NydiaTalley110 at 03:00, 25 February 2026

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{{Being merged to| Foreign relations of India |discuss=Talk:Foreign_relations_of_India#Delete/merge subversive POV coattail article |date=February 2026}}
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{{Notability|date=September 2025}}
{{Original research|date=September 2025}}
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[[File:NortheastIndia.png|thumb|249x249px|A map showing Northeast India bordering China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, which are East Asian, South Asian, and Southeast Asian respectively.]]
Since India's 1947 independence, 98% of Northeast India's borders have been with other Asian countries, making it a strategic frontier region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shubhankar |date=2018-12-18 |title=Northeast at the heart of India's ASEAN policy |url=https://indbiz.gov.in/northeast-at-the-heart-of-indias-asean-policy/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=IndBiz {{!}} Economic Diplomacy Division |language=en-US |archive-date=2025-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531211317/https://indbiz.gov.in/northeast-at-the-heart-of-indias-asean-policy/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Guardian |first=Sri Lanka |date=2024-12-31 |title=The Birth and Burden of Northeast India – Sri Lanka Guardian |url=https://slguardian.org/the-birth-and-burden-of-northeast-india/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=slguardian.org |language=en-US |archive-date=2025-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109183948/https://slguardian.org/the-birth-and-burden-of-northeast-india/ |url-status=live }}</ref> India's [[Act East policy]] seeks to harness this connectivity in the modern day.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Bikash |date=2024-02-16 |title=Act East policy boosts regional cooperation: Northeast India's economic corridors explored in roundtable conference |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/act-east-policy-boosts-regional-cooperation-northeast-indias-economic-corridors-explored-in-roundtable-conference/articleshow/107757851.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2024-09-02 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref>

== East Asia ==

=== China ===
{{See also|Five Fingers of Tibet|Greater Yunnan|India–Tibet relations}}
[[File:China India eastern border.jpg|thumb|Arunachal Pradesh (red) is claimed by China]]
China claims the border state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]] as part of South Tibet, which has resulted in [[Sino-Indian border dispute|tensions]] between India and China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brar |first=Aadil |date=2024-03-29 |title=Indian state part of China "since ancient times," Beijing says |url=https://www.newsweek.com/china-india-arunachal-pradesh-zangnan-tibet-territorial-dispute-1884895 |access-date=2024-09-08 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=2024-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907220540/https://www.newsweek.com/china-india-arunachal-pradesh-zangnan-tibet-territorial-dispute-1884895 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2009, China has issued "stapled visas" to people from Arunachal Pradesh when they wish to travel to China, signaling that they are perceived as having the same right of movement as Chinese citizens throughout China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mukhopadhyay |first=Sounak |date=28 July 2023 |title=Explained: China issuing 'stapled visas' to Arunachal Pradesh players may concern national security; here's how |url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/explained-china-issuing-stapled-visas-to-arunachal-pradesh-players-may-concern-national-security-heres-how-11690521087136.html |work=Livemint |archive-date=8 September 2024 |access-date=8 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240908210416/https://www.livemint.com/news/india/explained-china-issuing-stapled-visas-to-arunachal-pradesh-players-may-concern-national-security-heres-how-11690521087136.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the late 19th century, the British sent an [[Sikkim expedition|expedition]] to guarantee suzerainty in Sikkim, aiming to secure it from Tibet.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cheng |first=Yi Meng |date=2021 |title=Expedition turned Invasion: The 1888 Sikkim Expedition through British, Indian and Chinese eyes |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/expedition-turned-invasion-the-1888-sikkim-expedition-through-british-indian-and-chinese-eyes/4A6485455608A4472104C5CF872127E9 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society |language=en |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=803–829 |doi=10.1017/S1356186321000018 |issn=1356-1863 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=2025-01-26 |access-date=2025-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126042634/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-royal-asiatic-society/article/abs/expedition-turned-invasion-the-1888-sikkim-expedition-through-british-indian-and-chinese-eyes/4A6485455608A4472104C5CF872127E9 |url-status=live }}</ref> In postcolonial times, China had a dispute over the status of Sikkim, which [[1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum|acceded to India]] in 1975, until 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-07-12 |title=Back off or China will readjust stance on Sikkim: Chinese daily |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-state-media-warns-india-back-off-border-dispute-or-beijing-will-support-sikkims-independence/articleshow/59468541.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389 |archive-date=2022-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402171622/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/chinese-state-media-warns-india-back-off-border-dispute-or-beijing-will-support-sikkims-independence/articleshow/59468541.cms?from=mdr |url-status=live }}</ref> However, 21st century border clashes have occurred between India and China in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-05 |title=Sikkim impasse: What is the India-China-Bhutan border standoff? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-india-china-bhutan-border-standoff-sikkim-doklam-chumbi-valley-4736620/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

