Last week, the Prime Minister of India delivered the key note address at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Shangri- La Dialogue, thus becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so at Asia's Premier defence and strategic affairs conference.
The Key note address spells out India's vision for the Indo-Pacific Region in the most cogent and precise manner, India seeks to promote a democratic and rule-based institutional order in the Indo-Pacific with ASEAN at its heart, that allows free access to common spaces and is not confined to a 'club of limited members'.
Dwelling on India's priorities in a region, where our major economic and security interests lie, the Prime Minister said, "Asia of rivalry will hold us all back. Asia of cooperation will shape this century". He also said "we believe that our common prosperity and security require us to evolve, through dialogue, a common rule-based order for the region. And it must equally apply to all individually as well as to the global commons. The Prime Minister also spoke of India's growing levels of engagement with the outside world, reaffirming our principle of strategic autonomy.
High Commissioner of India in New Zealand Sanjiv Kohli (IWK Picture)
The Prime Minister's address has received a very positive reaction and it has been welcomed for the clarity of its messaging. India's approach to the Indo-Pacific region will be guided by the following principles:
a) The Indo-Pacific is a forward-looking concept suited to the 21st century where India, as a responsible stake-holder, seeks to promote common economic prosperity, stability and regional security, and will keep its economy open and our engagement transparent.
b) India's interests in the Indo-Pacific are vast and our engagement is deep. Our vision in one world is SAGAR - Security and Growth for All in the Region.
c) India has a comprehensive agenda of regional cooperation with both IORA and ASEAN. Our expanding partnerships with Japan, Russia and the United States and our cooperation with China are an integral part of our Indo-Pacific policy. This is also true of our growing partnership with Africa.
d) Inclusiveness, openness and ASEAN centrality lie at the very heart of India's Indo-Pacific policy. We firmly believe that ASEAN unity is essential for a stable future for the Indo-Pacific.
e) India does not consider the Indo-Pacific as a club of limited members, nor is it directed against any country. India's vision for the Indo-Pacific is positive.
f) In India's approach, an Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and open, should also be a region in which we adopt a common rules-based order that takes into account the equality of all irrespective of size and strength, and allows for equal access as a right under international law to the use of common spaces.
g) India's vision of the Indo-Pacific not only involves physical inter connectivity, but also the building of bridges of trust based on mutual respect, due regard for sovereignty and territorial integrity, consultation, transparency, viability and sustainability.
h) India's friendships and dialogue mechanisms, individually or in formats for three or more, are not alliances of containment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at International Institute for Strategic Studies, Shangri- La Dialogue in Singapore (Picture source: Hindustan Times)
The Indo-Pacific Region is going to be the world's economic and cultural dynamo in the near future. In this context, Prime Minister's articulation of India's vision provides a fresh and constructive template for the rules of engagement: an engagement that seeks to help fulfil the aspirations of people in the Indo-Pacific Region. Bound by common values and shared interests, the destinies of people of India and New Zealand, like that many others those who live in this region, are linked. It is time to work together to cope with the vast array of global opportunities and challenges that we are faced with.
Sanjiv Kohli is the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, Samoa and Niue in Wellington.