Talk about how important the ASEAN bloc is to India’s Act East strategy and SAGAR project.
Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative (so called) and strategic partnerships, China has been steadily growing its footprint in India`s neighborhood - challenging New Delhi traditional dominance of South Asia. India has to take an offensive strategy of "Neighborhood First" for this. Such a move willRead more
Driven by the Belt and Road Initiative (so called) and strategic partnerships, China has been steadily growing its footprint in India`s neighborhood – challenging New Delhi traditional dominance of South Asia. India has to take an offensive strategy of “Neighborhood First” for this. Such a move will entail strengthening economic partnerships to step up investments, larger development aid in the countries bordering China that could be an alternative route for Chinese engagement of economies. There is a great need of Improving diplomatic relation with regular High level interaction and addressing concern at regional Level Heightening security cooperation can alleviate some of the concerns surrounding China’s expanding presence, particularly through joint drills and intelligence sharing. Closer engagement in the sphere of soft power initiatives will be more productive, by taking advantage of India’s cultural and historical connections as well. Participation in regional organization as SAARC and building strategic partners (Quadrilateral) will act counter to China’s influence, giving a legitimate place for India stronger role on the regioneren landscape. In turn, India will effectively operationalise its “Neighborhood First” policy and protect her strategic interests in the backdrop of China spread across regions it earlier regarded as sacrosanct to itself.
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The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. Located at the intersection of the Indo-Pacific region, Southeast Asia finds itself at the centre of the emerging great power competitiRead more
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. Located at the intersection of the Indo-Pacific region, Southeast Asia finds itself at the centre of the emerging great power competition. In that context, the concept of ASEAN Centrality has emerged, which means:
India’s focus on a strengthened and multi-faceted relationship with ASEAN is an outcome of the significant changes in the world’s political and economic scenario since the early 1990s. At present, India accepts ASEAN centrality in its Act East policy and SAGAR initiative.
The centrality of ASEAN bloc in India’s Act East Policy can be understood in following terms:
India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine is linked to maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region to counter China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Route, which has both commercial and military implications in the form of String of Pearls strategy. It x also embraces the concept of ASEAN centrality:
The Prime Minister in his keynote address at Shangri La dialogue 2018 had stressed on the centrality of ASEAN as a key element of India’s conception of the Indo-Pacific. Thus, a cohesive and responsive ASEAN is essential for India’s Act East policy and SAGAR initiative. However, ASEAN is itself struggling to retain its internal coherence today. There have been serious differences on how to deal with the military coup in Myanmar. The land-based states such as Cambodia and Laos are indebted towards China and want a softer policy. India’s withdrawal from RCEP and its joining with QUAD is being considered as a potential threat to the ASEAN centrality. In that context, India needs to look beyond ASEAN or make its strategies more transparent.
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