=== Japan ===
During [[World War 2]], the Japanese military collaborated with the [[Indian National Army]] in the region;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Japan's Infrastructure Investment in Northeast India |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/japans-infrastructure-investment-in-northeast-india/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502020858/https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/japans-infrastructure-investment-in-northeast-india/ |url-status=live }}</ref> eventually, the westward expansion of the [[Japanese Empire]] was put to a stop in Northeast India in the 1944 [[Battle of Imphal]].

Northeast India is currently being prioritized by India and Japan as part of Japan's [[Free and Open Indo-Pacific]] strategy and as part of India's [[Act East policy]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borah |first=Rupakjyoti |date=9 December 2019 |title=How India and Japan Zoomed in on Northeast India |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/how-india-and-japan-zoomed-in-on-northeast-india/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502003925/https://thediplomat.com/2019/12/how-india-and-japan-zoomed-in-on-northeast-india/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with both countries seeing the region as especially important for creating trading routes due to their collective rejection of China's [[Belt and Road Initiative]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003165026/northeast-india-japan-mayumi-murayama-sanjoy-hazarika-preeti-gill |title=Northeast India and Japan: Engagement through Connectivity |date=2021-09-30 |publisher=Routledge India |isbn=978-1-003-16502-6 |editor=Mayumi Murayama |editor2=Sanjoy Hazarika |editor3=Preeti Gill |location=London |doi=10.4324/9781003165026 |archive-date=2024-05-02 |access-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502010211/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003165026/northeast-india-japan-mayumi-murayama-sanjoy-hazarika-preeti-gill |url-status=live }}</ref> Northeast India, in conjunction with the neighboring [[Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation|BIMSTEC country]] of [[Bangladesh]], is seen by Japan as an important region in containing China,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Doreen |date=2023-04-21 |title=Locating Bangladesh in Japan's North-East India Ambition |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502003926/https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> while India seeks to use its northeastern region to increase engagement with [[Southeast Asia]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Bhuyan |first=Aroonim |date=31 October 2018 |title=Why Northeast matters for India-Japan collaboration in Indo-Pacific (News Analysis) |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/why-northeast-matters-for-india-japan-collaboration-in-indo-pacific-news-analysis-118103100567_1.html |work=[[Business Standard]] |archive-date=2 May 2024 |access-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502004322/https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/why-northeast-matters-for-india-japan-collaboration-in-indo-pacific-news-analysis-118103100567_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> India's guarding of its northeast corner as a sensitive border region that it is unwilling to allow untrusted partner countries to invest in, is a major factor leading to India desiring Japan's involvement in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borah |first=Rupakjyoti |date=2021-03-14 |title=Japan Shares Good Reasons to Collaborate in Northeast India's Development {{!}} JAPAN Forward |url=https://japan-forward.com/japan-shares-good-reasons-to-collaborate-in-northeast-indias-development/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=japan-forward.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502005828/https://japan-forward.com/japan-shares-good-reasons-to-collaborate-in-northeast-indias-development/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Doreen |date=2023-04-21 |title=Locating Bangladesh in Japan's North-East India Ambition |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502003926/https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/21/locating-bangladesh-in-japans-north-east-india-ambition/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== South Asia ==
[[File:Eastern South Asia.png|thumb|Northeast India is part of the [[Eastern South Asia|eastern region of South Asia]].]]
=== Bangladesh ===
Northeast India is dependent on Bangladesh for access to the sea via Bangladesh’s [[Chittagong port]]. Initiatives for connectivity, like the [[Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project]] and the [[Akhaura–Agartala line]], are also relevant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lamkang |first=Leivon Albert |date=2024-10-04 |title=The Impact of Bangladesh's Political Shift on North East India's Geopolitics and Security |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/10/05/the-impact-of-bangladeshs-political-shift-on-north-east-indias-geopolitics-and-security/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Modern Diplomacy |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202200827/https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/10/05/the-impact-of-bangladeshs-political-shift-on-north-east-indias-geopolitics-and-security/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Bangladesh is also part of a proposed railway network that would allow the Northeast to connect with India through a more direct route.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-16 |title=Northeast's New Rail Route Via Bangladesh To Bypass 'Chicken's Neck' |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/northeasts-new-rail-route-via-bangladesh-to-bypass-chickens-neck-article-111037797 |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Times Now |language=en |archive-date=2025-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714153909/https://www.timesnownews.com/india/northeasts-new-rail-route-via-bangladesh-to-bypass-chickens-neck-article-111037797 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Bangladeshis in India|Immigration from Bangladesh]] has been a concern for indigenous populations in Northeast India, which oppose significant demographic change. This immigration has led to historical movements such as the [[Assam Movement]] of the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Phom |first1=Angshom |last2=Seth |first2=Chan |date=13 September 2024 |title=A Glimpse of Bangladesh's Political Crisis from Northeast India |url=https://morungexpress.com/a-glimpse-of-bangladeshs-political-crisis-from-northeast-india |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=[[The Morung Express]] |archive-date=2024-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009131705/https://morungexpress.com/a-glimpse-of-bangladeshs-political-crisis-from-northeast-india |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 21st century, some people in Assam and other states were deported to Bangladesh on suspicion of having illegally immigrated from Bangladesh (see also: [[National Register of Citizens for Assam]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-04 |title=Assam: 'I was pushed across the border into Bangladesh at gunpoint' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj78v79z9do |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB |archive-date=2025-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250605124553/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqj78v79z9do |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2025, India restricted its imports from Bangladesh after comments by caretaker Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus and others regarding Northeast India were deemed to be a threat, with the reduction in border trade impacting northeastern communities.<ref>{{Cite news |title=How border trade restrictions are impacting lives, livelihoods in the northeast |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/how-border-trade-restrictions-are-impacting-lives-livelihoods-in-the-northeast-101748595604020.html |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

