India is a major South Asian participant in Gulf–North-East Asian energy and economic interactions. Not only is India a growing economy, but also a major energy user with expanding consumption.

Robert Kaplan quoted Admiral Sureesh Mehta as saying that India's economy had been expanding at 9 per cent yearly, with 10 per cent increase in industrial production, and the size of its middle class is anticipated to expand from 200 million to 500 million people by the year 2020. These figures may have implications for India's trade and energy imports from the Middle East. However, Indian economic statistics may not be the only item that underlines India's growing importance for the Middle East.

India's commercially strategic position on the map should experience enhanced importance with increases in its economic status. Energy resources en route from the Middle East to North-East Asia must pass through India or the Indian Ocean. It is, therefore, logical for India to utilize its strategic position to highlight its economic, energy and commercial significance for the Middle East. India's geopolitical concerns, its economic incentives and the stability of its territories may increasingly have a direct impact on energy delivery from the Middle East to North-East Asia. It may also determine the pricing of energy resources.