Research On Evolution And Influence Of India’s"Look East Policy"

Firstly this paper reviews the international and domestic background in the process of formation of India’s "Look East Policy"(LEP), strategic motivation to promote "Look East Policy’" s evolution. This paper focuses on analyzing the characteristics of "Look East Policy"’s evolution and promoting factors at international and domestic levels. In the second place, this paper summarizes the measures and achievements in the implementation of "Look East Policy" during two stages and its impacts on China. Finally this paper proposes reasonable policy recommendations from the bilateral level, regional level and global strategic level.After the end of the cold war, under the background of the international and domestic situation major changes. Indian prime minister Raop proposed "Look East Policy", under the guidance of all-round pragmatic foreign policy, India’s "Look East Policy" achieved positive results. In recent years, with improvement of the comprehensive national strength and the need to expand national interests, India spent its efforts to become a great power in a rapid way,and started to redefine its international role, In this continuous orientation, India’s "Look East Policy" has been undergoing changes and adjustments. At the beginning of implementation of India’s "Look East Policy", the economic factor was the primary consideration, its main purpose was to promote domestic economic reform through developing economic and trade exchanges with ASEAN countries. Since entering the new century, the "Look East Policy" has achieved great progress, the cooperative range has extended from Southeast Asia to Japan, South Korea, Australia and other countries in the region, the cooperative priority has extended from economic field to security, counter-terrorism, and military cooperations. The primary intention of "Look East Policy" has evolved from obtaining economic profits to achieving national strategic space. In the implementation of India’s "Look East Policy", China has always played an important role. The "Look East Policy" is an important part of India’s pursuit of great power,and China is the important strategic point of India’"Look East Policy". To achieve the equal international place as china is one of significant pursuits of India.Based on its own national interests, India develops its relations with China actively, meanwhile it carries out the "Soft Restriction" policy to constrain the increasing political and economic influence of China in this region. Therefore, India continues to maintain friendly relations with ASEAN countries and takes advantage of the "balance diplomacy" with the United States, Japan, Russia and other countries in this region to maximize the interests of the state by using its middle position. To certain degree, China’s strategic and diplomatic space are also influenced by India’s "Look East Policy".In today’s world, peace and development are two themes of our times.Although the implementation of India’s "Look East Policy" has implications to constrain China’s influence, the development of bilateral friendly relations between China and India is beneficial to mutual national and regional interests. So China should treat the new development of "Look East Policy" in a rational way.In the consideration of maintaining regional stable environment and overall peaceful situation of the world, China should take effective measures actively to solve various problems affecting Sino-Indian relations at bilateral, regional and global levels, in order to dissolve the adverse effect of "Look East Policy" and realize the goal of "Sino-Indian mutual rising" in the Asia-Pacific region.