GEO-POLITICAL SHIFT & INDIAS INDO PACIFIC VISION IN POST-COVID WORLD

COVID-19 has redefined our understanding of security. Until now, nations thought largely in military, intelligence, economic, and perhaps, cultural terms. Today, they will not only assign greater weight to health security but increasingly worry about trusted and resilient supply chains. The stresses of the COVID-19 era brought out the fragility of our current situation. Additional engines of growth are needed to de-risk the global economy, as indeed is more transparency and market viability. Multilateral institutions have not come out well from this experience. Quite apart from controversies surrounding them, there was not even a pretence of a collective response to the most serious global crisis since 1945. This is cause for serious introspection. Reforming multilateralism is essential to creating effective solutions The acceptance of the Indo-Pacific as a single strategy gained acknowledgement in the last few years with the shift in the geopolitical centre of gravity to this region due to increasing in multilateralism in post covid world recently in the QUAD meet USA initiated INDO PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK for fair and resilient trade supply chain, infrastructure and decarbonisation with lower tariffs so it shows how indo pacific is important for the world so  ‘Indo-Pacific in terms of geo-spatiality, the Indo-Pacific is broadly an interconnected space between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean so what is the significance & Indias vision.
ECONOMICAL & DEMOGRAPHICAL IMPORTANCE & INDIAS ENGAGEMENT 
It is estimated that the Indo-Pacific is home to 60% of the world population and 2/3rd of global economic output. Half of the global trade transits the region and 90% of India's trade travels on its waters. Reflects The Indo-Pacific region marks its importance to global GDP and maritime trade, which is a shift in the world economic centre of gravity to the Indo-Pacific.
India's engagement: While the coinage Indo-Pacific' in a geopolitical sense is of recent usage, India as an ancient maritime power is familiar with the transcendence of ocean boundaries that reached out both to its east and west for mutual benefit. On June 1, 2018, the Prime Minister of India outlined India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region in his speech delivered at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore.
Placing India as one of the leading players in the region, he called for an open, free and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, which is open to cooperation from all nations willing to follow international laws.
GEOPOLITICAL SHIFT:
The centre of gravity of global politics and trade remained across the Atlantic Ocean until the beginning of the Cold War. Later on, it was substituted by the Asia Pacific, which was aimed at excluding Indian interests at present, the liberal international order is transforming itself as countries such as the US are looking differently at international politics. In international relations, the liberal international order describes a set of global, rule-based, structured relationships based on political liberalism, economic liberalism, and liberal internationalism since the late 1940s. and the transition from the Asia Pacific into the Indo-Pacific is viewed as the shifting of the centre of gravity of international politics towards Asia It also signifies a shift in the Balance of Power and the fulcrum of Geopolitics.
Reasons behind the Geopolitical shift: To securitise and maintain peace and law-abiding nature in the Indian and Pacific Oceans through which the majority of world trade occurs. The US showed a 'withdrawal' tendency toward international alliances. China is emerging as an aggressive player, particularly in the context of the changing stand of ASEAN countries.
Cornerstones of India's Indo-Pacific vision: India's vision toward Indo-Pacific can be summarised as an 'Open, Integrated, and Balanced “approach:
Open Absence of any hegemonic power in the Indo-Pacific. 
It is a significant aspect in the context of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy attempting to replace the US presence which was predominant in the region, China has informally established dominance in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean as well
Integrated: India aspires to transform a 'divided' region into an 'integrated' one, particularly in the case of ASEAN It is a countermeasure against the Chinese divide and rule policy among ASEAN countries.
Balanced: India’s vision is based on a multipolar world (by working with all countries) and a multipolar Asia (consisting of India, China, ASEAN, Japan, Australia, etc.).
In such an order, no major powers will take over vital economic and trade routes.
Rule-based order: India's approach is also aimed at ensuring the re-establishment of an older order in the Indo Pacific, which is being destabilised by Chinese assertion.
Threats Posed by China in the Indo Pacific 
China's Dominance: China is a 'power player in international diplomacy and threatens the political order in the region. China is asserting itself in the Ind Thailand (three submarines), Myanmar, and Srilanka  
Terrorism 
Terrorism in the region is a huge threat, particularly to India  
Maritime security 
Maritime security and maritime domain awareness are also central to the concept of the indo pacific 
Political rhetoric 
There exits political rhetoric describing the Indo pacific as an arch of prosperity where everyone can work together while the political focus is centred on such opportunities it often detracts from the real issues such as countering Chinese assertion.
Non-acceptance of rule-based order 

So in this situation, India is required to leverage the already strong relations in trade and commerce to formulate mini lateral diplomacy, blue water policy and deeper economic integration through Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). India's vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), upon which schemes like Sagarmala are founded, needs to be leveraged for growing international confidence in India's role in the Indo-Pacific.  Indo Pacific is a strategic space which offers several challenges and opportunities for India and all other stakeholders. Appropriate diplomatic manoeuvring and economic and military assertion are vital for the implementation of India's interests in the region along with leveraging space as a building block for multipolar world order.  
CH.J.V.K.Sathya Swaroop

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