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Why South Asia has (so far) failed to emerge as an economically integrated bloc like ASEAN. Pakistan and India are the two major countries in region. India has expanded trans-regionally to East Asia; the South Asian country has political ties with ASEAN countries, and also supports Philippines, and Vietnam stance on South China Sea. With Singapore, India has naval cooperation and the Indian ships get refueling at the Changi naval base.
India’s non-cooperative regional posture has made SAARC dysfunctional.
India has defence links with Japan and Australia, and is part of region’s security dialogue i.e. Quad. India’s political outreach to Asia Pacific foresee the former’s emerging role in region’s security architecture. Contrarily, in South Asia, India’s policy outlook is led by a megalomaniac mindset, which, in fact has sabotaged region’s peace, and has weakened the prospects of economic cooperation.
The recent India-Pakistan war, initiated by India’s aggressive pursuits was met with Pakistan’s impeccable defense. After the war, Indian delegates visited various countries globally to promote their false narrative, however, no visit was undertaken to South Asian countries.
This behaviour of India is a testament to the fact that India neither desires fruitful cooperation with neighbours nor it wants peace in region. India wants to dominate the region, and sees the smaller regional countries as subordinate states. This non-cooperative regional posture of India has led to discontent among the South Asian countries due to which SAARC has become dysfunctional.
South Asia’s political makeover often characterised by inter-state rivalry is undergoing a change and this change is led by economic development, and regional connectivity. As a result of regional connectivity, China is likely to emerge as an active player in region. China’s political engagement with South Asia is primarily structured around trade cooperation, infrastructure development and technology exchange.
China’s engagement is driven by trade, not political domination.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal are benefiting from China’s economic footprints in region. Be it the CPEC, the Hambantota Port, or the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network all are development projects enhancing economic connectivity and boosting industrial growth.
The regional countries inclination towards China further signifies the fact that China’s economic advancement in South Asia is a much celebrated development. India, the larger South Asian country has opposed CPEC but India also has economies ties with China. The China-India bilateral trade is around $127.7 billion.
The regional countries as part of economic connectivity want to progress and counter the challenges of poverty and extremism. The perception that the regional connectivity projects are dominated or influenced by a single political actor is not in tune with essence of trade cooperation. The coupling of CPEC with China is not correct. The regional connectivity is for region’s economic security and peace.
To materialize regional connectivity and to reap the fruits of economic integration, there is a need to put the political disputes on the back burner and prioritise economic development. India’s ties with China is another facet reflecting economic cooperation. The India-China bilateral trade has not been affected by the border dispute (along the Himalayan).
India and China trade extensively despite their border dispute, why not India and Pakistan?
These examples raise questions that why cannot there be India-Pakistan trading, Indian investments in CPEC? Or any regional cooperative endeavour involving India and Pakistan? Both India and Pakistan are major South Asian countries, and cooperative ties can be a beginning of economic development, industrialization and trade in region. Other regional concerns which require deliberation and which could be an obstruction in regional connectivity include the Kashmir dispute and the Afghan peace.
Afghanistan provides a linkage to Central Asia and to materialise the Central-South connectivity, the peace in Afghanistan is a pre-requisite. Lately, the decision to extend CPEC to Afghanistan (Pakistan-Afghanistan-China Trilateral Meeting) is a positive development, signaling the importance of an economically stable Afghanistan for regional connectivity. With economic uplift, the regional players’ inclination towards Afghanistan will be development led.
Note: This article appeared in Stratheia.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are of the author and do not necessarily represent Institute’s policy.
