New world order will be regional, agenda-specific: Jaishankar at Bimstec meet

New Delhi: Bimstec should adopt a more ambitious approach at a time of global churn that is creating a new order which is more regional and agenda-specific, external affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar told a meeting of the seven-member Indian Ocean bloc soon after the US unveiled its regime of reciprocal tariffs.

Addressing a meeting of foreign ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) in Bangkok on Thursday, Jaishankar emphasised the central role of India, especially its landlocked northeastern region, in forging transport and connectivity linkages.

The meeting was part of the preparations for the Bimstec Summit on Friday, and was held hours after US President Donald Trump unveiled his reciprocal tariffs, triggering concerns about spiralling trade wars. Five members of the grouping were hit by Trump’s “discounted reciprocal tariffs” – Sri Lanka and Myanmar (both 44%) Bangladesh (37%), Thailand (36%) and India (26%).

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Without referring to the US tariffs, Jaishankar said the ministers were meeting in “very uncertain and volatile times”, when the global order is in churn. “This should encourage us to approach Bimstec from a more ambitious perspective. The new order, whose outlines have only now started to become visible, is intrinsically more regional and agenda-specific,” he said.

“The era when a few powers underwrote the international system is now behind us. What we make of our prospects is very much dependent on ourselves. As developing nations who face a multitude of challenges, that is better done in concert with each other than individually.”

Jaishankar played up India’s role in the Indian Ocean region while pointing out that Bimstec members are performing below their potential in terms of trade, investment, connectivity or services between themselves. India is “aware of its special responsibility” in the context of Bimstec, having the longest coastline of 6,500 km in the Bay of Bengal and sharing borders with five members of the bloc.

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India not only connects most Bimstec members but also “provides much of the interface between the Indian subcontinent and Asean”, and the country’s northeastern region is emerging as a connectivity hub with its network of roads, railways, waterways, grids and pipelines, he said.

“We are conscious that our cooperation and facilitation are an essential prerequisite for the smooth flow of goods, services and people in this larger geography. Keeping this geo-strategic factor in mind, we have devoted increasing energies and attention to the strengthening of Bimstec in the last decade,” Jaishankar said.

“We also believe that cooperation is an integrated outlook, not one subject to cherry picking.”

Jaishankar said that for India, Bimstec represents the trifecta of the “Act East” and “Neighbourhood First” policies and the MAHASAGAR or “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions” outlook. “It is also on the pathway to our Indo-Pacific commitment. In order to promote Bimstec, what India is doing is to draw the best from all of them and then synergize that with our collective efforts,” he said.

India’s bilateral ties with individual Bimstec members are strong and steadily growing, and we seek to create is a strong structural framework with a substantial relevance to our people. So, how do we do that?

Bimstec members should deepen collaboration by focusing on the most visible convergences such as grid connections, digital infrastructure, business activities, maritime and land transport, blue economy, and health, food and energy security, Jaishankar suggested.

At the same time, the grouping should address issues such as cyber security, counter-terrorism, human trafficking, illegal narcotics trade and associated activities. “We need to create the necessary frameworks to deal with them effectively,” he said.

The members of the bloc must focus on larger challenges such as climate change, pandemics, natural disasters, financial crises and the ripple impacts of far-away conflicts, as well as the dangers of extremism, radicalisation and terrorism.

“The reality is that the world is moving to an era of self-help. Every region needs to look out for itself, whether it is in food, fuel and fertiliser supply, vaccines or speedy disaster response,” he said. “Shorter supply chains and immediate neighbours have a salience much more than before.”

Since India stymied the activities of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) by pulling out of a summit to be hosted by Pakistan in 2016, it has focused on Bimstec – which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand – as a platform for driving regional cooperation. A maritime cooperation agreement is expected to be signed during the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok on April 4.