Abstract
India’s expanded relationship with Southeast Asia (SEA) flows from a confluence of factors that emerged in the 1990s and gave birth to India’s Look East Policy (LEP). Under the LEP, India bolstered its trade with the region, moved to participate in regional institutions like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and signed various accords such as trade agreements with ASEAN and individual SEA countries. China’s increasing footprint in the region has brought India and SEA countries progressively closer and led to a more muscular Indian approach known as the Act East Policy which has a more prominent military component. Broadening and deepening ties with SEA also have something to do with China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative which has provoked Indian anxieties and diverse countermeasures.
Christopher K. Colley states that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the National Defense College or the United Arab Emirates government.
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Colley, C.K., Ganguly, S. (2019). The Evolution of India’s Look East Policy and China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative. In: Blanchard, JM. (eds) China's Maritime Silk Road Initiative and Southeast Asia. Palgrave Studies in Asia-Pacific Political Economy. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9275-8_8
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