Shangri-La 2018: US - India share vision for Indo-Pacific

In the context that many major countries in recent times, especially the US, have continuously emphasized the Indo-Pacific strategic vision, the arrangement of the organizing committee is considered strategic.

India and the “rising East”

In his speech, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of the Indo-Pacific region – not just for India but for the world.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers the keynote speech at the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue, emphasizing the Indo-Pacific vision. Photo: Japan Times

Emphasizing that “people are looking towards an emerging East”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again affirmed India’s Look East policy in its vision of the Indo-Pacific region, a region that the country believes requires close links between countries to be able to seize opportunities and deal with challenges in the context of many changes in regional geopolitics.

The concept of Indo-Pacific began to receive special attention after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Da Nang late last year when US President Donald Trump called Vietnam “the heart of the Indo-Pacific region”.

Then, during his nearly two-week trip to Asia at that time, Mr. Donald Trump continuously used this term, implying a new US strategy in the region previously known as Asia-Pacific.

As the concept of Indo-Pacific becomes more widely known, India has emerged as an indispensable country in this regional vision, even being considered a regional superpower in the future.

With both economic and military potential, the country has taken positive steps to increase its security and political role in the Indo-Pacific region, gradually expanding its influence through the "Act East" policy.

This South Asian country is predicted to surpass China to become the world's most populous country by 2024 and surpass Japan to become the world's third largest economy by 2030. Militarily, India is one of nine countries possessing nuclear weapons and has the second largest army in the world.

Accordingly, India seeks to compete selectively in infrastructure projects to enhance regional connectivity; ensure it is among the first contributors to humanitarian and disaster relief operations in the region; expand bilateral maritime security cooperation and significantly upgrade strategic partnerships with the US, Japan and Australia.

In his vision for the Indo-Pacific region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid special attention to the regional security architecture with many emerging challenges, emphasizing that security and stability in the region can be achieved if based on the principles of fairness, respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and jointly pursuing the goal of prosperous development and progress.

America stands with India

A day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis also "spoke" in a session titled "US leadership and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region".

The US Secretary of Defense once again affirmed the value of the Indo-Pacific region not only for the security and stability of the US but also for many countries in the region and the world, thereby pledging to strengthen cooperation with the ASEAN pillar, India, to build a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific region for all.

Mr. James Mattis also explained that the US's renaming of the US Pacific Command to the Indo-Pacific Command reflects a change in the US's strategic focus with an increasing appreciation for the Indian Ocean region, the Indian subcontinent and the country of India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US Defense Secretary James Mattis met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. Photo: PIB

US Defense Secretary James Mattis also had a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. Although this was a closed-door meeting, some sources revealed that the two sides could not help but mention the common concern of the Indo-Pacific strategy.

According to analysts, the US and India have common points to share a vision for the Indo-Pacific region. After President Donald Trump's trip to Asia late last year, the White House and the Pentagon announced the "National Security Strategy" and "National Defense Strategy" respectively, which affirmed the US's priority for the Indo-Pacific region.

The two main elements emphasized by the US in its strategy in the Indo-Pacific region are “freedom” and “openness”. The US considers India a country that is developing in a free and open direction, so the US policy is to ensure that India can become a country with greater influence in the region.

Alex Wong - US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific.

However, there is another extremely important factor that pushes the US and India to stand together: China. When sharing about the US Indo-Pacific strategy at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, Mr. James Mattis did not hesitate to condemn actions that could affect peace and stability in the region, including China's recent unilateral actions in the East Sea.

Defense Secretary James Mattis affirmed that the US is ready to cooperate but will also act if necessary, because China's recent actions go against what the US committed to, which is to bring peace, stability and openness to the region.

For India, the dangers posed by China’s rise are even more immediate. China’s ever-expanding infrastructure projects in South Asia are challenging its geopolitical position in the region, and even in the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, when it comes to regional integration, the US is certainly a suitable “link” for India to counterbalance China.