NEW DELHI: The concept of the Indo-Pacific is not tomorrow’s forecast but yesterday’s reality, and denying it is tantamount to refuting globalization, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Thursday.
Addressing the 2020 CII Association Summit, Jaishankar said that the Indo-Pacific concept has recently gained greater prominence in diplomatic language.
However, he also noted that he has said before: “The Indo-Pacific is not tomorrow’s forecast but yesterday’s reality.”
Explaining what the Indo-Pacific is really about, Jaishankar said: “It literally means the confluence of the Indian and Pacific oceans that can no longer be managed as separate spheres.”
“Every nation and region would have its own version of this reality. But I can speak for India and say this: (Indo-Pacific) captures a mix of our ever-widening horizons, ever-growing interests and globalized activities,” said Jaishankar. .
“Many would agree with us; others could offer additional justification. Indo-Pacific, for some, it may also be the optimization of resources in an expanded scenario. Or simply the desire to better contribute to global challenges that now transcend the old Many have also opted for in that process to reaffirm basic principles such as the rule of law, “he said.
As societies have become more globalized and energy distribution rebalanced, the interests of many now extend beyond their proximity, he noted.
This trend has been particularly strong in Asia, which has been at the center of a new economic revival, Jaishankar said.
“Whether viewed from the perspective of resources, efforts or challenges, it is therefore no longer realistic to limit our thinking within the box above,” he said.
Jaishankar said doing so would mean that “we are either being deliberately outdated or that we have chosen to only make selective exceptions.”
Neither, of course, suits India, or indeed much of the international community, he said.
“Denying the Indo-Pacific is equivalent to refuting globalization,” the minister said.
Since this region is primarily a maritime space, countries are naturally focused on building practical cooperation in that domain, said Jaishankar, adding that a safe, secure and stable maritime space is a necessary condition for peace, security and prosperity.
“Rather, threats threaten human security in all its dimensions, whether by disrupting trade, disrupting ecology, or creating disputes over property and rights. In our interdependent world, the complexity of those challenges has become too big for any nation to tackle by itself, “he said.
“In fact, the vastness of this scope highlights why the need for collaborative action has become so urgent. Naturally, the individual interests of countries are at stake, but so is their collective benefit to ensure that assets world commons are better insured. “Jaishankar said.
It is the challenge of harmonizing these pulls and pressures that the Indo-Pacific policy of all actors must address, he added.
On June 1, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlined India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific region in his speech delivered at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore.
The Indo-Pacific India concept is inclusive in nature and supports an approach that respects the right to freedom of navigation and overflight for all in international seas.
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