=== Bhutan ===
{{Main|Bhutan–India relations}}Bhutan helped open up air routes from Northeast India to Southeast Asia in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northeast India Gets Closer to ASEAN, Courtesy of Bhutan |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/northeast-india-gets-closer-to-asean-courtesy-of-bhutan/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241230230603/https://thediplomat.com/2018/09/northeast-india-gets-closer-to-asean-courtesy-of-bhutan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same year, Bhutan also opened its second [[List of diplomatic missions of Bhutan|consulate]] in the easternmost portions of India in [[Guwahati]], [[Assam]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=India's New Gateway to Bhutan |url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/indias-new-gateway-to-bhutan/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212232212/https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/indias-new-gateway-to-bhutan/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== India ===
{{See also|Indian Himalayan Region|Inner Line Permit|Insurgency in Northeast India}}

Present-day Northeast India started to be annexed into [[British India]] in the early 19th century to defend the eastern frontier from the incursions of the [[Konbaung dynasty|Burmese Empire]], with [[British Assam|Assam]] becoming part of the [[Bengal Presidency]] until 1874.<ref>{{Cite news |title=How India's northeast rose against the British |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-indias-northeast-rebelled-against-the-british/articleshow/93479614.cms |access-date=2025-01-09 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=2022-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815181418/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-indias-northeast-rebelled-against-the-british/articleshow/93479614.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Siliguri Corridor sketch with Asian Highway segment.jpg|thumb|The [[Siliguri Corridor]] connects non-Northeast India and Northeast India]]

The treatment of the Northeast as separate from the [[Mainland India|rest of India]] during the colonial era has continued to negatively impact its integration into the Republic of India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phanjoubam |first=Pradip |date=2024-12-04 |title=The Northeast dares India to reinvent Itself |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2024/Dec/04/the-northeast-dares-india-to-reinvent-itself |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=2024-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241223051708/https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2024/Dec/04/the-northeast-dares-india-to-reinvent-itself |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Excerpt|Northeast India#Development and connectivity projects|paragraphs=1}}

