The Opportunities And Challenges Of India-Bangladesh Cooperation Under India's "Act East Policy"

In November 2014,Prime Minister Narendra Modi clearly stated during the India-ASEAN Summit that the "Look East Policy" was upgraded to the "Act East Policy".The promulgation of the " Act East Policy " was the result of Prime Minister Modi's comprehensive considerations of the situation at home and abroad.It marked a major adjustment in India's foreign policy.As the overall national strength of India has improved in recent years,the political,economic and security aspects of the " Act East Policy " are more dominant than the previous "Look East Policy".Politically,India hopes to enhance its political influence by strengthening its ties with the Asia-Pacific region and realize its long-cherished dream of "great power".Economically,India is committed to economic development and connectivity in the northeastern region of the country and hopes to strengthen its economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region through northeastern India.In terms of security,India pays attention to the stability of its northeastern region,attaches importance to maritime security and strives to become "security provider" in the Indian Ocean region.As an important neighboring country of India,Bangladesh's unique geographical location is crucial to India's strategic goal of "Act East Policy".Bangladesh plays a vital role in improving the connectivity between India and Southeast Asia and East Asia,which will further help India to strengthen its political and economic ties with this region.At the same time,Bangladesh is closely related to the northeastern of India.It will play an important role in maintaining stability in the northeast of India.In addition,Bangladesh is one of the major countries in the Bay of Bengal.It will play an important role in assisting India to maintain maritime security and jointly manage marine resources.At present,under the influence of the " Act East Policy ",the cooperation between India and Bangladesh has achieved fruitful results.The two countries have extensive common interests in political,economic,and security cooperation,which will enable the cooperation between the two countries to enter a new historical period.However,due to water resources disputes,trade imbalance and illegal immigration issues,India and Bangladesh still face the challenge of lack of trust.Reconstructing Bangladesh's understanding of India can fundamentally eliminate distrust between the two countries.Only by integrating India and Bangladesh cooperation into the mechanism of regional cooperation can the bilateral cooperation be carried out in depth.