India and Bangladesh Connectivity: A Game Changer for the Bay of Bengal region
North-East India has strategic and economic importance, and connects us to other dynamic growth engines in Asia. It is undergoing a remarkable transformation and growth with the cooperation of Japan.
On Monday, 12 February 2024, the fourth edition of the India-Japan Intellectual Conclave titled “North East India, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal region in the Indo-Pacific: The Way Forward,” was organized by Asian Confluence in collaboration with the Minister of External Affairs, India (MEA), Embassy of Japan in India, and North Eastern Council, Government of India (NEC).
During his welcome remarks Sabyasachi Dutta Executive Director of Asian Confluence, spoke on the importance of building partnerships in the Bay of Bengal region which was followed by a brief update on the progress made in the connectivity front between Northeast India and Bangladesh.
Ambassador of Japan to India, Hiroshi Suzuki highlighted the necessity to identify the actionable projects for new investments in the region. During the conclave Ambassador mentioned “It is exciting to see so many people involved in the development of the Northeastern Region coming together for future-oriented discussion. It is encouraging to see that the background of the participants are growing more diverse, and I do feel that this conclave is maturing into a premier forum for wide-ranging stakeholders to discuss the development of this region”.
Focusing on connectivity between India and Bangladesh, High commissioner of Bangladesh to India, Mustafizur Rehman said that connectivity projects must be mutually beneficial.
P Kumaran, Special Secretary, Economic Relations & Development Partnership Administration, MEA, emphasized the projects that are taken up in Northeast India and explained how robust connectivity between India and Bangladesh could become a game changer for the Bay of Bengal region. Kumaran mentioned, “North-East India has strategic and economic importance, and connects us to other dynamic growth engines in Asia. It is undergoing a remarkable transformation and growth – be it in tourism, education or healthcare. This has been aided by the increased focus on connectivity, which is a cornerstone for regional economic partnerships and enhanced economic integration. It helps unlock the potential of regional value chains and production networks, thereby creating corridors of prosperity. Work has begun to upgrade several roads under the framework of the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). We have also been exploring ways to further improve connectivity between India, particularly North-East and Bangladesh through a cross-border survey being carried out by JICA.“
He added “We see Japan as a natural partner in India’s journey of development and transformation. Cooperation in the North-East is of particular significance. We see alignment between India’s Act-East Policy, our Indo-Pacific vision based on the principle of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and Japan’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision. Our Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), with its seven pillars, is also significant in this context. We appreciate Japan for co-leading the Maritime Trade, Transport and Connectivity pillar of IPOI and look forward to developing concrete cooperation programmes”.
Highlighting on the importance of Bangladesh in Northeast India’s future K. Moses Chalai, Secretary North Eastern Council, argued that to go east one must go through south. Emphasizing the aspect of developing the urban infrastructure in Northeast India, chief secretary of Meghalaya Donald P Wahlang, urged that by 2047 Northeast India could contribute around 5 per cent of India’s GDP.
Interactive panel discussions on the topics “Towards Creating Industrial Value Chains: Voices from the Industry,” and “Empowering Institutional Infrastructure for People Connectivity,” were chaired by the Members of the Governing Council, Asian Confluence, Ajay Sethi, Managing partner ASA Associates and Amb. Riva Ganguly Das, Former Secretary East, MEA respectively.
Representatives from Japanese institutions JICA and JETRO shared their ideas to strengthen the connectivity in the Bay of Bengal region. Several policy makers, institutional representatives, business representatives, academicians from India, Bangladesh and Japan shared their ideas to strengthen people to people exchanges within the region and Japan.
During the policy makers’ panel discussion, members of parliament and political leaders from Northeast India who were also part of the delegation that visited Japan in 2023 as a part of the project initiated by Sasakawa Peace Foundation, namely S Phangnon Konyak, Vincent Pala, Dr. Rajdeep Roy, Tapir Gao, and Mmhonlumo Kikon proposed several ideas that could be taken up in the Northeast by leveraging Japanese technology and know-how.
Lalnghinglova Hmar, Minister of Sports and Youth Services of Mizoram stressed on the necessity to take the advantage of high literacy rate, large forest cover and tech-savvy youth of the state to attract investments.
High level participation from the Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Corporation, JFE Engineering corp, ABC Logistic and many more companies from Japan, India & Bangladesh made the conclave a success.
