International Relations / BIMSTEC — UPSC Mains Model Answer

BIMSTEC was established through the Bangkok Declaration of 1997, with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as founding members. Myanmar and Nepal joined shortly after, and Bhutan acceded later, bringing the total membership to seven states. The 1999 Dhaka Declaration expanded the grouping's sectoral cooperation framework but was not the founding instrument.

BIMSTEC divides cooperation into multiple priority sectors, each led by a member state. India leads sectors including trade, investment, transport, and tourism, reflecting its economic weight within the grouping. This distributed leadership model ensures shared ownership but also creates coordination challenges when national priorities diverge.

For India, BIMSTEC serves as an alternative to SAARC, which has been effectively paralysed by bilateral tensions. The grouping facilitates connectivity projects, disaster management cooperation, and counter-terrorism frameworks across the Bay of Bengal littoral. India's hosting of BIMSTEC summits and its financial contributions underscore its role as the anchor state.

Progress on the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement has stalled due to divergent tariff sensitivities among members. Institutional capacity remains thin, with a small permanent secretariat in Dhaka. Overlapping memberships with ASEAN and SAARC dilute member states' bandwidth and political commitment to BIMSTEC-specific deliverables.