<P> India's Look East policy is an effort to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China . Initiated in 1991, it marked a strategic shift in India's perspective of the world . It was developed and enacted during the government of Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991--1996) and rigorously pursued by the successive administrations of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998--2004) and Manmohan Singh (2004--2014). </P> <P> Ever since the Sino - Indian War of 1962, China and India have been strategic competitors in South and East Asia . China has cultivated close commercial and military relations with India's neighbour and rival Pakistan and competed for influence in Nepal and Bangladesh . After Deng Xiaoping's rise to power in China in 1979, China began reducing threats of expansionism and in turn cultivated extensive trade and economic relations with Asian nations . China became the closest partner and supporter of the military junta of Burma, which had been ostracised from the international community following the violent suppression of pro-democracy activities in 1988 . In contrast, during the Cold War India had a relatively hesitant relationship with many states in Southeast Asia and diplomatic relations with Southeast Asia were given a relatively low priority . </P>

Who initiated the look east policy and in which year