India recently participated in the 18th India-ASEAN Summit, where the year 2022 was marked as India-ASEAN Friendship Year. The annual summit is a platform for India and ASEAN countries to engage at the highest level. In this article, we will decode the key takeaways from the summit and the larger implications for the region.
ASEAN’s Centrality in India’s Act East Policy
The summit underlined ASEAN’s centrality in India’s Act East Policy and its wider Indo-Pacific Vision. It also welcomed the adoption of the India-ASEAN Joint Statement on cooperation for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. This agreement builds on the synergies between the ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
Enhancing India-ASEAN Connectivity
The leaders exchanged views on broadening India-ASEAN connectivity on physical, digital, and individual levels. India pledged support for establishing the ASEAN Cultural Heritage List to strengthen cultural connectivity between India and ASEAN.
Trade and Investment
The need to diversify supply chains and revamp the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for post-Covid economic recovery was highlighted. This move underlines the importance of resilience in trade relations and a conducive environment for investment.
Rule-Based Order and Regional Issues
Discussions also took place on international and regional issues including the South China Sea and terrorism. Emphasis was placed on promoting a rules-based order in the region, especially through adherence to international law, particularly the UNCLOS.
India’s Covid-19 Efforts
India’s contribution to the fight against the pandemic was noted, including medical supplies worth USD 200,000 to ASEAN’s humanitarian initiative for Myanmar and USD 1 million for ASEAN’s Covid-19 Response Fund.
India-ASEAN and China
Both India and ASEAN aim to establish a rules-based security architecture for peaceful development, counterbalancing China’s aggressive policies. Several ASEAN members, like Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, have territorial disputes with China, making this an important factor in the relationship.
About ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten member states. It is India’s 4th largest trading partner, with about USD 86.9 billion in trade.
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific
The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific offers an enabling environment for peace, stability, prosperity, upholding the rules-based regional architecture, closer economic cooperation, and confidence and trust-building.
India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)
IPOI is an open, non-treaty based initiative for countries to collaborate for cooperative solutions to common challenges in the region. The IPOI focuses on seven pillars including Maritime Security, Maritime Ecology, Maritime Resources, Capacity Building and Resource Sharing, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation, Trade Connectivity, and Maritime Transport.
