New Delhi/Dhaka, May 13,2023: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday highlighted the issue of nations violating long-standing agreements, like UNCLOS, and also of nations in the Indian Ocean region falling prey to unsustainable debt generated by unviable projects – in an oblique reference to China which has ignored international maritime laws to lay claim to almost the entire South China Sea, and also of nations in Asia and Africa that have fallen into the debt trap of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.
In his address at the 6th Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka, the EAM also highlighted that while connectivity is important it should not be at the cost of territorial integrity and sovereignty – again an oblique reference to Beijing and its BRI project.
He highlighted how the BIMSTEC – Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is increasingly growing in importance, and how India is focusing on connectivity to Southeast Asia and westwards to the Gulf region, while connectivity to Central Asia is affected due to “obstacles in between” – in reference to Pakistan.
He praised Bangladesh for coming out with its ‘Indo-Pacific Outlook’ last month.
On countries bearing the brunt of unsustainable debt, again as a result of signing up to China’s BRI, he said: “A significant shared concern through the Indian Ocean is that of unsustainable debt generated by unviable projects… If we encourage opaque lending practices, exorbitant ventures and price points that are unrelated to the market, these are bound to bite us back, sooner rather than later. Especially so when sovereign guarantees have been proffered, not always with due diligence. Many of us in the region are today confronting the consequences of our past choices. This is time to reflect and reform, not one to repeat and reiterate.”
The reference is also to Sri Lanka and the Maldives that have been burdened with massive debt from China for mega infra projects, and Colombo has even signed away the Humbantota Port to Beijing after being unable to pay the billions taken.
On connectivity, he said that the era of imperialism had disrupted the natural linkages of the continent and created regional silos to serve its own ends. “Building back in the post-colonial era is a long, painful and arduous task. It is still very much work in progress. How to restore, indeed enhance flows between distinct regions is today of the utmost priority. For a nation like India, this means a land-connect to South East Asia. And a multi-modal one to the Gulf and beyond. Central Asia offers its own distinct challenges due to obstacles in between… And obviously, we need to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity while doing so. Let me therefore underline that from India’s perspective, efficient and effective connectivity to ASEAN in particular will be a game-changer. We accord this the utmost priority.”
Emphasising the need for nations of the Indian Ocean to unite, he said “The era where maritime spaces would be secured by others is now behind us. With each passing day, this is increasingly our shared responsibility. We must discharge that, sharply aware that global good should not be sacrificed at the altar of any national dominance.”
“To do so, we must put in place the bilateral, plurilateral and regional tools and mechanisms to achieve our ends. It would mean exchanging information on white shipping, cooperating on coastal surveillance or collaborating on maritime domain awareness. Diplomacy cannot rest content merely by articulating positions; it equally needs practical action to back it up.”
Referring to climate action and counter-terrorism, he called for countries of the region to evolve common approaches. “It is essential that our conversations aim to encourage common positions. We must also be conscious of the threats to social fabric posed by extremism and fundamentalism taking advantage of democratic openness. The costs of not doing so are also starkly apparent to all of us today.”
“Nations of the Indian Ocean are among those who lead the rise of Asia and the re-emergence of Africa. They have the responsibility today of shaping the narrative, shaping it about values, practices and correctness. It is essential that their culture, history and traditions are presented to the world. If we are to compare the relative weight of littorals, that of the Indian Ocean still has to play catch-up. Our challenge, indeed our responsibility, is to hasten that process.”
EAM reiterated India’s commitment to the well-being and progress of all nations of the Indian Ocean, and cited bodies like the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, with their specific mandates.
“We expand on that belief through the Neighbourhood First policy, the SAGAR outlook and our approach to the extended neighbourhood. Beyond that, we believe that a seamless transition into an Indo-Pacific is to our collective advantage.”
