MGCI was launched on 10th November 2000 in Vientiane (Laos) and aims at rekindling the cultural links between India and the five riparian states of the Mekong River, namely, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam. It is from here that India seeks to strengthen connectivity through building the physical and social infrastructure in these countries. This includes roads, rails, air links and information and communication technologies as also education, culture, and imparting skills in development management and other technical areas.
Launched in Vientiane, Lao PDR in 2000, the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) completed twenty years in 2020. The MGC initiative is a sub-regional cooperation organisation comprising India and five ASEAN countries, namely, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. To commemorate the 20 years of establishment of MGC, the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in collaboration with the ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) organised an international conference entitled "Twenty Years of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)" on 5-6 November 2020 at New Delhi in virtual mode. This volume is an outcome of the aforesaid conference, and examines the connected past, present, and future of MGC. This commemorative volume presents a selected set of papers, which were presented at the aforesaid conference. Although the economic engagements between India and Mekong have been limited, there is further scope to scale up our economic relations. This volume shows the path to strengthen the MGC partnership in the third decade of its establishment. This book will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, research scholars, practitioners and regional cooperation specialists.
The Look East Policy which India unveiled in 1991 has now been superseded by Act East Policy which has ASEAN centrality as its core. The Mekong-Ganga Co-operation (MGC) is an initiative by six countries: India and five ASEAN countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand for co-operation in tourism, culture, education, and transport and communications. It was launched in 2000 at Vientiane, Laos. Both the Mekong and Ganga are civilizational rivers, and the MGC initiative aims to facilitate closer contacts among the people inhabiting these two major river basins. The MGC is also indicative of the cultural and commercial linkages among the member countries of the MGC down the centuries. Economic ties between India and Mekong countries have been expanding rapidly. Development co-operation has facilitated the expansion of economic and cultural relations. MGC has scored impressive performance in breaking barriers through regional connectivity. Efforts have been made to strengthen the cultural and commercial relations. MGC offers immense trade and investment opportunities. The book provides a vivid account of the historical and contemporary relationship of India with member countries of MGC. It gives details of the Nine Ministerial Meetings of MGC held so far and various programmes of action to promote the stated objectives of this regional initiative.
A recent study by the Asian Development Bank notes that by 2050, Asia's per capita income would rise six-fold to reach Europe's levels today, one of many indications of Asia's “re-emergence”. By then, Asia's share of global GDP would have doubled and it would have regained the dominant economic position it once held some 300 years ago before the industrial revolution.What is less well-known is that during the previous eras of globalization, Asia was also regionally integrated and globally connected. During the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries, Asia was divided and fragmented.This unique book argues that, led by the economic dynamism and “re-encountering” between China and India, we are witnessing the “Renaissance of Asia”. As in the bygone eras, Asia is integrating within itself and the global economy is intensifying, now driven by market-oriented production networks and economic policies. Asia is starting to be “re-centered” as trade and investment relations between South Asia and East Asia surge. Asia's rise is a restoration of the past, not a revolution. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the economic development of Asia.
JAIR Journal of International Relations (JAIR J. Int. Relat.) is a biennial, peer-reviewed, refereed journal of International Relations published by The Jadavpur Association of International Relations with the financial assistance from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi.
This book addresses the challenges and opportunities of contemporary and future development of Eurasia. The main theme of the first part of the book is examining the reaction evoked in different countries by the Chinese “Belt and Road Initiative.” The second part analyses other national and international integration and infrastructure projects in Eurasia. This unique publication brings together in one volume works by leading researchers from different countries, all united by their common interest in the political and economic processes unfolding in the Eurasian continent. By offering various points of view from experts from all over the world, this book provides a multi-dimensional analysis of the Eurasian future and will be of value to a wide range of readers, including scholars, publicists, the international business community and decision-makers.
Sino-Southeast Asian regionalism is exemplified by the development plans for the Mekong River basin, where ambitious projects for building regional infrastructural linkages and trade contribute to mediating the security concerns of the Mekong countries.
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