Analyst urges India to adopt a ‘Look East’ approach

Sanjaya Baru urges India to learn from East Asian economic successes and strengthen ties for global leadership.

Noted policy analyst and former Prime Minister’s media adviser Sanjaya Baru has called upon India to adopt a stronger “Look East” approach, urging policymakers to learn from the economic successes of East and Southeast Asian nations rather than relying excessively on Western models.

He was delivering a lecture on “Rising India in a Rising Asia” at the 15th Memorial Lecture organised by the Kanakadurgamba and Jandhyala Dakshina Murthy Family Charitable Trust here on Monday (February 23, 2026).

Mr. Sanjay Baru emphasised the importance of strengthening ties not only with immediate neighbours such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, but also with major Asian economies including China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Singapore.

India, he said, must draw three key lessons from the East — sustained investment in education, promotion of labour-intensive manufacturing industries, and continuous efforts to improve relations with neighbouring countries.  It would help India in becoming global leader.

Mr. Sanjay Baru observed that valuable lessons are not limited to developed East Asian economies such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Developing economies like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, along with China, also offer important insights into rapid industrialisation and export-led growth.

“I would always encourage Indians to look East — to travel to China, observe and learn from societies that have successfully combined state policy, industrial growth, and global integration,” he said.