BIMSTEC: Infusing new energies and a new commitment

by Anil Wadhwa 

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an organization which brings together Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. The aim of this regional organization is to bridge the gap between South and South East Asia, to enhance the potential of the member countries and the Bay of Bengal region, and mitigate the adverse effects of globalization by utilizing regional resources and geographical advantages. The region covered by BIMSTEC is home to around 1.73 billion people, with a combined GDP of over US$5.2 trillion. A permanent Secretariat for the Organization has been functional in Dhaka since August 2014 and the Permanent Working Committee provides direction during the intra Summit periods.  The entry into force of the BIMSTEC Charter in 2022 provides it with a legal personality and an ability to engage in structured diplomatic dialogue. The Bay of Bengal connects international maritime trade routes between the India and the Pacific Oceans. Maritime connectivity is the key to trade and security. BIMSTEC nations are a powerhouse in some of the global products and services such as garments (Bangladesh), digital services (India), maritime services (Sri Lanka), consumer durables (Thailand), and tourism (Nepal and Bhutan), among others. Therefore, greater cooperation amongst them will lead to higher trade and growth within BIMSTEC, which is increasingly seen as an alternative to the stalled SAARC.  

BIMSTEC is a sector driven Organization, and by 2014, it had added 14 sectors as focus areas of cooperation. The fifth BIMSTEC virtual Summit in Colombo narrowed down the sectors for cooperation to seven – (i) Trade, Investment and Development; (ii) Environment and Climate change, (iii) Security; subsectors: Counter – Terrorism and Transnational Crime; Disaster management; Energy, (iv) Agriculture and Food Security; sub-sectors: Agriculture; Fisheries and Livestock (v) People to people Contact; subsectors: Culture; Tourism; People to People Contact (vi) Science and technology and Innovation; sub sectors: technology, health, human resource development (vii) Connectivity.  India is the lead country for the security and energy sectors. 

BIMSTEC has completed an MOU on Grid interconnection, a Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and an MOU on mutual cooperation between Diplomatic academies / training institutions. Important documents related to Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC key mechanisms, sectoral mechanisms, and External relations (BIMSTEC MOUs on relations with UNSECAP, UNOPS, World Bank, UNODC, IORA) have been readied. An Eminent Persons Group has been mandated to make recommendations on the future directions of BIMSTEC. The Agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation will be signed and the BIMSTEC Bangkok vision 2030 will be launched at the 6thSummit in Bangkok in September 2024.  

In the words of Prime Minister Modi BIMSTEC is ‘a natural platform to fulfil our key foreign policy priorities of Neighbourhood First and Act East “as it connects “not only South and South East Asia, but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal”. Aggravated security concerns due to Pakistan’s continued pursuit and support for terrorism, and China’s expanding presence in the Bay of Bengal have raised apprehensions amongst the South and South -East Asian nations 

Speaking at the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers retreat in New Delhi on July 11 in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that the BIMSTEC nations must be determined to infuse new energies, new resources, and a new commitment into cooperation among the Bay of Bengal nations. He singled out connectivity, institution building, cooperation in trade and business, collaboration in health and space, digital public infrastructure, capacity building, and societal exchanges, as well as weighing on the merits of new mechanisms as the future directions for BIMSTEC.

India has already invested in the India – Myanmar -Thailand Trilateral Highway, the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and the BIMSTEC Motor Vehicles Agreement in order to improve connectivity and trade – even as these projects are currently bogged down due to instability in Myanmar. India has also striven to improve connectivity in its North East region which is being linked to the BIMSTEC backed projects in the Bay of Bengal area. India has offered to host the BIMSTEC energy Centre in Bengaluru, and the addition of specialized areas within the current energy scenario for the BIMSTEC region in Cyber Security, Green Hydrogen and Energy transition.  The BIMSTEC Centre for weather and Climate will be established in India. India has extended a grant of $ 1 million to strengthen the BIMSTEC Secretariat. For the first time, an Indian diplomat, Indra Mani Pandey is the current Secretary – General of BIMSTEC.  

Progress on the BIMSTEC FTA is slow but is making steady and crucial progress. The organization has done well in strengthening security cooperation – the annual meetings of national security advisers and army chiefs are held. Countries like India can take the lead in increasing maritime domain awareness within BIMSTEC by strengthening capabilities wherever desired through the navy and coast guard, and setting up of Regional Information Sharing Centres (ISCs). Cooperation needs to be strengthened to counter terrorism, violent extremism and radicalization. Strengthening the Buddhist connection, connecting through border community zones, cultural art forms and cinema need to be encouraged. The presence of marine resources present regional opportunities in the joint development of a blue economy, and fostering mountain economy, especially in countries like Bhutan. A revitalization of the Business and Economic Forums and meetings of universities, cultural organizations, civil society, media and parliamentarians are on the cards. 

In order to emerge as a vibrant regional Organization, BIMSTEC Member States will need to introduce trade facilitation steps, harmonise their national technical means, strengthen regional value chains by linking south and south east Asia and setting up industrial parks for investments by countries of the region. Sea borne trade and coastal shipping between the countries of the organization has to be made viable, multimodal transport models made more prevalent, and coastal and border economic zones developed. Members of the Organization must push for cross border energy trade, a functional BIMSTEC energy grid and regional renewable energy cooperation. 

* Anil Wadhwa was Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs between 2014-16. He served as India’s Ambassador to Italy, Thailand, Oman, and Poland. He led the Indian delegation at BIMSTEC meetings in Bangkok between 2012-14.   

Note: The article was kindly sent to “Syria Times” by the Indian Embassy in Damascus marking the 78th Independence Day of India