THIS PAGE IS LEFT BLANK INDIA’S NORTH EAST STATES, THE BCIM FORUM AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION First published in 2012 By The Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi 8/17 Sri Ram Road Civil Lines Delhi 110054, India Ph.: +91-11-23938202; Fax: +91-11-23992166 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.icsin.org Digitally printed at Sapna Photostat, Munirka Phase II, New Delhi 110 067 © The Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. *The views expressed in this study are the personal views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Institute of Chinese Studies or its sponsors. INDIA’S NORTH EAST STATES, THE BCIM FORUM AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION Kishan S. Rana and Patricia Uberoi Institute of Chinese Studies 2012 THIS PAGE IS LEFT BLANK CONTENTS Foreword ix Acknowledgements xi List of Maps xiii List of Acronyms xv Executive Summary xvii 1. The Imperatives of Connectivity: Domestic and International Dimensions 21 North-East States’ Development Dilemma The International Dimension 2. Looking East through the North East 34 Trans-regional Projects Bilateral Projects and Agreements 3. The Yunnan Perspective and the ‘Kunming Initiative’ 64 4. The Dynamics of Regional Diplomacy in South and South East Asia 71 5. The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Forum for Regional Cooperation 91 The BCIM as a Region The BCIM as a Sub-region Track I or Track II? The Russia–India–China Trilateral: A Contrasting Trajectory Official Recognition of BCIM? 6.