Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to Papua New Guinea showcases India’s commitment to the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) partnership.
About Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)
- A multinational grouping formed in 2014 for cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Islands.
- 14 Pacific Islands nations include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
- These Islands are part three major groups of islands namely Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
- Objectives: Facilitation of Trade and Investment through business exchanges, etc.
- FIPIC is a manifestation of India’s Act East Policy, Indo-Pacific policy and South-South Cooperation.
- Also, it is driven by presence of sizeable Indian Diaspora in Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
Significance of FIPIC for India
- Economic Interests: Large Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of these Islands are sources of natural and mineral resources like natural gas.
- Geostrategic Interests: Expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific region in line with vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, countering China’s influence etc.
- India with its rising naval capabilities has begun to look beyond the east of Malacca. These Islands would become inevitably significant in India’s broader maritime strategy.