INDIA AND PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL
News:
India and the South
Pacific
What's
in the news?
●
Visuals of Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape touching Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s feet have been seen as a reflection of India’s global status,
and the significance of its engagement with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and
the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC).
Pacific
Island Countries (PICs):
●
All
the PICs are located at the crossroads of strategically
important maritime trade corridors.
●
PICs is a cluster of 14 island nations dotting the Southwestern Pacific - the Cook
Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa,
the Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Importance
of Papua New Guinea:
●
Of the 14 PICs, Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are the ones with the biggest
populations and the most heft.
●
India’s interaction with the PICs has
traditionally focussed on its engagement with Fiji and PNG, mainly due to the
presence of a large diaspora — about 37% of Fiji’s 849,000 population (2009 estimates)
is of Indian origin, and about 3,000 Indians live in PNG.
India
and Pacific Island Nations:
India is gradually
turning itself towards the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) by building development partnerships on
critical issues.
Forum
for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC):
●
The Forum for India-Pacific Islands
Cooperation (FIPIC) is a multilateral
grouping that aims to enhance India’s relations with the Pacific Islands
region. It was launched in November 2014 during Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit to Fiji.
Members:
●
The FIPIC includes 14 Pacific Island
countries, namely Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu,
and Vanuatu.
Significance:
●
The forum serves as a platform for India
to engage with the Pacific Island countries on issues such as climate change, renewable energy, disaster
management, health, and education, among others.
●
The forum also provides an opportunity for
India to strengthen its strategic
presence in the Indo-Pacific region and counter China’s growing influence
in the region.
Importance
of Pacific Island Countries (PICs):
1.
Strategic location:
●
The PICs are strategically located in the
South Pacific and inhabit almost one-sixth of the world’s population.
●
These islands have occupied common spheres
of influence and interest for major superpowers like the US, France, Japan,
Australia, and the United Kingdom (UK).
2.
Resource-rich region:
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The PICs are inherently resource-rich in natural minerals and hydrocarbons. They
are known for massive biodiversity, diverse ocean life, and extensive
mangroves.
3.
Countering China:
●
China’s foray into the region in the form
of resource extraction, increasing naval
presence in the South China Sea, and investments under the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) has unnerved the neighbourhood. India’s engagement with
the Pacific nations is viewed by the US as a means to counter China in the
Indo-Pacific.
4.
Diplomatic importance:
●
India’s engagement with the PICs is
significant for diplomatic reasons, as it can increase India’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
●
India’s
foreign policy considerations are progressively being
structured around the notion of diplomacy for development. This India way of
foreign policy fits well for the larger Global South.
5.
Development partnerships:
●
India can build development partnerships
with PICs on critical issues including climate
resilience, digital health, renewable energy, and disaster risk reduction.
6.
Economic opportunities:
●
The PICs offer economic opportunities for
India, especially in the areas of green
transition and climate change, technology transfer, capacity building,
encouraging trade and commerce, etc.
7.
Indian diaspora in the Pacific Islands:
●
Significant Indian diaspora communities,
especially in Fiji, have played a role in building
people-to-people ties.
●
The Indian community in Fiji, mostly descendants
of indentured labourers brought to the islands by the British in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, constitutes a significant portion of the country’s
population.
Initiatives
taken by India under Development diplomacy in Papua New Guinea:
1.
Line of Credit:
●
India has offered a $100 million Line of
Credit (LoC) to Papua New Guinea for infrastructure development.
2.
Climate resilience:
●
India has partnered with PNG for a project
aimed at developing climate-resilient agriculture.
●
Under this project, Indian experts are
sharing their expertise on climate-resilient agriculture practices and
technology transfer.
3.
Healthcare:
●
India has offered training for healthcare
professionals in PNG, and has also provided medical equipment and supplies.
4.
Education:
●
India has offered scholarships to students
from PNG to study in India, as well as providing vocational training for PNG
youth.
5.
Renewable energy:
●
India has partnered with PNG to promote
the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
6.
Capacity building:
●
India has provided training for PNG
government officials in areas such as public administration, governance, and disaster
management.
7.
Trade and commerce:
●
India has sought to enhance trade and
investment relations with PNG, including through the promotion of Indian
businesses and the facilitation of PNG investment in India.
Challenges:
1.
Geographical distance:
●
One of the key challenges faced in India –
Pacific Islands relations is the significant geographical distance between
them. This can lead to complacency and make consistent engagement
difficult.
2.
China’s influence:
●
China’s expanding influence in the Pacific
region poses a major challenge to India.
●
Beijing, with its deep pockets and the
world’s largest navy, has been investing heavily in the region, which may put
India at a disadvantage.
●
It can also lead to strategic security
concerns for India, particularly if China succeeds in establishing a strong
foothold in these islands.
3.
The approach of the USA:
●
The
geopolitical tension between the US and Russia could
potentially influence India-Pacific Islands relations.
●
The recent US defence and maritime
surveillance agreement with Papua New Guinea show the US’s intent to
counterbalance China in the region. This complicates the dynamics of India’s
engagement with the Pacific Islands, as it must navigate these geopolitical
differences while pursuing its own interests.
4.
Other strategic competitions:
●
The Pacific Islands are becoming a
strategic battleground for major powers, which could put these nations in a
difficult position and potentially strain their relations with India.
●
It could turn their attention from developmental issues to power politics,
which could hinder India’s human-centric approach.
5.
Sustainability of projects:
●
Ensuring the sustainability of development
projects is another challenge.
●
Given the small size and often remote
locations of these islands, ensuring efficient implementation and long-term
operation of projects can be difficult.
WAY
FORWARD:
1.
Consistent outreach and engagement:
●
To strengthen relations, India needs to
ensure consistent and proactive engagement with the Pacific Island Countries
(PICs).
●
Regular
high-level exchanges, both bilaterally and through multilateral forums
like the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation, should be
maintained.
2.
Follow-through on promises:
●
India needs to deliver on the commitments
made to PICs. The 12-step action plan must be implemented effectively and
within specified timelines.
3.
Economic engagement:
●
India should look to increase its economic
engagement with the PICs.
●
It can include enhancing trade,
investment, and aid, as well as encouraging Indian businesses to explore
opportunities in the PICs.
4.
People-to-people ties:
●
Enhancing people-to-people connections can
go a long way in strengthening the relationship. This can involve exchanges in culture, education, science
and technology, sports, and more.
5.
Maritime capacity building:
●
India should also consider helping PICs
build their maritime capacity, given their geographical nature. This could
involve assisting in areas like maritime
surveillance, disaster management, and protection of Exclusive Economic
Zones.
6.
Cooperation with other major powers:
●
India could consider collaborating with
like-minded countries, like the US, Australia, and Japan, in their engagement
with PICs. This can help present a balanced alternative to China’s influence in
the region.
India’s involvement with
the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) is crucial
from a geostrategic perspective, as it is viewed by the US as a means to
counter China in the Indo-Pacific. India’s unique approach to development
cooperation fits well for the larger
Global South, and it can be a possible pathway for advancing Southern-driven partnerships in the
PICs. With the G20 Presidency giving India leverage as an important economy in
world politics, the FIPIC can be viewed as a suitable opportunity for New Delhi
to realign itself in the emerging world order.