User:Arushilahiri/Look East policy (India)

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Act East policy
In her visit to Hanoi, Sushma Swaraj stressed the need for an Act East Policy, which she said should replace India's over two decade-old Look East Policy to put India in a more proactive regional position . The Modi administration stated that India would focus more on improving relations with ASEAN and other East Asian countries as per India's 1991 Look East Policy which focused on improving economic engagement with eastern neighbors . This policy became a tool for forging strategic partnership and security cooperation with countries in that region in general and Vietnam and Japan in particular. '''While the Look East Policy aimed to build allies beyond the Soviet Union, it overlooked alliances with smaller border nations, such as Myanmar and Bangladesh. China leveraged this oversight, increasing trade rates with Myanmar and Bangladesh more so than India was able to .'''

'''The Act East Policy introduced infrastructure projects, such as the Agartala-Akhaura Rail Project (the first railroad connecting North Eastern India and Bangladesh) and the Asian Trilateral Highway (a new highway connecting Moreh, India to Thailand via Myanmar). These Look East Policy alterations improved strategic partnerships with the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam to counter Chinese dominance in both the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. On net, the Act East Policy is a departure from India's previous non-alignment and equidistance positions, and a move toward infrastructure-based "soft power" .'''