The concept of the Indo-Pacific region: role and significance of India

Abstract

The term ‘Indo-Pacific region’ (IPR) was first used in international studies by the Indian researcher G.S. Khurana, who included in this concept the maritime space that unites the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, all Asian (up to the Middle East) and even North African countries, highlighting the connecting elements of ‘energy routes’. Therefore, this article is devoted to the concept of the Indo-Pacific region (IPR), which is a new geopolitical concept in which India is being introduced. This Asian country is now seen as one of the most important elements of the region because of its enormous potential. Therefore, Western countries are trying to ‘win’ it over and bring it into the ‘leading four’ of the ITR (the United States, Japan, India, and Australia). To understand how India has become a "key element" of the RIIT, the authors analyse the main factors that influenced this. It is shown that the US views interaction with India as a ‘bearing axle’ in the American strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. The concept of the Indo-Pacific region has a clear anti-Chinese orientation and is created as a counterweight to the main initiative of the People’s Republic of China ‘One Belt, One Road’. As for India’s participation in the new format, Delhi’s difficult relations with Beijing, the rivalry of the two countries on the Asian continent, and the concerns of India, the United States, Japan and many Asian countries about China’s actions in the South China Sea are taken into account here. The role of the concept of IPR as a key element of the modern India’s foreign policy strategy is considered, the importance of economic, security, civilizational and cultural factors in this process is analyzed.