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In the intricate web of geopolitics manoeuvre, India is a bastion of stability, guided by cooperation, reciprocity, and strategic foresight. Integral to its foreign policy architecture is the Look East Policy that established a strategic partnership in 2012 between India and ASEAN, which serves as the bedrock of regional cooperation and economic prosperity while simultaneously countering the aggressive overtures of China. India has consistently supported ASEAN’s stance on the South China Sea issue, advocating for peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This partnership supports maintaining regional peace, stability, maritime security, counter-terrorism, and cultural heritage exchange.
India-ASEAN Historical and Cultural Ties
India’s engagement with Southeast Asia is steeped in centuries-old cultural ties, shared economic interests, and a commitment to mutual prosperity. The long spirit of these ties provides a strong foundation for contemporary relations and fosters people-to-people linkages between India and ASEAN member states—the ethos of friendship and cooperation aimed at deepening regional integration and enhancing strategic partnerships.
Trade economy and connective initiatives
India’s engagement with ASEAN is anchored by economic cooperation. ASEAN is India’s fourth-largest trading partner, and India is ASEAN’s seventh-largest trading partner. Both sides have implemented various measures to enhance trade and investment flows, including the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.
India actively enhances physical and digital connectivity with ASEAN member states through infrastructure development projects, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. These initiatives aim to facilitate more significant trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges between India and ASEAN.
Defence and maritime security
Given the importance of maritime security in the South China Sea, India and ASEAN collaborate in order to enhance interoperability, build capacity, and foster mutual trust. India has strengthened its defence capabilities while deepening its security partnerships. Through a series of strategic pacts and joint military exercises(Garud Shakti, Force 18, Vinbax, Maitree, Bold Kurukshetra, Samudra Shakti, Simbex, IMCOR, etc ) These initiatives serve as a bulwark against emerging security threats, particularly in light of escalating tensions emanating from the aggressive posturing of the Chinese pla also these initiatives brought to ensure freedom of navigation, promote maritime safety, and combat piracy and other transnational crimes. By bolstering its defence posture and fostering a network of like-minded allies, India sends a clear message of deterrence to those who seek to undermine regional stability.
India-Philippines BrahMos Missile Deal
In recent times, India, a member of ASEAN and the protagonist of PLA aggression, Philippines, inked a $375 million deal for the procurement of missiles. This move altered the geopolitics dynamic of the South China Sea. With this strep, India also marked itself as a potential defence exporter and symbolised as a fair source of defence support for small countries with its cheap and good quality marks. One of the key implications of this deal is its impact on the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea. This deal also marks India’s rising position in the South China Sea region and checks Chinese aggression.
Vietnam-India Defence Ties
With the intention of maintaining peace and bidding constitution of sea, India handed over its warship with 12 high-speed boats to the Vietnamese Navy to boost its capabilities under a $100 million line of credit to the country the transfer of INS Kirpan1,450-tonne Khukri-class missile corvette will serve as a catalyst for enhancing bilateral relations between the two navies, this action of security collaboration between the two countries would ensure that no “single nation” can unilaterally alter or misinterpret rules to serve its own interests in the Indo-Pacific Region. India also states it will harness its immense potential to safeguard its national maritime interests, contribute to regional security, and foster peace and stability in the South China Sea.
India India’s Look East represent a strategic imperative aimed at fostering regional cooperation, economic integration, and security partnerships. Rooted in a rich tapestry of historical ties and guided by the principles of diplomacy and strategic foresight, these policies serve as the cornerstone of India’s engagement with its neighbours and the wider Indo-Pacific region. As India reaffirms its commitment to upholding maritime solidarity and countering external aggression, it sends a resolute message to the world: that it stands ready to defend the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law in pursuit of a peaceful and prosperous future for all nations. Look East Policy serves as an indispensable tool in countering Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and strengthening diplomatic ties with ASEAN nations.
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