Vietnam pushes India to Play a vital role in ASEAN

Context

• Vietnam expects India to play a greater role in freedom of navigation in ASEAN strategic operations

Key Highlights

• Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasized the importance of India to support freedom of navigation in the South China Sea on the basis of international law and conventions.
• India and Vietnam share various political and economic interests.
• The Vietnamese leader further insisted that ASEAN will benefit from India’s inclusion in resolving maritime issues in a peaceful manner.
• In response, the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj emphasized the significance of ASEAN ties with India in its ‘Act East Policy’.

What is ASEAN?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Act East Policy

• Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the new government of India has made its relations with East Asian neighbors a foreign policy priority.
• India’s Act East Policy focusses on the extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region. The policy which was originally conceived as an economic initiative, has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.
• The Objective of ”Act East Policy” is to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels thereby providing enhanced connectivity to the States of North Eastern Region including Arunanchal Pradesh with other countries in our neighbourhood.