India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar has pitched for connectivity from "Arabian Sea to South China Sea" even as New Delhi and Tokyo work together in tandem. Speaking at an event in Guwahati, EAM said, "approach to create connectivity to and within Assam, beyond to the North-East, then to neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh, but eventually push all the way by road, by sea, by air to Vietnam, to Japan."
India is working on a number of connectivity projects to connect North-East with East Asia. The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, with an aim to expand it to Vietnam via Laos. The Kaladan Multi modal transport link will provide North-East access via Sittwe Project and the Paletwa Inland Water Terminal. Work is on BIMSTEC masterplan on transport connectivity via 264 projects.
He lauded India-Japan partnership, calling it "natural and close" and said, "India-Japan collaboration has always had a central place in our national modernisation and development efforts”. Japan has been involved in funding of the Guwahati water supply project, road connectivity in the North-East, construction of primary school in Manipur, etc. Recently New Delhi and Tokyo reached a pact for people from India to jo to Japan under "specified skilled workers" visa and will increase people to people engagement.
Interestingly he pointed out to Assam becoming a "major player" in producing refined petroleum products, and "a pipeline to supply Bangladesh high speed diesel is an important beginning". India and Nepal recently opened a cross country oil pipeline, the first such pipeline in South Asia.
