India’s Strategic Push: Revitalising BIMSTEC Regional Cooperation

Among the regional organisations in this part of the world, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technological and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has attained the acclaim of being a non-starter. Founded in 1997, the framework of BIMSTEC was adopted at the 2022 Colombo Security Conclave.

Notwithstanding Pakistan's non-cooperative stance, the Modi government has attempted to chart a distinct course to tap into immense regional cooperation through SAARC at the November 2014 Summit in Nepal. But Pakistan’s obstinacy to SAARC developmental initiatives was unrelenting. Uri terror attacks in September 2016 forced India to officially withdraw from the scheduled Islamabad SAARC summit in November 2016. This drew a final curtain on the SAARC summits.

Swiftly shifting gears, tapping into another realm of sub-regional cooperation, India invited to BIMSTEC partner countries to the Goa BRICS Summit held in October 2016. Consolidating the Bay of Bengal region into the fulcrum of cooperation, PM Modi invited the leaders of BIMSTEC on the eve of his second term inauguration in 2019. Comprising seven countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka) with rotating chairmanship for two years, Bangkok hosted the 6^th BIMSTEC summit themed “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open BIMSTEC” on April 4^th 2025.

The Summit comes at a time when a devastating earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand. Responding to the crisis, India launched “Operation Brahma” to provide immediate assistance to Myanmar in the throes of civil war. While India’s timely assistance heralded the spirit of BIMSTEC cooperation, Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus’ recent statement raised speculations about the cooperation between the littoral states of the Bay of Bengal region.

Making an unsettling diplomatic overture to Beijing on his State visit, Yunus said, “Seven States of India, eastern part of India, called Seven Sisters.. they are landlocked country, landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the Ocean..”. He added, “We are the only guardians of this Ocean for all this region. So, this opens up a huge possibility. So, this could be an extension of the Chinese economy. Build things, produce things, bring things to China, bring it out to the whole rest of the World”. Yunus attempts to woo China to invest in Bangladesh and alluding that “Bangladesh is the only gateway for China to the Bay of Bengal” have elicited serious concerns about his motives towards India and threatened to derail the regional interconnections and interdependencies which are central to BIMSTEC.

In a strong retort, PM Modi, while departing for BIMSTEC, asserted that India’s northeast lies at the heart of the interregional grouping and underscored the primacy of northeastern states in the region.

Bangladesh later contended that Yunus' remarks were taken out of context since he was trying to entice Chinese investments. However, Dhaka’s commitment to BIMSTEC is debatable as Bangladesh’s foreign affairs advisor, Touhid Hussain, in a meeting with EAM Jaishankar on the sidelines of the 8^th Indian Ocean Conference at Muscat, sought India’s support to revive SAARC. In an interview in January, Shafikul Alam, Press Secretary of Yunus, stated, “Yunus wants the revival of SAARC and a good relationship with all countries, so he wants good relations with all SAARC countries that also include Pakistan”.

After the China-Pakistan axis hijacked the SAARC, India backed the BIMSTEC for regional integration. However, Yunus’ unhinged anti-India rhetoric, coupled with frequent calls for reviving SAARC and realignment with Pakistan for trade and joint naval exercises, forebode the looming threat of the Bangladesh-Pakistan-China threat to BIMSTEC. China enthusiastically courted India’s neighbours. But, PM Hasina at the helm of affairs in Bangladesh strongly resisted Beijing’s advances. With her ouster, political instability descended in Bangladesh. Yunus' pivot to China has further exacerbated the volatility and altered the regional dynamics. The elephant in the room is China.

Instead of giving in to the provocative Dragon’s forays into the neighbourhood, India has stepped up its commitment to BIMSTEC, intent on gaining ground in the Bay of Bengal region. PM Modi opened his inaugural address by expressing heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of lives in Myanmar and Thailand in the recent earthquake. He announced a 21-point action plan of India-led initiatives to bolster the existing 14 sectors of vital cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework. PM Modi’s visionary, consultative advocacy is set to energise the regional cooperation dynamic that remained underutilised for decades. 

