India’s ‘Pacific Islands’ Outreach: Understanding Regional Narratives, Geopolitics & Opportunities

About the Monograph

The narrative of ‘the return of geopolitics’ to the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) is gaining traction in the larger discourse of the Indo-Pacific, primarily driven by the anxiety over People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) expanding engagement in the region. The exacerbation of international tensions, amplified by the Sino-US rivalry, comes even as the Islands navigate intra-regional frictions, challenges of economic development, illegal fishing, climate change and issues related to self-determination and decolonisation. India’s renewed outreach to the PICs under PM Modi’s leadership has found wide appeal, as was visible during his visits to the Pacific Islands and his interaction with leaders via the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). Given this context, this monograph will attempt to briefly introduce the relevance of this contested geography to regional and extra-regional players. It will unpack the internal dynamics of regional tensions and examine the agency of PICs. It will expand on how China’s actions are redefining geopolitics in the region and discuss these contested narratives. Within this backdrop, it will also explore how Indian engagement has been perceived in the region and conclude with prescriptive options of steps India could take, including with regional partners, to anchor meaningful presence in the PICs region.

About the Author

Shruti Pandalai is Fellow at the South East Asia and Oceania centre at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. She works on India’s Foreign & Security policy with a focus on evolving geopolitics in the Indo Pacific. She also maps developments in the India-China relationship, framing it in the realm of information operations. Shruti has worked on projects for the National Security Council Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs & the Indian Military. Honoured with MP-IDSA President Award 2015, Shruti is also part of emerging leaders fora: Munich Young Leader (2019) Raisina Young Fellow (2017), US State Depts IVLP Quad Fellow (2022), UK Indo Pacific Thinkers Programme (2023), Taiwan South Asia Leaders Programme (2023), Young Strategist Forum (2023), Perth US Asia Indo Pacific Leaders (2024), Australia India Institute Defence Visitors Programme (2024) etc. She publishes widely in national & international media. In her former life she was a Broadcast Journalist and News Anchor specialising in Foreign Affairs. Shruti is an alum of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, SOAS, University of London, The Asian College of Journalism, Chennai and St Xavier’s College, University of Calcutta.