Daily Editorial Analysis for 14th April 2021

BIMSTEC needs to reinvent itself

Why in News

• Recently the foreign ministers of BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) conduct its 17^th meeting virtually on 1^st April 2021.
• Major task was to pave the way for the next summit, the grouping’s fifth, due to be held in Sri Lanka in the “next few months”.
• While most multilateral groupings from G20 to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) held their deliberations at the highest political level in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, BIMSTEC leaders failed to do so.
• In contrast to a meeting of even SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) leaders held at India’s initiative a year ago, BIMSTEC could not arrange its ministerial meeting until April 2021.

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)

• Originally it was established as a grouping of four nations — India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — through the Bangkok Declaration of 1997 to promote rapid economic development.
• BIMSTEC was expanded later to include three more countries — Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan.
• It moved at a leisurely pace during its first 20 years with only three summits held and a record of modest achievements.
• But it suddenly received special attention as New Delhi chose to treat it as a more practical instrument for regional cooperation over a faltering SAARC.
• The BIMSTEC Leaders’ Retreat, followed by their Outreach Summit with the BRICS leaders in Goa in October 2016, drew considerable international limelight to the low-profile regional grouping.
• The fourth leaders’ summit, held in Kathmandu in August 2018, devised an ambitious plan for institutional reform and renewal that would encompass economic and security cooperation.
• It took the important decision to craft a charter to provide BIMSTEC with a more formal and stronger foundation.
• The shared goal now is to head towards “a Peaceful, Prosperous and Sustainable Bay of Bengal Region”.
• At the second swearing-in of the Modi government in May 2019, the leaders of BIMSTEC, not SAARC, were invited as honored guests.
• Soon thereafter, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar observed that India saw a mix of “energy, mindset and possibility” in BIMSTEC.

Recent Decision on Charter of BIMSTEC

• Recently the draft for the BIMSTEC charter is cleared, recommending its early adoption.
• They endorsed the rationalization of sectors and sub-sectors of activity, with each member-state serving as a lead for the assigned areas of special interest.
• The ministers also conveyed their support for the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, which will be adopted at the next summit.
• Preparations have been completed for the signing of three agreements relating to
• Mutual legal assistance in criminal matters,
• Cooperation between diplomatic academies, and
• The establishment of a technology transfer facility in Colombo.
• A January 2018 study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry had suggested that BIMSTEC urgently needed a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement to be a real game changer.
  • Ideally it should cover trade in goods, services and investment; promote regulatory harmonization; adopt policies that develop regional value chains; and eliminate non-tariff barriers. Also lacking was an effort to enthuse and engage the vibrant business communities of these seven countries, and expand their dialogue, interactions and transactions.
• On this score, BIMSTEC remains a work in progress. Over 20 rounds of negotiations to operationalize the BIMSTEC Free Trade Area Framework Agreement, signed in 2004, are yet to bear fruit.
• In contrast, much has been achieved in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and security, including counterterrorism, cyber security, and coastal security cooperation.
• India has led through constant focus and follow-up — to the extent that some member-states have complained about the ‘over-securitization’ of BIMSTEC.
• Similarly, while national business chambers are yet to be optimally engaged with the BIMSTEC project, the academic and strategic community has shown ample enthusiasm through the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks and other forum.

Challenges

• The goal now should be to overcome the obstacles leading to BIMSTEC’s success.
  1. Strong BIMSTEC presupposes cordial and tension-free bilateral relations among all its member-states.
  2. Uncertainties over SAARC hovers, complicating matters.
• Both Kathmandu and Colombo want the SAARC summit revived, even as they cooperate within BIMSTEC, with diluted zeal.
  3. China’s decisive intrusion in the South-Southeast Asian space has cast dark shadows.
  4. The military coup in Myanmar, brutal crackdown of protesters and continuation of popular resistance resulting in a protracted impasse has produced a new set of challenges.

Conclusion:

• As BIMSTEC readies itself to celebrate the silver jubilee of its formation next year, it faces a serious challenge:
  • To effect “a paradigm-shift in raising the level of our cooperation and regional integration”, as Mr. Jaishankar said on April 1.
• The grouping needs to reinvent itself, possibly even rename itself as ‘The Bay of Bengal Community’.
• It should consider holding regular annual summits.
• Only then will its leaders convince the region about their strong commitment to the new vision they have for this unique platform linking South Asia and Southeast Asia.