Bangkok, Jan 19 (IANS) India’s Act East Policy, pursued under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, has enabled a more focused engagement with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). This approach signalled a major shift reflecting the growing recognition of the Indo-Pacific, rather than the Asia-Pacific, as the defining framework in diplomatic parlance, a report said on Monday.

“The India-ASEAN narrative has evolved from a position of optimism in 2017 as the dialogue partnership turned 25, to a narrative of resurgence in 2022, and finally, the narrative of strategic repositioning and imperative reclamation as of today. What started as an executionary mechanism to India’s Look East Policy has now given rise to a regional partnership that has withstood geopolitical tremors and a systemic dismantling of the global order,” a report in 'The Geo Strata' detailed.

“As regional strategic narratives become increasingly polarised in terms of alliances, stances, and areas of focus, they also reflect a potential sway by virtue of externally projected axes of power. The institutionalisation of narratives in the region, for the preservation of the idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific, has become increasingly critical,” it added

According to the report, before transitioning towards development-focused frameworks, the India-ASEAN collaborative narrative must be reshaped and strengthened through effective institutionalisation.

“The US Indo-Pacific strategy affirms ASEAN centrality. However, for Washington, this has merely taken the form of a diplomatic gesture. From the perspective of the European Union (EU), India and ASEAN sit at the helm of building a multipolar and rules-based Indo-Pacific. Regardless, these are simply minced words,” it mentioned.

The report stressed that India-ASEAN cooperation must be reframed through the lens of global leadership, trade competitiveness, and strategic sustainability. The initiatives, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Mekong-Ganga corridor, it said, which hold the potential to serve as alternatives to Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) corridors, need to reassert India-Pacific autonomy by projecting themselves as credible drivers of economic connectivity.

“With connectivity projects being delayed, limited flows of Foreign Direct Investment, and uneven trade integration, the expectations of India’s ability to reinforce ASEAN centrality stand at an all-time high. India-ASEAN cooperation strengthens middle-power dynamics, dilutes zero-sum geopolitics, and bolsters India’s credibility as an inclusive regional actor as it shares the burden of balancing relations with China without directly pulling ASEAN into a confrontation,” the report noted.

--IANS

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