In recent years, BIMSTEC regional trade has experienced a steady increase. PM Modi’s action plan to establish a BIMSTEC Chamber of Commerce, organise an annual BIMSTEC Business Summit, and explore the feasibility of local currency trade can give a major fillip to buttress regional trade and strengthen commerce linkages. India has offered to share the UPI system to boost digital connectivity and pledged to establish a Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre in India to enhance coordination in capacity building, research, innovation and maritime policies.

In tandem with the BIMSTEC Energy Centre operating in Bengaluru, India, now plans to expedite work on electric grid interconnection. Harnessing India’s prowess in mitigation and disaster management, India plans to establish the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence for Disaster Management in India and conduct joint exercises between BIMSTEC Disaster Management Authorities.

Prioritising a people-centric approach, India proposed a skilling initiative-BODHI, BIMSTEC for Organised Development of Human Resources Infrastructure, to train youth and young diplomats from BIMSTEC countries. This will include a scholarship scheme for BIMSTEC students at the Forest Research Institute and Nalanda University, a training and capacity building programme in Cancer care at Tata Memorial Centre and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in traditional medicine, agriculture research and training.

To foster youth engagement, PM Modi announced plans to launch the BIMSTEC Hackathon and Young Visitors programme, hold the annual BIMSTEC Young Leaders’ Summit, the BIMSTEC Athletics Meet, the BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival and the first BIMSTEC Games in 2027. To strengthen the maritime security architecture of the region, India will host the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers Mechanism.

Established to strengthen cooperation between South Asia and South East Asia, BIMSTEC is at the crossroads of India’s strategic “Act East Policy” and “Neighbourhood First Policy.” With a renewed thrust on maritime security and the growing importance of the Bay of Bengal to Indo-Pacific policy, BIMSTEC can be a vital part of India’s overarching Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR) vision.

Additionally, as a part of institutional building, BIMSTEC signed MoUs with the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on issues of shared interests and priorities.

Along with laying comprehensive roadmap, PM Modi engaged with leaders of member countries to strengthen seamless coordination.  The 6^th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok marks the first occasion when leaders have met in person since 2018. The previous iteration in 2022, conducted by Sri Lanka, was a virtual summit. Bangkok Summit, rescheduled twice due to political turmoil, was successfully hosted by Thailand despite the earthquake.

PM Modi elevated India’s existing ties to a Strategic Partnership during bilateral talks with Thailand’s new Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinwatra. Both countries signed MoUs on digital technology, development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, cooperation in the MSME sector and the development of India’s Northeast region. Thailand joined India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)

PM Modi also met Myanmar's junta chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, and extended additional assistance beyond the formal Quad joint statement, which pledged support to earthquake rehabilitation. The Prime Minister also held talks with the Nepalese counterpart, KP Sharma Oli, on the sidelines of BIMSTEC. He also met Bangladesh Chief Advisor Mohammed Yunus and put forth India’s concerns on attacks against Hindus and asked him to avoid rhetoric that vitiates the environment.

India’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’, centred on mutually beneficial developmental partnership, had to often navigate disruptions when the leaders of countries acted with calibrated vested interests. Surmounting these frictions and strained ties, in the face of Trump tariff disruptions, India is recalibrating its vision for regional cooperation to buffer against the global shocks.  India is now shifting attention to its neighbourhood, for it is the region where “its external and domestic goals directly converge”.

 India is reinvesting in the region amid burgeoning global volatility. The impending recalibration can be traced to EAM Jaishankar’s address at the 20^th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting. He said, “The reality is that the world is moving to an era of self-help. Every region needs to look out for itself, whether it is in food, fuel and fertiliser supply, vaccines or speedy disaster response. Times have indeed changed. Shorter supply chains and immediate neighbours have a salience much more than before”.

India realises the immense potential of infrastructure and connectivity opportunities within the BIMSTEC. New Delhi is currently expediting two major connectivity projects in the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Highway and the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport. Upon completion, IMT will connect the region to the Pacific Region.

Firmly dedicated to safeguarding its national interests amidst the rapidly evolving contours of the world order, India is adeptly adjusting its foreign policy to align with the changing landscape. Reimagining regional cooperation, India has laid out a comprehensive BIMSTEC framework to align with the global shift towards a ‘self-reliant era’.