Battle for Regional Legitimacy

Geopolitical faultlines deepen in the Bay of Bengal as China gains ground, India loses strategic footing, and regional alliances teeter amid conflict, coups, and growing distrust

- DIPANKAR DEY

The 6th Summit of the Heads of State/Government of the member States of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was held on April 4, 2025, in Bangkok, Thailand. The Summit was attended by the Heads/leaders of the respective member nations, namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. An agreement on Maritime Transport Cooperation has been signed to strengthen regional partnerships to enhance maritime connectivity, enabling more trade and travel amongst the member States.

In addition, the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), which institutionalises future partnership between IORA and BIMSTEC in key areas of shared interest, was signed. 'BIST-EC' (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation), a sub-regional organization, came into being in June 1997.

Following the inclusion of Myanmar, it was renamed 'BIMST-EC' in December 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. With the admission of Nepal and Bhutan, the name of the grouping was changed to 'Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation' (BIMSTEC) during its 1^st Summit (2004) in Bangkok. Since then, only six Summits have been held, which reflects poor coordination among member nations of this South Asian sub-regional group.

Surprisingly, Myanmar junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing has participated in the BIMSTEC Summit and met, among others, with Indian PM Narendra Modi, who expounded on the early restoration of the democratic process in the country through "inclusive and credible elections". The decision by Thailand to welcome the general to the BIMSTEC Summit has been widely criticized as legitimising the regime and its brutal repression of citizens. Since the February 2021 coup, the junta has faced growing diplomatic isolation in Southeast Asia.