Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-point action plan at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4, 2025. Two less-noticed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed: one between India’s Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and another between India’s North Eastern Handicrafts Development Corporation (NEHDC) and Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CCAT).
These MoUs underscore Northeast India's critical role, not just as a transit route, but as a key region for BIMSTEC nations. Trade among the BIMSTEC member countries has not increased significantly, remaining around 7 percent of total trade, despite the grouping representing 25 percent of the world’s population and $5.2 trillion in combined GDP. More than 20 years after the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was agreed in principle in 2004, it remains unimplemented. A major impediment is the lack of a functional land-based connectivity spine, which would necessarily traverse India’s Northeast region, sharing a 4,500 km border with five countries. Infrastructure projects, such as the Trilateral Highway, remain stalled, highlighting Northeast India's under-representation in India’s BIMSTEC engagement.
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