An analysis published by the Politeia Research Foundation (PRF) suggests that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trilateral visit to Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia was more of a concerted attempt to strengthen India’s involvement in the Indo-Pacific region than a succession of independent bilateral trips.
According to Rahul Sen’s article, the prime minister made it clear that the tour was connected to India’s Act East Policy and the MAHASAGAR vision, which stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions. The article claims that India’s visit to New Zealand was planned as part of a larger regional strategy to increase its influence in the Indo-Pacific, especially in regions where it has not been very present in the past.
According to the research, India showed a clear desire for integrating economic integration with security cooperation when it elevated bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership and announced the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) at the same time. The research implies that commercial liberalisation, maritime security, and defence cooperation are becoming more integral to India’s developing Indo-Pacific alliances.
In addition to the Maritime Cooperation Arrangement and the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement that New Delhi has previously inked with critical partners including France, the US, and Australia, the PRF piece states that India has also extended these accords to New Zealand. This shift is viewed as an attempt by India to broaden its logistics and interoperability partner network outside the conventional Quad-centric model.
Members of the Indian diaspora were actively engaged in Prime Minister Modi’s community gathering in Auckland, which is further highlighted in the report. It contends that diaspora networks are being used more and more by India’s Pacific outreach as a diplomatic tool to fortify people-to-people connections and back general strategic goals.
Analysis suggests that India’s involvement in the South Pacific is a significant step in implementing its Indo-Pacific plan. Incorporating New Zealand into India’s trade-plus-security framework, which has been implemented with other partners like Japan and Australia, shows that New Delhi’s regional aspirations are expanding in scope, according to the report.
The PRF finds that India’s ties with New Zealand are smaller than some of its other Indo-Pacific partnerships, but they nonetheless represent the country’s goal of enhancing marine, economic, and strategic cooperation in the region.
The Politeia Research Foundation states that the three-nation tour of Prime Minister Modi highlights the fact that India’s Indo-Pacific policy is constantly changing and incorporating trade, maritime security, logistical cooperation, and engagement with the diaspora. As part of its Act East Policy and MAHASAGAR vision, the report sees the visit as a significant step in expanding India’s strategic footprint into the South Pacific.
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