In a recent report titled India’s Indo-Pacific: Construction and legitimization of a new regional geography, published by the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (FRS), Thibault Fournol, Research Fellow at the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, examines how India has constructed and legitimised its expansive understanding of the Indo-Pacific as a coherent strategic region. The report argues that India’s Indo-Pacific is not a fixed geographic reality but a politically and strategically curated space shaped through historical narratives, economic interdependence, diplomatic engagement, and foreign policy priorities. This report is the third in a series of research papers by FRS aiming to provide an overview of India’s approach to the Indo-Pacific by focusing on the perceptions and representations of key Indian actors and stakeholders.
The report notes that India defines the Indo-Pacific broadly, stretching “from the Eastern shores of Africa to the Western shores of America,” making it one of the most expansive interpretations of the concept. Fournol argues that India legitimises this vision through three key pillars: socio-cultural continuity, political evolution, and economic interdependence. Drawing on speeches by Indian policymakers, the report shows how the Indo-Pacific is presented as a historically interconnected Asian space rather than a newly created geopolitical construct. In this context, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is cited describing the Indo-Pacific as “not tomorrow’s forecast, but yesterday’s reality.”
The report places particular emphasis on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, which India portrays as both the geographic and strategic centre of the Indo-Pacific. It also highlights how concepts such as Look East, Act East, SAGAR, and the “extended neighborhood” framework have shaped India’s evolving regional outlook. Economically, the report argues that dense trade flows across the Indian and Pacific Oceans reinforce India’s claim that separating the two regions is increasingly “unrealistic” and “less and less tenable,” language attributed in the report to Jaishankar.
To examine whether India’s discourse aligns with practice, Fournol analyses the distribution of the Indian diaspora and the geography of official diplomatic visits since 2014. The report finds that 72.8 percent of Indians overseas reside in countries included within India’s Indo-Pacific definition, particularly in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Canada, and Southeast Asia. Similarly, Indo-Pacific countries accounted for 260 out of 501 official visits by Indian leaders between 2014 and 2025, representing 52 percent of all foreign visits during the period. The report notes that South Asia and Southeast Asia remain the primary focus of India’s regional engagement, revealing a clear hierarchy within India’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
The report concludes that India’s Indo-Pacific is best understood as “a strategically curated space reflecting India’s foreign policy priorities, identity narratives, and aspirations to shape the regional order.” While India presents the region as seamless and inclusive, Fournol argues that its actual diplomatic and demographic engagement remains concentrated around South Asia and Southeast Asia, which continue to form the core of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy.