[Answered] Examine the geopolitical significance of ASEAN as a stable partner for India. Critically analyze the strategy needed to enhance ties amid the ongoing flux and regional urges.

Introduction

In an era of Indo-Pacific flux, ASEAN’s centrality and India’s “Act East Policy” have emerged as pivotal. With ASEAN constituting India’s 4th-largest trading partner (US$110 billion, 2023), strategic synergy is indispensable.

Geopolitical Significance of ASEAN for India

1. Strategic Maritime Importance: ASEAN lies at the heart of the Indo-Pacific maritime architecture, controlling the Straits of Malacca, a vital chokepoint through which nearly 55% of India’s trade and 80% of its energy imports transit. The grouping acts as a geopolitical buffer between India and China, ensuring regional multipolarity and preventing Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.
2. Economic and Connectivity Linkages: India’s partnership with ASEAN is anchored in the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA, 2010), covering goods, services, and investments. Flagship projects like the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project exemplify India’s connectivity diplomacy linking South and Southeast Asia.
3. Diplomatic and Multilateral Leverage: ASEAN’s centrality in the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and ADMM+ provides India a crucial voice in shaping the Indo-Pacific’s evolving security architecture. India’s vision of a “Free, Open, and Inclusive Indo-Pacific” (FOIIP) resonates strongly with ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
4. Security and Defence Cooperation: India has intensified maritime cooperation under Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) and conducted joint exercises like SIMBEX (Singapore) and MILAN (Visakhapatnam). Counter-terrorism training, cyber security cooperation, and disaster relief coordination reinforce ASEAN’s role as India’s security stabilizer.

The Ongoing Flux and Regional Urges

1. China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea and coercive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects have unsettled ASEAN nations, many of which seek strategic hedging through deeper engagement with India.
2. The US-China rivalry and fragmentation of global supply chains post-COVID-19 have enhanced the attractiveness of India as a trusted production and security partner.
3. Domestic challenges within ASEAN — like political instability in Myanmar and resource competition — make India’s non-interventionist and developmental diplomacy more acceptable.
4. As ASEAN seeks diversification, India must project itself not just as a balancing power but as a developmental and normative partner rooted in shared values of democracy and pluralism.

Strategies to Enhance Ties

1. Deepening Economic Integration: Rationalize AIFTA to address trade deficits (currently ~$43 billion in ASEAN’s favour). Integrate with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) norms through sectoral cooperation. Promote digital economy partnerships and green technology investments under “Act East 2.0.”
2. Connectivity and Infrastructure: Expedite the Trilateral Highway Extension to Vietnam. Integrate ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity 2025 with India’s PM Gati Shakti and Sagarmala projects. Establish an ASEAN-India Maritime Logistics Hub in the Andaman-Nicobar region.
3. Strategic and Security Collaboration: Institutionalize ASEAN-India Maritime Dialogue and enhance joint patrols in the Andaman Sea. Promote defence technology co-development and capacity building under Make in India for the Indo-Pacific.
4. People-to-People and Cultural Diplomacy: Strengthen educational exchanges via the ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks. Promote Buddhist and maritime heritage corridors linking Nalanda, Bodh Gaya, and Southeast Asia to revive India’s soft power narrative.
5. Multilateral Coordination: Use platforms like Quad, IORA, and EAS for converging ASEAN’s regional security goals with India’s Indo-Pacific Vision. Reinforce ASEAN centrality through inclusive multilateralism rather than alliance politics.

Conclusion

As Amartya Sen reminds in The Idea of Justice, cooperation thrives on inclusive fairness. India and ASEAN must co-create a resilient Indo-Pacific order anchored in equality, stability, and mutual growth.