Act East Policy

It is a diplomatic initiative to promote economic, strategic, and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different levels.

  • The ‘Act East Policy’ announced in 2014 is the upgrade of the “Look East Policy”.

Objectives

  • It aims to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties, and develop a strategic relationship with countries in the Indo-Pacific region with a proactive and pragmatic approach, thereby improving the economic development of the North Eastern Region (NER), which is a gateway to the South East Asia Region.

Key Pillar

  • It involves intensive and continuous engagement with Southeast Asian countries in the field of connectivity, trade, culture, defence, and people-to-people contact at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

 

Look East Policy 

India’s Look East Policy was launched in 1992 by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to develop stronger economic, cultural, and strategic ties with Southeast Asian nations following the Cold War.

Objectives

  • Promoting economic cooperation with countries in East Asia through trade, investment, and technology transfer.
  • Strengthening security cooperation with countries in the region to address common challenges, such as terrorism and piracy.
  • Fostering cultural exchange and people-to-people ties with countries in East Asia.
  • Promoting regional integration in East Asia through initiatives such as the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement.

 

Source: The Hindu