Online Published on 13 June, 2023.
South Asia’s political centre of gravity has migrated from land to water in an internationally interdependent manner. The Bay of Bengal is becoming increasingly important, in the Indian Ocean region. sea lines of communications. It has become a hub for Asian growth and a theatre of strategic powerplay. India sees itself as the region’s net security provider, a position it has further consolidated through soft power diplomacy. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Corporation (BIMSTEC) mechanism has been reactivated by New Delhi to further integrate the region and foster regional growth. India is building partnerships with several like-minded countries, particularly Japan, to counterbalance an assertive China, and is bolstering its strategic assets in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (ANI). The article argues that the Bay’s strategic importance will rise in the coming years.
