BRP Bhaskar
Gulf Today
The presence of leaders of all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the 69th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi last Friday signalled renewed emphasis on the Narendra Modi administration’s Act East policy.
Customarily India hosts one foreign head of state or government at the Republic Day celebrations, the highlight of which is a spectacular display of its growing military might. This time the guest list was lengthened to accommodate all the ASEAN leaders who were coming for a summit-level meeting to wrap up the year-long celebrations of the 25th anniversary of India’s association with that body.
To underscore the importance it attaches to ASEAN, India also included one distinguished person from each of the 10 countries in the Republic Day honours list.
A coordinated behind-the-scenes effort by Indian diplomats resulted in the simultaneous appearance of an op-ed written by Modi in 27 newspapers in these countries. In it he noted that India’s relationship with ASEAN nations is “free from contests and claims”.
ASEAN, which began as a five-nation group in 1967, now has 10 members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Starting as a sectoral partner of the group in 1992, India became a dialogue partner in 1996 and summit-level partner in 2002.
India is also one of the six partners with which ASEAN has free trade agreements, the others being China, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. It is already India’s fourth largest trading partner, but in ASEAN’s trade chart India is at the seventh place. Both sides are eager to expand their two-way trade.
Five years ago ASEAN and its six partners agreed on the establishment of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to broaden and deepen their mutual engagement and enhance their participation in the economic development of the region. Negotiations are still on to put it in the form of a treaty.
RCEP is an initiative with immense significance since the 16 countries hold about one-half of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the annual world exports.
Like India, ASEAN has gone beyond Look East and is pursuing an Act Asia policy. Therefore, political and security factors are also now in the picture. Since 1996 India has been attending meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which discusses security matters.
ASEAN handles security issues in a broad framework. The biannual meeting of its Defence Ministers is attended by their counterparts from not only the six partners but also Russia and the United States.
Since 2009, India and ASEAN have been holding a Delhi Dialogue each year to discuss politico-security and economic issues.
A question that comes up naturally is how the US plan to draw India, along with Japan and Australia, into a Quad, conceived as a phalanx against growingly assertive China, will impact its multi-level ties with ASEAN.
ASEAN is a grouping of nations with differing backgrounds. In the Cold War era some of them were aligned with the US, some were part of the Communist bloc and some were members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Driven primarily by economic considerations, they are in the process of coming to terms with the new global realities.
China began liberalisation before India did and also established formal relations with ASEAN before India did. ASEAN does more trade with China than with India. Some ASEAN members have territorial disputes with China. Against this background, members of the group generally view strong ties with India as a means of increasing their foreign policy options. China-ASEAN
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, from which India is staying out, aims at establishing secure sea routes from its coast to the Mediterranean and developing land routes which will serve as an alternative if the maritime path is blocked. Some ASEAN countries have joined BRI but they are believed to be open also to connectivity proposals from India.
India is already working on a highway from its northeastern border to Myanmar and Thailand. It is expected to be completed by 2020 and may be extended later to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Territorial disputes between China and other countries, including some belonging to ASEAN, make South China Sea a hotspot. It is witnessing militarisation with China increasing naval patrols and the US sending naval vessels in the name of freedom of navigation.
India and ASEAN too have interest in free navigation but they must avoid getting embroiled in the Chinese and American adventures. -- Gulf Today, Sharjah, January 30, 2018
Gulf Today
The presence of leaders of all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the 69th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi last Friday signalled renewed emphasis on the Narendra Modi administration’s Act East policy.
Customarily India hosts one foreign head of state or government at the Republic Day celebrations, the highlight of which is a spectacular display of its growing military might. This time the guest list was lengthened to accommodate all the ASEAN leaders who were coming for a summit-level meeting to wrap up the year-long celebrations of the 25th anniversary of India’s association with that body.
To underscore the importance it attaches to ASEAN, India also included one distinguished person from each of the 10 countries in the Republic Day honours list.
A coordinated behind-the-scenes effort by Indian diplomats resulted in the simultaneous appearance of an op-ed written by Modi in 27 newspapers in these countries. In it he noted that India’s relationship with ASEAN nations is “free from contests and claims”.
ASEAN, which began as a five-nation group in 1967, now has 10 members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Starting as a sectoral partner of the group in 1992, India became a dialogue partner in 1996 and summit-level partner in 2002.
India is also one of the six partners with which ASEAN has free trade agreements, the others being China, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. It is already India’s fourth largest trading partner, but in ASEAN’s trade chart India is at the seventh place. Both sides are eager to expand their two-way trade.
Five years ago ASEAN and its six partners agreed on the establishment of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to broaden and deepen their mutual engagement and enhance their participation in the economic development of the region. Negotiations are still on to put it in the form of a treaty.
RCEP is an initiative with immense significance since the 16 countries hold about one-half of the world’s population and more than a quarter of the annual world exports.
Like India, ASEAN has gone beyond Look East and is pursuing an Act Asia policy. Therefore, political and security factors are also now in the picture. Since 1996 India has been attending meetings of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which discusses security matters.
ASEAN handles security issues in a broad framework. The biannual meeting of its Defence Ministers is attended by their counterparts from not only the six partners but also Russia and the United States.
Since 2009, India and ASEAN have been holding a Delhi Dialogue each year to discuss politico-security and economic issues.
A question that comes up naturally is how the US plan to draw India, along with Japan and Australia, into a Quad, conceived as a phalanx against growingly assertive China, will impact its multi-level ties with ASEAN.
ASEAN is a grouping of nations with differing backgrounds. In the Cold War era some of them were aligned with the US, some were part of the Communist bloc and some were members of the Non-Aligned Movement. Driven primarily by economic considerations, they are in the process of coming to terms with the new global realities.
China began liberalisation before India did and also established formal relations with ASEAN before India did. ASEAN does more trade with China than with India. Some ASEAN members have territorial disputes with China. Against this background, members of the group generally view strong ties with India as a means of increasing their foreign policy options. China-ASEAN
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, from which India is staying out, aims at establishing secure sea routes from its coast to the Mediterranean and developing land routes which will serve as an alternative if the maritime path is blocked. Some ASEAN countries have joined BRI but they are believed to be open also to connectivity proposals from India.
India is already working on a highway from its northeastern border to Myanmar and Thailand. It is expected to be completed by 2020 and may be extended later to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Territorial disputes between China and other countries, including some belonging to ASEAN, make South China Sea a hotspot. It is witnessing militarisation with China increasing naval patrols and the US sending naval vessels in the name of freedom of navigation.
India and ASEAN too have interest in free navigation but they must avoid getting embroiled in the Chinese and American adventures. -- Gulf Today, Sharjah, January 30, 2018
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