Context:

=> CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Inaugurated the ‘Conclave on Act East through Northeast’ in the presence of the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of ASEAN countries.

=> India's External Affairs Minister Mr S Jaishankar is also expected to attend the conclave.

=> The conclave is part of several initiatives of the Act East Policy Affairs Department, Government of Assam to lay roadmap for development of Assam because of implementation of Act East Policy.

=> Focus will be on enhancing connectivity of Assam with ASEAN countries.

Look East Policy:

=> Till 1991 USSR was India's major trading partner.

=> But after disintegration of USSR India look for or other trading partners.

=> Thus in 1991 under Prime Ministership of PV Narasimha Rao India started 2 major foreign policies-

• Look East Policy- To promote trade with Southeast Asian countries
• Look West Policy- To promote trade with West Asia.

=> In 2014 under Prime Minister ship of Narendra Modi Look East Policy was upgraded into Act East policy and Look West Policy was upgraded to Think West policy.

Look East policy focused on the economic integration of Indian with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Some important developments under Look East Policy were-

• India became a dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1996.
• In 2012 the relationship got up-graded into a Strategic Partnership in 2012.
• The time when India launched Look East Policy in 1992, India's trade with ASEAN was $2 billion. After signing the Free Trade Agreement in 2010 with ASEAN, the trade has grown to $72 billion (2017-18).

=> In 2014 Look East Policy was upgraded to Act East policy by Narendra Modi government.

How Act East is different from Look East policy?

• Look East Policy was limited just to ASEAN countries but Act East policy focuses for entire East Asia Summit countries.
• Look East focused only on economic integration but Act East focuses on security cooperation,people to people ties along with economic integration.

PM Modi highlighted 4C's of Act East Policy

• Culture
• Commerce
• Connectivity
• Capacity building

Initiatives under Act East policy:

1. IMT trilateral highway-

=> The IMT trilateral highway will connect Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand. India is undertaking construction of two sections of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar. The two sections are, Construction of Kalewa-Yagyi road section.

2. Guwahati city is being developed as nodal City for Act East policy implementation.

3. QUAD group- Security platform

• Quad is an informal strategic dialogue of like-minded democracies converging across the Indian and Pacific oceans.
• It comprises of the US, Japan, India and Australia.
• Quad is perceived to be symbiotically linked military alliance, formed to contain China.

By: ASRAF UDDIN AHMED