Yanitha Meena Louis argues that for the ASEAN-India relationship to reach its full potential, it must move beyond surface-level engagement and delve deeper into strategic issues that reflect the dynamic roles of both parties in a constantly evolving world.
The Eighth ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) Roundtable was held in Singapore from 7-8 November 2024. The theme “Navigating a World in Transition: Agenda for ASEAN-India Cooperation” aptly highlighted the mutual challenges faced by ASEAN and India, as well as their distinct roles and responsibilities in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
While the Roundtable aimed to generate tangible outcomes for ASEAN-India cooperation in areas such as trade, sustainability and digitalisation, it overlooked a critical dimension: India’s evolving role as a rising power and its engagement with Southeast Asia (SEA). This reinforces the argument that there is a lack of understanding of India’s aspiration and strategic positioning. India appears cautious about inadvertently positioning itself as another assertive actor in the region, whose actions such as promoting minilateralism and its own Indo-Pacific strategy could be misinterpreted as undermining ASEAN centrality.
Put simply, there is a mismatch of how India views itself, how ASEAN views India, and how India wants to be viewed by ASEAN. For the ASEAN-India relationship to advance meaningfully as comprehensive strategic partners, both sides need to address these gaps in perception and articulate their strategic ambitions with greater clarity and honesty.
The dynamics of ASEAN-India relations can be likened to a phrase from Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest – “The trivial things of life are treated seriously, and all the serious things of life are treated with sincere and studied triviality.” In the context of ASEAN-India relations, there is an over-emphasis on less contentious areas of cooperation, while critical or strategic issues are sidelined or approached with undue caution. This pattern of calculated neglect diminishes the potential for meaningful dialogue and prevents deeper strategic alignment and cooperation. It is time for a change.
India’s steady rise as a global player is evident in its significant role in minilateral and multilateral mechanisms such as Quad, BRICS+, IORA, G20, and BIMSTEC, and its leadership in initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuel Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. However, ASEAN and its member states’ reception to Indian-led initiatives has been lukewarm, largely constrained by their arguably outdated perceptions and a preference for safer functional cooperation, reducing the scope for deeper ties.
India’s Act East Policy (AEP), which is anchored to its Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), is not consistently performed in SEA, considering how SEA has not been wholly forthcoming with Indo-Pacific semantics. Although a Joint Statement was released at the ASEAN-India Summit to mark a decade of the AEP’s introduction, it primarily reiterated existing cooperation without introducing new ways of strategic alignment. Mention of the IPOI were minimal, raising questions about its relevance and long-term viability. To date, only Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia have endorsed the IPOI bilaterally.
Also, while ASEAN and India have affirmed commitment to align strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific by exploring synergies between the AOIP and IPOI, it is at most and at best a first step without long-term or tangible commitment.
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s ten-point plan to deepen ASEAN-India cooperation, unveiled at the ASEAN Summit, failed to match the ambition of his 12-point proposal announced at the 2023 Jakarta Summit. The latter plan was ambitious, reiterated the significance and utility of Indian-led multilateral frameworks and called for collective Global South mobilisation. In fact, a closer look at the plan suggests that the basis of the India–Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced days later at the New Delhi G20 Summit was first announced in Jakarta, where PM Modi proposed “establishing multi-modal connectivity and economic corridor that links South-East Asia-India-West Asia-Europe”.
Perhaps then, there was actionable awareness and optimism about elevating ASEAN-India ties beyond their self-imposed comfort zone. A year later, however, possibly with the realisation that initiatives like the IMEC are in temporary deadlock due to the war in Gaza and the perennial slow progress of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, both India’s language and enthusiasm has regressed.
Despite these challenges, there are emerging signs of the AEP driving a common Global South agenda that resonates with SEA. However, these efforts must go beyond symbolic affirmations. India’s rising profile in the region should be underpinned by a clearer articulation of its role as a partner for ASEAN. Insights from the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s State of Southeast Asia Survey, which identified India as being among the top “third party” choices to hedge against the uncertainties of the strategic rivalry between the US and China but ranked India ninth in terms of strategic relevance to ASEAN, highlight the urgency of recalibrating India’s public diplomacy and perception-building efforts.
The ASEAN-India relationship must grapple with critical questions in order to move forward. Can India position itself as a normative power in SEA with its Global South aspirations? Can India function as a first responder to SEA as it does for South Asia, with a role in ASEAN-led humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) initiatives? Does India see itself as a balancer in the region in the midst of tense US-China rivalry or is it content to be viewed as a pragmatic, non-confrontational alternative? Academics and policy-makers answering these questions should be a priority in platforms such as the AINTT Roundtable. It is essential to chart a course for deeper engagement between ASEAN and India to avoid whatever outdated narratives that still constrain India’s potential in the region.
To build a meaningful partnership, ASEAN and India could promote greater inter-regional connectivity by leveraging frameworks such as the IORA and BIMSTEC. This can help to redefine their partnership in a way that acknowledges India’s rising influence while addressing the strategic realities of an interconnected world. Most importantly, it would provide both parties with the opportunity to consciously shape a Global South cooperation agenda that is shared across regions.
The evolving dynamics between ASEAN and India underscore hard truths. Failing to seek greater strategic alignment risks perpetuating a cycle of missed opportunities. In a world in flux, the ASEAN-India relationship must rise above “sincere and studied triviality” to forge a partnership that is both meaningful and future-ready.
Editor’s Note:
ASEANFocus+ articles are timely critical insight pieces published by the ASEAN Studies Centre.
This article first appeared in the Fulcrum on 6 December 2024.
