3 months ago
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Noted argumentation expert and erstwhile Prime Minister’s media advisor Sanjaya Baru has called upon India to follow a stronger “Look East” approach, urging policymakers to larn from the economical successes of East and Southeast Asian nations alternatively than relying excessively connected Western models.
He was delivering a lecture connected “Rising India successful a Rising Asia” astatine the 15th Memorial Lecture organised by the Kanakadurgamba and Jandhyala Dakshina Murthy Family Charitable Trust present connected Monday (February 23, 2026).
Mr. Sanjay Baru emphasised the value of strengthening ties not lone with contiguous neighbours specified arsenic Nepal and Sri Lanka, but besides with large Asian economies including China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Singapore.
India, helium said, indispensable gully 3 cardinal lessons from the East — sustained concern successful education, promotion of labour-intensive manufacturing industries, and continuous efforts to amended relations with neighbouring countries. It would assistance India successful becoming planetary leader.
Mr. Sanjay Baru observed that invaluable lessons are not constricted to developed East Asian economies specified arsenic Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Developing economies similar Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, on with China, besides connection important insights into accelerated industrialisation and export-led growth.
“I would ever promote Indians to look East — to question to China, observe and larn from societies that person successfully combined authorities policy, concern growth, and planetary integration,” helium said.
Calling for a displacement successful perceptions regarding China, Mr. Sanjay Baru urged policymakers and the nationalist to spot China not simply arsenic a fishy neighbour but arsenic a rising modern economy. At the aforesaid time, helium stressed that attitudes successful China indispensable besides evolve, recognising India arsenic a spouse successful Asia’s resurgence alternatively than arsenic a strategical adversary.
He pointed retired that successful 1700, India and China each contributed astir 25 per cent to the planetary economy. As precocious arsenic 1980, the GDPs of the 2 countries were comparable. However, China subsequently surged ahead, and its system is present astir 5 times larger than India’s. While noting that China’s maturation has precocious slowed, Mr. Baru said this presents an accidental for India to accelerate reforms and amended its economical performance.
Warning that continued rivalry betwixt the 2 Asian giants would lone reenforce Western dominance successful planetary institutions and rule-making frameworks, helium said Asia’s emergence depends importantly connected cooperative engagement betwixt India and China. “The West volition proceed to predominate the satellite if China and India proceed to spar,” helium observed, adding that the long-standing borderline quality is not insurmountable and tin beryllium resolved with capable governmental volition and assurance connected some sides.
Trust President Jandhyala Shankar, Dr. Chadalavada Nageswara Rao, K. Durga Prasad of Westin College and others were present.
