Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific
The itinerary placed Indonesia first, followed by Australia, and concluding in New Zealand
The tour was framed as reinforcing India's outreach across the Indo-Pacific maritime space that links South, Southeast, and Oceania regions
Act East Policy (2014) — Successor to Look East Policy
The Act East Policy is India's framework for deepening economic, strategic, and cultural engagement with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. It represents an upgraded, action-oriented version of an earlier policy orientation dating to the post-Cold War period.
Key Details
- The Look East Policy was launched in 1991 under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, coinciding with India's economic liberalisation, and was continued under subsequent governments through 2014
- The Act East Policy was announced in 2014, shifting emphasis from purely economic engagement to also include security cooperation and a more proactive diplomatic posture
- The policy is structured around the "4 Cs" — Culture, Commerce, Connectivity, and Capacity Building — as tools of engagement with ASEAN and Indo-Pacific partners
- Australia and New Zealand, while not part of ASEAN, are treated as key Indo-Pacific partners under the extended ambit of this policy
The visit to Indonesia (an ASEAN member), followed by Australia and New Zealand, was explicitly linked by the Prime Minister to the Act East Policy, illustrating how the policy has broadened beyond Southeast Asia to the wider Indo-Pacific.
Vision MAHASAGAR — Evolution of the SAGAR Doctrine
India's maritime strategic doctrine has evolved from a regional Indian Ocean focus to a broader global maritime vision, reflecting an expanding conception of India's strategic neighbourhood.
Key Details
- SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) was articulated by the Prime Minister in March 2015, focused on the Indian Ocean Region — covering maritime security, capacity building for island and coastal neighbours, and collective regional action
- A decade later, MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) was announced during an official visit to Mauritius in 2025, extending the vision beyond the Indian Ocean to a wider global-maritime and Global South framework
- MAHASAGAR emphasises three dimensions: trade for development, capacity-building for sustainable growth, and mutual security
- The doctrine underpins India's engagement across the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific, including the Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean states visited on this tour
The visit's stated focus on the "Eastern and Southern Indian Ocean" region reflects the geographic scope of the SAGAR-to-MAHASAGAR evolution, situating Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand within India's expanding maritime strategic framework.
Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships — Indonesia and Australia
India maintains tiered classifications of bilateral relationships, with "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" denoting one of the highest levels of institutionalised cooperation across defence, trade, and connectivity.
Key Details
- India and Indonesia elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2018, during the Prime Minister's first visit to Indonesia
- India and Australia elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020
- These partnerships typically cover defence and security cooperation, trade and investment, education and people mobility, and critical minerals or technology collaboration
- The Indo-Pacific construct — spanning the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a single interconnected strategic space — underlies India's simultaneous engagement with Southeast Asian, Australian, and Pacific partners
The tour's stops at Indonesia and Australia build on these existing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership frameworks, while the New Zealand leg extends India's outreach to a Indo-Pacific partner with which high-level visits have been historically infrequent.
- Look East Policy launched: 1991 (PM Narasimha Rao); renamed Act East Policy: 2014
- SAGAR doctrine announced: March 2015; MAHASAGAR extension announced: 2025 (Mauritius visit)
- India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: since 2018
- India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: since 2020
- Act East Policy framework: built on the "4 Cs" — Culture, Commerce, Connectivity, Capacity Building