New Futures for BIMSTEC: Connectivity, Commerce and Security

227 Pages·2021·2.577 MB·English

by  Adluri Subramanyam Raju, Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury

NEW FUTURES FOR BIMSTEC
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)
represents one of the most diverse regions of the world. Providing a unique link between South
Asia and Southeast Asia, it brings together 1.5 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.7 trillion.
This volume focuses on issues related to connectivity, commerce and security challenges facing
BIMSTEC. It studies BIMSTEC’s relevance as an intergovernmental organisation in the changing
international milieu. The volume discusses the necessity of connectivity to enhance Bay solidarity
and analyses the political, strategic and security concerns that restrain commercial connectivity.
It also looks at the Bay of Bengal region as a zone of competition – and possible collaboration –
between the littoral countries and major powers involved in the region.
Comprehensive and topical, this volume will be an essential read for scholars and researchers
of international relations, South Asian studies, foreign policy, diplomacy, South East Asian studies,
defence and strategic affairs, maritime studies, international trade, regional cooperation and
political studies.
Adluri Subramanyam Raju is Dean of International Relations, Professor and former Head,
UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of South Asia Regional Cooperation (UMISARC) and
Centre for South Asian Studies, and Coordinator of the UGC Centre for Maritime Studies,
Pondicherry University, India. He was a recipient of the Mahbub Ul Haq Award [Regional Centre
for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo, 2003], Scholar of Peace Award (WISCOMP, New Delhi,
2002) and Kodikara Award (RCSS, Colombo, 1998). He was Salzburg Seminar Fellow (2006). He
received the National Best Teacher Award (C.V.S. Krishnamurthy Theja Charities, Tirupati, 2017)
and Best Teacher Award twice (Pondicherry University, 2013 and 2018). He was a Visiting Fellow
at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Colombo, May 2012. He is a member of
the Third Task Force on Blue Economy, FICCI, New Delhi, India. He is an Honorary Adjunct
Fellow at National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi. He has published 22 books,
48 papers, and 7 books are forthcoming.
Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury is a Senior Fellow with the Neighbourhood Initiative of
Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata, India. She is the coordinator of the research project,
‘Proximity to Connectivity.’ She specialises in South Asia, refugees, forced migration and women
in conflict zones. She is the recipient of the Public Service Broadcasting Trust Senior Media
Fellowship (2007), and the Kodikara Award from the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies
(RCSS), Colombo in 1998–1999. She was also ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellow (2004–2006) at the
Centre for the Studies of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi, and a Visiting Fellow at The
Maison des Sciences de I’Homme, Paris, France. Her recent publications include India-Myanmar
Borderlands: Ethnicity, Security and Connectivity (co-edited: 2020), Connecting Nations: India and
Southeast Asia (co-edited, 2019), State of Being Stateless (co-edited, 2015), and Women in Indian
Borderlands (co-edited, 2011).

NEW FUTURES FOR
BIMSTEC
Connectivity, Commerce
and Security
Edited by Adluri Subramanyam Raju
and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury
First published 2022
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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© 2022 selection and editorial matter, Adluri Subramanyam Raju;
individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Adluri Subramanyam Raju to be identified as the author of
the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Subramanyam Raju, A., editor. | Basu Ray Chaudhury, Anasua,
editor.
Title: New futures for BIMSTEC : connectivity, commerce and security /
edited by Adluri Subramanyam Raju and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021026482 (print) | LCCN 2021026483 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781032126067 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032137490 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003230687 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Techno-
Economic Cooperation. | Regionalism—South Asia. | Regionalism—
Southeast Asia. | South Asia—Foreign economic relations—Southeast
Asia. | Southeast Asia—Foreign economic relations—South Asia. |
South Asia—Economic integration. | Southeast Asia—Economic
integration.
Classification: LCC HF1586.5.Z4 S657 2022 (print) | LCC HF1586.5.Z4
(ebook) | DDC 320.540954—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021026482
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021026483
ISBN: 978-1-032-12606-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-13749-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-23068-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003230687
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of figures viii
List of tables ix
List of contributors x
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction 1
Adluri Subramanyam Raju and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury
PART 1
BIMSTEC as a regional organisation: background 13
1 Perspective on BIMSTEC in transforming South Asia 15
Harshit Omer
2 Delimitation of maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal 24
Adluri Subramanyam Raju
PART 2
Connectivity in the Bay of Bengal region 35
3 Revitalising BIMSTEC: resurgence of port connectivity
across the Bay 37
Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury
vi Contents
4 BIMSTEC in the Indo-Pacific: towards greater maritime
synergies with IORA and ASEAN 52
Tejal Khanna
5 Exploring newer vistas of connectivity between South Asia
and Southeast Asia: a case of the Stilwell Road between
India and Myanmar 65
Aditya Bordalai
6 Can BIMSTEC be an alternative to BRI? 76
Sukanya Bali
7 Outer space for BIMSTEC: an all-inclusive revival 90
Harini Madhusudan
PART 3
Economic cooperation in BIMSTEC 99
8 BIMSTEC and role of Northeast in promoting agriculture,
trade and investment 101
Surender S. Ghonkrokta
9 Role of sustainable development in BIMSTEC maritime
security and blue economy framework 116
Swati Ganeshan
10 Energy cooperation in BIMSTEC: trends, opportunities
and challenges 127
Priyanshi Chauhan
PART 4
External powers and BIMSTEC 145
11 Regional economic dynamics of BIMSTEC during the
global recession: China factor in the regional caucus 147
Saroj Kumar Mohanty
12 BIMSTEC: exploring the potential and prospects
of Japan’s role 167
M. Mayilvaganan
Contents vii
PART 5
Security threats in the Bay of Bengal region 183
13 BIMSTEC: a solution to the Rohingya problem? 185
Aparupa Bhattacherjee
14 Counter terrorism measures in the Bay of Bengal: assessing
opportunities and challenges 197
Karnika Jain
Index 211
FIGURES
11.1 Rising share of BIMSTEC in the Gross World Product (in %) 150
11.2 Changing growth dynamics of the BIMSTEC region (in %) 152
11.3 Surging trade sector of BIMSTEC in the world economy 153
TABLES
3.1 Maritime policy and strategy in linking priority projects in
BIMSTEC framework 42
3.2 Involvement of major Indian ports on the east coast within the Bay 44
3.3 EXIM trade commodities traded from major ports on India’s
east coast (2016–2017) 45
8.1 Population, GDP and per capita GDP of BIMSTEC countries
and Northeast India 107
8.2 Structure of output 108
8.3 Growth of output 108
10.1 Net energy imports as a percentage of energy use in 2004–2014 128
10.2 Per capita electric power consumption (KWh) 129
10.3 Energy mix for power production in BIMSTEC (MW) 130
10.4 India–Nepal electricity trade 133
10.5 India–Bhutan electricity trade 133
10.6 India–Bangladesh electricity trade 133
10.7 Import of crude oil through the South China Sea 135
10.8 Nepal: Sector-wise electricity generation 137
10.9 Bangladesh: Sector-wise net energy generation 137
10.10 India: Generation targets (MU) 137
10.11 Sector-wise generation capacity addition (MW) 137
11.1 Deteriorating trade imbalance of BIMSTEC countries with
China (US $ billion) 156
11.2 Contribution of BIMSTEC countries to the Chinese trade
surplus from the region (Share in regional trade surplus, %) 157
11.3 Proportion of bilateral imports covered by bilateral exports
(Export as a percentage of imports, %) 159
12.1 GDP scenario of BIMSTEC countries 168