India hopes to maximise opportunities under Indo-Pacific vision

India considers Asia-Pacific concept as a legacy of the Cold War but under Indo-Pacific vision India hopes to maximise opportunities and have constructive dialogues.

Delivering the keynote address on a panel discussion titled, “Narratives of Power: Indo-Pacific Vs Asia Pacific” organised by Observer Research Foundation on Monday night, a senior official said India looks at the Indo-Pacific from purely strategic and development perspective and institutions under the Indo-Pacific concept should evolve after strengthened relationships with the countries in the region.

Saying different countries have different concepts depending on their perspectives, the official said India hopes to maximise opportunities and have constructive dialogue on the Indo-Pacific.


The official said, "We are looking at it from a purely geopolitical, strategic perspective by broadening the concept to include economics, development and environment issues which are of immediate and relevant interest to countries, including us."

"Broadly we see a convergence of ideas on the key principles (of the Indo-Pacific). There is increasing interest in countries in Africa and the Western Ocean region in the concept," the official pointed out, adding institutionalisation of the Indo-Pacific concept could follow once practical cooperation is strengthened.

Alexander V Lomanov of Russian Academy of Sciences, during the panel discussion moderated by ORF Distinguished Fellow Nandan Unnikrishnan, said the Indo-Pacific concept would in fact lead to disintegration and further misunderstanding, and not integration.

He said China is focused on development whereas Indo-Pacific is focusing on stability and security. China is emphasising on joint construction, whereas the Indo-Pacific is aiming at building alliances and growing division lines, he said.

Lomanov said Chinese scholars strongly believe that this concept is for containing China by curtailing its connectivity and trade routes.

“China is developing a counter,” he said, suggesting “it is in our interest in not containing China but in engaging China”.

Abraham Denmark, Director, Asia Program, Wilson Center, USA, felt whatever be the new concept, the geography does not change and the definition also remains the same.

ORF Chairman Sunjoy Joshi stressed the economic angle in the contesting narratives and pointed out that China’s global chains create more than 85 million jobs. “You cannot disentangle the global chain,” Joshi said, noting the ongoing trade war between the US and China.