=== Nepal ===
[[File:Limbu-people-Limbuwan-Nepal-Sikkim-map.jpg|thumb|The [[Limbu people]] live along the border of Nepal and Sikkim|left]]
Some retired Nepali troops settled in Northeast India (primarily in Sikkim) during the colonial era. In the present day, there has been some indigenous backlash to the Nepali diaspora.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dutt |first=Srikant |date=2021-09-10 |title=Migration and Development: The Nepalese in Northeast |url=https://journals.openedition.org/ebhr/?id=182 |journal=European Bulletin of Himalayan Research |language=en |issue=56 |doi=10.4000/ebhr.182 |issn=0943-8254|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Sikkim's 1975 [[1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum|accession to India]] was influenced by its ties to Nepal, as its ethnically Nepali population felt discriminated against by the Sikkimese government and sought better treatment by joining India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Times |first=Nepali |date=2021-07-03 |title=Letting go of Sikkim's ghost |url=https://nepalitimes.com/banner/letting-go-of-sikkims-ghost |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=nepalitimes.com |archive-date=2025-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126040650/https://nepalitimes.com/banner/letting-go-of-sikkims-ghost |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Southeast Asia ==
India has sought to use Northeast India to connect to Southeast Asia for trading purposes. However, recent conflicts such as the [[2023–2024 Manipur violence]] have reduced the stability of the region for this purpose.<ref>{{Cite web |title=As Manipur Burns, India's Connectivity Plans in Southeast Asia Go Up in Smoke |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/as-manipur-burns-indias-connectivity-plans-in-southeast-asia-go-up-in-smoke/ |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830155335/https://thediplomat.com/2023/07/as-manipur-burns-indias-connectivity-plans-in-southeast-asia-go-up-in-smoke/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Myanmar ===
{{See also|India–Myanmar relations|Involvement of Northeast Indian insurgents in the Myanmar conflict}}
[[File:Flag Map of British Raj (India).png|thumb|Myanmar (then Burma) was the easternmost part of mainland British India, bordering today's Northeast India and Bangladesh]]
Myanmar is the only Southeast Asian country that [[India–Myanmar border|borders]] Northeast India. Both places were part of [[British India]] for several decades; the dynamics of British rule in the region, which was the first time that a pan-Indian empire had fully conquered the [[Northeastern South Asia|Northeastern South Asian]] space, and Myanmar's 1937 [[Separation of Burma|separation]] from Indian administration, still affect their border regions today.<ref>[https://dkiapcss.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/PDFs/Edited%20Volumes/ReligiousRadicalism//PagesfromReligiousRadicalismandSecurityinSouthAsiach10.pdf Ethnicity, Ideology and Religion: Separatist Movements in India’s Northeast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228135041/https://dkiapcss.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/PDFs/Edited%20Volumes/ReligiousRadicalism//PagesfromReligiousRadicalismandSecurityinSouthAsiach10.pdf |date=2024-12-28 }} Subir Bhaumik</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Guyot-Réchard |first=Bérénice |date=2021 |title=Tangled Lands: Burma and India's Unfinished Separation, 1937–1948 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/abs/tangled-lands-burma-and-indias-unfinished-separation-19371948/76F4F6EC5CB7E7CC1B4DE7E8730CA788 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |language=en |volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=293–315 |doi=10.1017/S0021911820000017 |issn=0021-9118 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=2024-12-26 |access-date=2024-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226162303/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/abs/tangled-lands-burma-and-indias-unfinished-separation-19371948/76F4F6EC5CB7E7CC1B4DE7E8730CA788 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are substantial cross-border ethnic ties, with the Indian government [[North-East India security fence|having allowed]] a limited amount of unregulated movement across the border from 2018 to 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Yashraj |title='We're a single village': India seals Myanmar border, dividing families |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/4/11/were-a-single-village-india-seals-myanmar-border-dividing-families |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=2024-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830155335/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/4/11/were-a-single-village-india-seals-myanmar-border-dividing-families |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Thailand ===
[[File:India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway.svg|thumb|The planned [[India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway]], terminus in Manipur]]
The [[Tai peoples]] (Tai-Ahom people) of Northeast India share ethnic and linguistic ties with [[Thai people]].

== See also ==

* [[Eastern Himalayas]]
* [[Pacific Asia]]
* [[Tea Horse Road]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Northeast India}}

[[Category:Northeast India]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of India|Northeast India]]

Asian relations with Northeast India - Revision history

NydiaTalley110 at 03:00, 25 February 2026