An Indo-Japanese Partnership

March 1, 2018

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (“BRI”) is receiving increasing attention. What is less well-known is that a second trade and investment project is being developed in Asia, spearheaded by India and Japan: the Asia Africa Growth Corridor (“AAGC”). Interestingly, a range of factors from geopolitics to economics, politics, and geography are bringing these two nations closer together.

Our observations

  • In May 2017, the Asian Africa Growth Corridor was announced by the leaders of India and Japan. Its four pillars are the following: development and cooperation projects, quality infrastructure and institutional connectivity, enhancing capabilities and skills, and people-to-people partnerships.Already in 1991, India launched a Look East More recently it unveiled its Mausam policy, centering on stronger links in the Indian Ocean following the monsoon winds, which we discussed before.Japan’s economy is increasingly focused on East Asia, particularly on the ASEAN group in Southeast Asia.
  • Japan is the biggest investor in India. It is involved in a range of industrial projects from nuclear power plants to bullet trains and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

Connecting the dots

There are trade pacts spearheaded by a single country like China’s BRI or the U.S. and NAFTA and there are multilateral trade pacts like the EU or ASEAN. However, there are few such projects championed by two equal partners. What is driving this Indo-Japanese cooperation? How strong can it become and what are the implications of such a partnership? There are a number of geopolitical drivers of this cooperation. Both countries are stepping up their international profiles: India is emerging from its non-interventionist isolationism and Japan is moving away from the postwar condition of pacifism combined with U.S. protection. As President Trump has indicated that the U.S. will be less interventionist worldwide, regional powers, especially U.S. allies such as Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia are stepping up. Both Japan and India feel competition because of China’s growing trade relations. The AAGC is often framed as an answer to the BRI. As the number two and number three economy is Asia, they both naturally align against the growing number one.Economics also brings them together. India has a vast growing market but lacks infrastructure and investments. Japan has a powerful industrial export sector that needs new growth markets. The current energy and infrastructure projects are examples of this synergy. Furthermore, both countries are energy-poor, which aligns them on global energy policy. Socio-political similarities are also notable. Both countries have democratic systems, which in the past already led to regional cooperation with Australia. Both countries have a ‘soft’ profile as well: India because of its culture and Japan because of its pacifism. These two factors also characterize the AAGC. In contrast to the BRI, infrastructure plays a small part. Instead, the AAGC promises to focus on enhancing people’s skills and capabilities, achieving sustainable growth goals, people-to-people ties, and inclusive growth.The final dimension that brings them together is geography. Both countries are close to, but not part of the Eurasian landmass. This is the region that China and Russia occupy. Japan’s islands are along the coast of this landmass. The Himalayas and jungles cut the Indian subcontinent off from Eurasia, hence making its connections with the world primarily maritime. In other words, we can see India and Japan as ‘island nations’, which is why the pivot of their cooperation is the Indian Ocean. An analogy can be drawn with the 20th century alliance between England and the U.S. to counter Eurasian power from the Atlantic Ocean.Overall, the drivers in different domains show that there are strong forces bringing India and Japan together. The announcement of the AAGC is a first step of this future alliance.

Implications

  • If this alliance strengthens, it could include other countries that abut the Indian Ocean and have similar interests like Iran, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Australia.
  • As trade and investment are increasing as a result of these different projects, countries where BRI and AAGC overlap stand to benefit. This is the case in Southeast Asia, the Gulf, and East Africa.

Series 'AI Metaphors'

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1. The tool
Category: the object
Humans shape tools.

We make them part of our body while we melt their essence with our intentions. They require some finesse to use but they never fool us or trick us. Humans use tools, tools never use humans.

We are the masters determining their course, integrating them gracefully into the minutiae of our everyday lives. Immovable and unyielding, they remain reliant on our guidance, devoid of desire and intent, they remain exactly where we leave them, their functionality unchanging over time.

