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Abstract

Bay of Bengal integration has grown with the BIMSTEC, which started its journey in 1997 in Bangkok. In the first Summit of Heads of Governments held on 31 July 2004, the leaders of the group formally announced the complete name of the grouping as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. In 2011, a permanent secretariat was established in Dhaka. Five BIMSTEC Summits have been held so far. Bangladesh will be taking over the chairmanship of BIMSTEC from Thailand after the 6th Summit in Bangkok in 2024. The geographical contiguity, abundant natural and human resources, rich historical linkages and shared cultural heritage are some of the unique advantages that BIMSTEC enjoys. It shares high trade potential and economic complementarities and given its unique geographic and strategic location in the Indo-Pacific, it can play the role of bridging South Asia and Southeast Asia through the 5Cs – commerce, culture, community, connectivity and climate. However, BIMSTEC today is in a disordered world. Crises like the Red Sea are forcing the countries towards alternate trade routes and sources of raw materials and markets for final goods and services. However, member states face shared challenges and have the common aspirations to drive the integration to the next level. This seminar will analyse the trends of Bay of Bengal integration, present the challenges and discuss the way forward.

About the Speaker

Prabir De is a Professor at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi. He works in the field of international economics and has research interests in international trade and development. He did his Masters in Economics from the Calcutta University and PhD in Economics from the Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He was a Visiting Fellow of the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO), Japan; Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI); Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP); and Visiting Senior Fellow of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). His recently edited book includes Thirty Years of ASEAN-India Relations: Towards Indo- Pacific, published by Routledge in 2024. He is also the Founding Editor of the Journal of Asian Economic Integration, published by Sage, and Journal of Land Ports and Border Economy, published by Routledge.

About the Chair

Biswajit Dhar is a Distinguished Professor, Council for Social Development, New Delhi and serves as an advisor to the Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. He is on the Board of the Inter-University Centre for IPR Studies of the Government of Kerala. He was a Professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and has served as the Director General of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a think-tank of the Ministry of External Affairs. Professor Dhar interacts closely with several inter-governmental organisations. He has publications in reputed national, and international journals and is a regular columnist in several national dailies.