भारत जापान के लिए इंडो-पैसिफिक के लिए अपने साझा दृष्टिकोण को क्रियान्वित करने के लिए स्थितियाँ प्रमुख हैं

India, Japan converge in Southeast Asia

The conditions are prime for the two countries to operationalise their shared vision for the Indo-Pacific

Philippines is now redirecting its attention 

1 the Philippines is now redirecting its attention to Japan and India as alternative sources of development and security

 he is dropping a series of Chinese-led infrastructure projects due to sustainability and geopolitical concerns, .

 2. tap both countries for development assistance

 Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista reaffirmed this earlier this month when he noted that the Philippine government is willing to tap both countries for development assistance. 

3 deepen and broaden its security and economic partnerships

This statement intersects with Manila’s desire to deepen and broaden its security and economic partnerships with like-minded partners amidst Beijing’s growing unwillingness to act and behave like a responsible neighbour.

4 Under the leadership of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

the Philippines has been steadfast in securing its sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea against China’s revisionist interests in the Indo-Pacific.

 Moreover, at the heart of Marcos Jr.’s foreign policy lies the intent to work closely with like-minded traditional and non-traditional partners. 

5 explore new opportunities for multi-faceted strategic cooperation

Accordingly, Manila’s attribution of both Tokyo and New Delhi as important partners allows all three democracies to explore new opportunities for multi-faceted strategic cooperation.

The Philippines and Japan 

1 share a close strategic partnership, with the former being Manila’s major investor and its largest source of overseas development assistance (ODA). 

2 While the partnership traditionally functioned in the context of the United States hub-and-spokes system, bilateral ties are now displaying significant momentum as an independent force, with Tokyo seeking to play a more prominent security role. 

3 The historic visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Philippines marked a turning point in the trajectory of bilateral ties. 

4 From being the first recipient of Japan’s overseas security assistance (OSA) to formalising negotiations for a reciprocal access agreement (RAA), the meeting between Marcos Jr. and Kishida paved the way for a “golden age” in the Philippines-Japan strategic partnership, which has the makings of more regularised military-to-military engagements.

Similarly, the bilateral partnership between the Philippines and India 

1 It has witnessed noteworthy advancements as Manila is now more willingly incorporating New Delhi in its strategic calculations. 

2 The past few months witnessed essential milestones in the

🍁 burgeoning bilateral relationship, visit of Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo to New Delhi and 

🍁the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Philippine and Indian Coast Guards, 

🍁which will allow both sides to improve their interoperability, intelligence sharing, and maritime domain awareness. 

🍁 India has also offered to supply the Philippine Coast Guard with seven indigenously manufactured helicopters based on a soft loan agreement with extended payment terms. 

🍁This potential agreement also comes at the heels of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile delivery to the Southeast Asian country later this year.

Thus, Japan and India’s bolstered engagements in Southeast Asia 

1 They will complement the interest of resident countries like the Philippines to lessen their susceptibility to China’s expanding economic clout and deepening power projection capabilities.

2  Forging robust ties with friendly regional powers is crucial to Southeast Asian countries’ hedging बचाव  strategies, especially as the U.S.-China competition continues to intensify. 

3  State of Southeast Asian Survey of 2023

It says Japan and India are the top two choices of Southeast Asian countries for alternative Indo-Pacific strategic partners. 

4 Therefore, the contemporary structural conditions serve as an opportunity for Japan and India to operationalise their shared vision for the Indo-Pacific.

भारत जापान संबंध

1 The India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is best defined through the robust ties they share. 

2 In terms of security, New Delhi and Tokyo constantly engage in varied platforms ranging from

🍁 regular bilateral military exercises and 

🍁two-plus-two meetings to multilateral frameworks such as the Quad and the G20. 

3 Both countries share similar threat perceptions — an increasingly assertive and disruptive China.

4 third-country cooperation model

Beyond defence cooperation, New Delhi and Tokyo have also embarked on a third-country cooperation model in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. 

5 Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)

In 2017, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his former counterpart Shinzo Abe welcomed collaborative efforts

 in establishing industrial growth and development networks across Asia and Africa, creating the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC). 

While the project eventually slowed down due to geopolitical turbulence and the economic constraints posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 

But both countries have recently explored new third-country cooperation models throughout the region

Among them are the emerging trilateral partnerships between India, Japan, and Bangladesh and a similar framework between India, Japan, and Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, as India is significantly deepening and broadening its ties with Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines

New Delhi should consider taking its third-country developmental model with Tokyo into the sub-region of the greater Indo-Pacific at a time when resident countries are looking for alternative sources of development and security amidst the polarising dynamics of the U.S.-China power competition.

Source the hindu