India-Japan 5G pact

Both India and Japan, as the two strategic partners want to broadbase their joint efforts in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific based on rule of law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. As they need to counter the increasing Chinese aggression in the region the recent pacts signed are of immense significance.

Content:

About the agreement:

• India and Japan have finalized a landmark cyber-security agreement providing for enhancing cooperation on 5G technology, artificial intelligence and critical information infrastructure.
• This pact will promote cooperation in 5G technology, internet of things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and key areas of cyberspace.
• It was decided after a meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo, a day after the Quadrilateral Foreign Ministers’ meet.
• This deal comes in the midst of growing concerns in India over cyber attacks from China, particularly after India banned over 100 mobile apps with Chinese links.
• A meeting of the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved signing of the agreement with Japan.
• Now both the sides will share information on countering cyber-security threats and develop joint mechanisms to mitigate threats to information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.
• Both countries will cooperate on cyber-security at international bodies such as the UN.

Indo Pacific Ocean Initiative:

• Japan has agreed to be the lead partner in the connectivity pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI).
• The IPOI is an India-backed framework aimed at making meaningful efforts to create a safe and secure maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific.
• It was launched on November 04, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the East Asia Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand.
• IPOI draws on existing regional cooperation architecture and mechanisms to focus on seven central pillars conceived around Maritime Security –
• Maritime Ecology;
• Maritime Resources;
• Capacity Building and Resource Sharing;
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Management;
• Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation;
• Trade Connectivity
• Maritime Transport;

Resilient Supply Chain Initiative:

• The Resilient Supply Chain Initiative (RSCI) is proposed by India, Japan and Australia.
• The collapse of production within China in the early months of the outbreak of the pandemic caused cracks in several supply chains.
• For countries like India, Japan and Australia, whose trade relations with China are deep and exhaustive, and whose producers and consumers are reliant on sourcing from China, the impact was catastrophic.
• India’s current relations with China are at their lowest ebb in several decades.
• Australia and Japan are also experiencing various difficulties and discomfort in managing ties with China.
• Hence the RSCI would build resilient supply chains in the Indo-Pacific that are either independent or barely dependent on China.

Importance of the above agreements:

The cooperation between India and Japan on 5G technology comes in the backdrop of growing reluctance by a significant number of countries globally to allow Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to roll out 5G services in their territories.

As India and Japan commit to an open, interoperable, free, fair, secure and reliable cyberspace environment and to promote the Internet as an engine of innovation, economic growth, the new pact would be consistent with their respective domestic laws and international obligations.

The Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative is a strategic step towards commitment of a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific Region based on shared values and principles and respect for international law.

The RSCI is looking to expand by including more countries from Southeast Asia. The investment prospects for Southeast from RSCI are considerably attractive. RSCI is an example of how regional supply chains might be repositioning in line with the emerging geopolitics post-Covid-19.

As the US-China hostilities increase, the possibility of countries joining broader alignments on either side of the US-China divide, and the global economic order getting split accordingly, is substantial.