India
must balance diverse alliances as it strengthens its East Asia pivot
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to
the Philippines to attend the ASEAN-India summit, the East Asia Summit and the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit has put
India centre-stage in the Asian region now referred to as “Indo-Pacific”.
Equally, it puts the “Indo-Pacific” and ties with the U.S. centre-stage in
India’s Act East policy, in all three spheres: political, strategic and
economic. Mr. Modi’s arrival in Manila was preceded by the first meeting of the
India-U.S.-Japan-Australia quadrilateral, a grouping first mooted in 2006 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It ended with
statements on cooperation for a “free, open, prosperous and inclusive
Indo-Pacific region”, a direct signal that it will counter China’s actions in
the South China Sea if necessary. Next, Mr. Modi’s meeting with U.S. President
Donald Trump saw a similar emphasis on cooperating in the Indo-Pacific, a term
now widely adopted by the U.S. The ‘Quad’ doesn’t just pertain to maritime surveillance, it also aims at enhancing connectivity
in accordance with “the rule of law” and “prudent
financing” in the Indo-Pacific together, a reference to American plans to build
an “alternative financing model” to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Finally,
Mr. Modi’s speech to ASEAN vowed to bring India’s economic and business ties
with the region up to the level of their “exceptionally good political and
people-to-people relations”. This sets the stage for closer engagement ahead of
the 25th year Commemorative Summit to be held in Delhi in January
2018, with ASEAN leaders also expected to attend Republic Day festivities.
The clarity in India’s purpose in East Asia at this juncture is
important, but the next steps are equally vital. To begin with, despite a
government statement to the contrary, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion
that the Quad, also called a “coalition of democracies” of the Indo-Pacific, is
a front aimed at countering China’s influence. As the only member of the
proposed coalition that is also part of another security arrangement involving
China and Russia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India’s ability to
balance its interests will be tested. Finally, while there will be much to navigate on the political front, Mr. Modi would be keen to keep a sharp
focus on the economic tailwinds during his engagements in Manila. The
10 ASEAN countries account for about 11% of India’s global trade. For the past
few years India has joined the ASEAN “plus six”, including China, Japan, South
Korea, Australia and New Zealand, to discuss the RCEP free trade agreement.
Talks have often run into rough weather over India’s stand on visas and
services access, while also holding out against free trade that could give
China an unfair edge in goods trade. Mr. Modi’s work is cut out as he clarifies
India’s pivot in east Asia.
1. PIVOT <PEE
/VO/ TL>
[Noun]
Meaningà Person, thing, or factor having a
major or central role, function, or effect
Synà Central point,
Focal point , Hub, Heart ,Crux,Raison d’etre
Exampleà His financial methods became
the pivot of government policy
2.COMPREHENSIVE <KOM
/PRE /HEN /SIV >
[Adjective]
Meaningà including or dealing with all or nearly all elements
or aspects of something.
Synà Including
,Incorporating ,Taking In ,Taking Accounting Of , Embracing
Antonymà Excluding
|
Exampleà "a comprehensive list of
sources"
|
3. QUADRILATERAL
<KWA
/ DREE /LAT /RL >
[Noun]
Meaningà A four sided figure
Synà multilateral. many-sided. four-sided.
Antonymsà unilateral
Exampleà It's this quadrilateral KLMN we are going
to be interested in.’
.
4. MOOTED <MU / TED >
[Verb]= past
tense: mooted; past participle: mooted
Meaningà raise
(a question or topic) for discussion, bring up
Synà Broach , put- forward , mention ,
introduce ,raise
Exampleà "the scheme was first mooted last October"
Antonymsà Resolve ,Decided
5. MARITIME <MA /REE /TIME
>
[Adjective]
Meaning à connected with the
sea, especially in relation to seaborne trade or naval matters
Synà Naval ,marine ,nautical ,sea-going ,sea
-faring
Antonymsà Inland , Terrestrial
Exampleà "a maritime museum"
6.SURVEILLANCE < SIR /VEE /LEE
/AN/ S >
[Noun] = Gerund past participle –sidestepping
Meaning à close observation,
Synà , scrutiny, watch, view, inspection, monitoring, supervision,
Exampleà "he found himself
put under surveillance by British military intelligence"
7. PRUDENT <
PRU /DENT >
[Adjective]
Meaningà acting with or showing care and thought for the future.
Exampleà no prudent money manager would authorize a
loan without first knowing its purpose"
Synà wise . sage ,shrewd ,polite ,advisable
Antonymà careless
[Adjective]
Meaning à acting as a memorial of an
event or person.
Synà Remembrance, Memorial . Celebrative
,
in memory of …, in honour of
Antonymsà
Dismissive
Exampleà "veterans
of the battle will attend commemorative services"
9.
NAVIGATE <NAE /VEE /GATE >
[Verb] formal
transitive(Here)
10. TAILWINDS <
TAIL /WINDS
>
[Adjective]=plural
Meaningà a wind blowing from
behind. (But here its like Tailwind(s) , many forces giving push to a situation)
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