Act East Policy and Indo-Myanmar Relations: Role of Northeast region of India

Abstract

A major lacuna in India’s Act East Policy has been the absence of deep engagement with Myanmar, which is not only India’s immediate neighbour sharing a land and maritime border but also act as a gateway for India to ASEAN. Today, India need Myanmar more than ever before given the geo-strategic interplay with China and for the faster realisation of India’s Act East Policy. Myanmar will not only help in addressing the security issues in India’s Northeast region but also help to contain China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia in general and Myanmar in particular. A healthy engagement with Myanmar is the need of the hour. This will go a long way in realising the objectives of India’s Act East Policy.