Bridging the Northeast and Southeast Asia: A study of India’s Kaladan Project

Abstract

The Kaladan Project is India’s critical connectivity initiative that aims to link the northeastern region with Myanmar and by extension with the Southeast Asian region. By integrating sea, river and road transport corridors, the project aims to bypass India’s vulnerable Siliguri corridor. Further, the Kaladan Project carries considerable geopolitical significance as it strengthens India’s outreach to Southeast Asia through Myanmar under the Act East Policy. The Kaladan Project also counters China’s expanding footprint in Southeast Asia and the Bay of Bengal along with providing fertile ground for the deepening of the sub-regional cooperation. However, despite its strategic and economic potential the project continues to face persistent challenges that have stalled its timely completion and operationalisation. This affects New Delhi’s reputation as a reliable connectivity partner for the countries in its near and extended neighbourhoods. This paper critically examines the significance of the Kaladan Project for India’s connectivity paradigm under the Act East Policy, situating it within the context of India’s rising economic and strategic stakes in the evolving Indo-Pacific order.