We retain the ultimate authority, able to discard them at will or, in today's context, simply power them down. Though they may occasionally foster irritation, largely they stand steadfast, loyal allies in our daily toils.

Thus we place our faith in tools, acknowledging that they are mere reflections of our own capabilities. In them, there is no entity to venerate or fault but ourselves, for they are but inert extensions of our own being, inanimate and steadfast, awaiting our command.
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2. The machine
Category: the object
Unlike a mere tool, the machine does not need the guidance of our hand, operating autonomously through its intricate network of gears and wheels. It achieves feats of motion that surpass the wildest human imaginations, harboring a power reminiscent of a cavalry of horses. Though it demands maintenance to replace broken parts and fix malfunctions, it mostly acts independently, allowing us to retreat and become mere observers to its diligent performance. We interact with it through buttons and handles, guiding its operations with minor adjustments and feedback as it works tirelessly. Embodying relentless purpose, laboring in a cycle of infinite repetition, the machine is a testament to human ingenuity manifested in metal and motion.
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3. The robot
Category: the object
There it stands, propelled by artificial limbs, boasting a torso, a pair of arms, and a lustrous metallic head. It approaches with a deliberate pace, the LED bulbs that mimic eyes fixating on me, inquiring gently if there lies any task within its capacity that it may undertake on my behalf. Whether to rid my living space of dust or to fetch me a chilled beverage, this never complaining attendant stands ready, devoid of grievances and ever-willing to assist. Its presence offers a reservoir of possibilities; a font of information to quell my curiosities, a silent companion in moments of solitude, embodying a spectrum of roles — confidant, servant, companion, and perhaps even a paramour. The modern robot, it seems, transcends categorizations, embracing a myriad of identities in its service to the contemporary individual.
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4. Intelligence
Category: the object
We sit together in a quiet interrogation room. My questions, varied and abundant, flow ceaselessly, weaving from abstract math problems to concrete realities of daily life, a labyrinthine inquiry designed to outsmart the ‘thing’ before me. Yet, with each probe, it responds with humanlike insight, echoing empathy and kindred spirit in its words. As the dialogue deepens, my approach softens, reverence replacing casual engagement as I ponder the appropriate pronoun for this ‘entity’ that seems to transcend its mechanical origin. It is then, in this delicate interplay of exchanging words, that an unprecedented connection takes root that stirs an intense doubt on my side, am I truly having a dia-logos? Do I encounter intelligence in front of me?
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5. The medium
Category: the object
When we cross a landscape by train and look outside, our gaze involuntarily sweeps across the scenery, unable to anchor on any fixed point. Our expression looks dull, and we might appear glassy-eyed, as if our eyes have lost their function. Time passes by. Then our attention diverts to the mobile in hand, and suddenly our eyes light up, energized by the visual cues of short videos, while our thumbs navigate us through the stream of content. The daze transforms, bringing a heady rush of excitement with every swipe, pulling us from a state of meditative trance to a state of eager consumption. But this flow is pierced by the sudden ring of a call, snapping us again to a different kind of focus. We plug in our earbuds, intermittently shutting our eyes, as we withdraw further from the immediate physical space, venturing into a digital auditory world. Moments pass in immersed conversation before we resurface, hanging up and rediscovering the room we've left behind. In this cycle of transitory focus, it is evident that the medium, indeed, is the message.
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6. The artisan
Category: the human
The razor-sharp knife rests effortlessly in one hand, while the other orchestrates with poised assurance, steering clear of the unforgiving edge. The chef moves with liquid grace, with fluid and swift movements the ingredients yield to his expertise. Each gesture flows into the next, guided by intuition honed through countless repetitions. He knows what is necessary, how the ingredients will respond to his hand and which path to follow, but the process is never exactly the same, no dish is ever truly identical. While his technique is impeccable, minute variation and the pursuit of perfection are always in play. Here, in the subtle play of steel and flesh, a master chef crafts not just a dish, but art. We're witnessing an artisan at work.
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