Arunachal Pradesh in India’s Act East Policy

 Keywords: Act East Policy, Arunachal Pradesh, Buddhism, Border Trade  

Date:03 June 2023

Located in the easternmost part of the country, Arunachal Pradesh’s geographical location, cultural affinity with Southeast Asia and the Buddhist connection makes the state a key stakeholder in India’s Act East Policy. The state shares international borders with three countries – Bhutan to the west (160 km), Myanmar to the east (520 km) and China to the north (1129 km).

In the recent past, policy makers have often highlighted Arunachal’s importance in India’s Act East Policy. In 2014, emphasizing the role of the state in Act East Policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Arunachal Pradesh “the gateway” to the East and expressed confidence that the state would play “a key role” in India’s relations with the eastern neighbours. In 2015, the then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj described Arunachal Pradesh as “an important part” of Act East Policy.

Similarly, in 2016, the then defense minister Manohar Parrikar stressed the role of Arunachal Pradesh as “a key part” of Act East Policy. In 2017, the then home minister Rajnath Singh said that Arunachal Pradesh is “a strategic asset” in Act East Policy and in 2018 the then finance minister Arun Jaitley stressed that Arunachal Pradesh is “a priority” in Act East Policy.

This has been part of the government’s current approach that looks beyond the security concerns and adopts a holistic agenda to enable and empower the Northeastern part of the country to take a leading role in implementing the Act East Policy as its success also depends on taking the route of localizing or local-led development.

The sustained focus to bring Arunachal Pradesh in the forefront of the Act East Policy has been bearing fruits with the government now undertaking several initiatives to strengthen connectivity infrastructure in the state. The construction of new roads, airports and airstrips has the potential of positioning the state to become the gateway of India to the east and contribute towards achieving the goals of Act East Policy.

Recently, the central government approved the 1,748 km long Frontier Highway linking East Kameng district (in the western part of Arunachal) with Changleng district in the eastern side of the state. This highway is proposed to connect all three international borders of Arunachal. It will have six inter-connectivity corridors to connect the highway with Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) and East-West Industrial Corridor Highway (EWICH)­­–––the TAH will connect all districts of Arunachal Pradesh and the 600 km EWICH will create a link between the eastern and westerns sides of the state.

The strategically significant Frontier Highway, mooted in 2014, will give the state the much-needed push in improving infrastructure and connectivity. It will connect Arunachal with the rest of Northeast India and help the state become a major pillar of India’s Act East Policy. Earlier, the central government decided to earmark a massive 44,000 crore for Arunachal’s connectivity projects indicating a major shift in Delhi’s approach towards development of border infrastructure in Northeast India. The mega border connectivity projects will facilitate cross-border trade and help transform border economies of the state.

In May 2022, the state had hosted an international buyer-seller meet to showcase its potential in the regional and international economy. At the event, the state’s chief minister Pema Khandu spoke about improving Arunachal’s border trade using Pangsau Pass (linking Myanmar) and Lumla-Tashigang road (linking Bhutan). The government is currently planning to build a road connecting Dong village to Jachep­­­––Dong is Arunachal’s easternmost village and Jachep is about 20 km away from Myanmar.

Arunachal Pradesh is connected with Bhutan via the Bomdila-Tashigang Road and the Pasighat-Zemithang Road. However, lack of infrastructure, security issues and bureaucratic hassles have not helped cross-border trade of Arunachal Pradesh. Along with improved and enhanced connectivity, there is a need to address these issues to encourage cross-border trade.

Buddhism plays a major role in connecting Arunachal Pradesh with Southeast Asia. Mahayana Buddhism reached Arunachal from Tibet and the Pala kingdom in Bengal. However, between 13^th and 18^th centuries, several Southeast Asian Buddhist missions travelled to Arunachal Pradesh spreading Theravada Buddhism. Most Theravada art, architecture and monasteries in Arunachal Pradesh can be found in Changlang and Namsai districts. Various Theravada deities are worshipped in these districts of Arunachal Pradesh including Mucalinda (serpent king-protector of Buddha), Vasundhara (the earth goddess), Upagupta (another powerful saint) and Sivali (patron saint of travel). 

Arunachal Pradesh could play a unique role in Act East Policy by playing a connector through physical connectivity, cultural diplomacy and cross-border trade. All these taken together will strengthen people-to-people relations which has the potential of addressing security and geostrategic challenges through a bottom-up approach. In this, Arunachal can take the lead in India’s Act East Policy as the land of the rising sun.

Sampa Kundu is a Consultant at ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above and the information available are those of the author/s and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the position of Asian Confluence