Act East

The Act East Policy is India's recalibrated approach to its eastern neighbourhood, encompassing the ten ASEAN states, East Asia, and the broader Indo-Pacific. It evolved from the Look East Policy launched by Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao in 1991–92 to integrate a post-Cold War, liberalising India with the dynamic economies of Southeast Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi rebranded it "Act East" at the 9th East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in November 2014, signalling a shift from a primarily trade-driven engagement to one emphasising strategic, security, cultural and connectivity dimensions. The policy is frequently summarised through the "3 Cs"—Commerce, Connectivity and Culture—later expanded by the "4 Cs" framework adding Capacity-building, and articulated within the wider SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) maritime vision unveiled at Mauritius in 2015.

Operationally, Act East rests on institutional and infrastructural pillars. India is a Strategic Partner of ASEAN (elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022) and participates in ASEAN-led architecture including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), and ADMM-Plus. Connectivity flagships include the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project linking Kolkata to Mizoram via Myanmar's Sittwe port, both critical to integrating India's landlocked Northeast as the policy's gateway. The ASEAN–India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) in goods (2010) underpins the commercial leg, though it is under renegotiation as of 2025–26. The strategic dimension is anchored by the Quad (with the US, Japan and Australia, revived 2017), maritime exercises such as MILAN and Malabar, and bilateral defence ties, notably the export of BrahMos missiles to the Philippines under a 2022 contract.

Named instances illustrate the policy's reach: India's deepening partnership with Vietnam through a 2016 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a US$500 million defence line of credit; the 2018 Shangri-La Dialogue keynote in which Modi laid out India's Indo-Pacific vision premised on a "free, open and inclusive" region; and the hosting of all ten ASEAN heads of state as chief guests at the 2018 Republic Day celebrations. As of 2026, Act East faces headwinds from the post-2021 military crisis in Myanmar—disrupting overland connectivity—and from India's 2019 decision to stay out of the RCEP trade bloc, even as New Delhi intensifies Indo-Pacific minilateralism and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) announced in 2019.

For the examination, Act East is core to the International Relations component (UPSC GS Paper II "India and its neighbourhood / bilateral, regional and global groupings"; FSOT and CSS foreign-affairs sections). Typical question angles include distinguishing Look East from Act East, the role of the Northeast as a strategic bridge, the connectivity projects and their current status, India's calibrated position between ASEAN centrality and the Quad, and the implications of staying out of RCEP. Candidates should be able to cite the 2014 Nay Pyi Taw rebranding, the SAGAR doctrine, and specific connectivity corridors with precision.