Asean

The Association for South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was setup by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand. It is now is a group of ten countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The major focus area is to promote economic and security cooperation among the member countries. India established a distinct Mission to ASEAN and the East Asia Summit in Jakarta in April 2015, with a dedicated Ambassador to enhance interaction with ASEAN.

The Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) was established in 1961 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to promote economic, cultural, and social cooperation. It was formalized in 1967 through the Bangkok Declaration. The first ASEAN Summit in 1967 pledged to work towards regional peace and stability. The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in 1976 established diplomatic relations and collaboration. The ASEAN Free Trade Area was established in 1992, and the ASEAN Charter in 2008 provided a legal framework. The ASEAN Economic Community was established in 2015, and in 2020, ASEAN joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is an international group founded to maintain social and political stability amid escalating tensions among Asia-Pacific's post-colonial governments. "One Vision, One Identity, One Community" is ASEAN's slogan. ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia. ASEAN countries possess a total population of 662 million people and their GDP was $ 3.2 Trillion in 2022.

• ASEAN Summit: It happens once a year, to confer regional issues and set the policy guidelines.
• ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC):It supervises the execution of ASEAN treaties and decisions.
• ASEAN Secretariat: It Supports and accelerates ASEAN’s events.
• ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF):It is majorly focused on cooperation on political and security issues among ASEAN countries and their partners.
• Decision Making: It is done through discussion and agreement.

• Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations.
• The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion.
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.
• Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner.
• Renunciation of the threat or use of force.
• Effective cooperation among themselves.

• To promote economic growth, social improvement, and cultural development for a prosperous and peaceful Southeast Asian community.
• Encourage regional peace and stability by upholding justice, the rule of law, and the ideals of the UN Charter.
• Encourage cooperation and mutual support in economic, social, cultural, technological, scientific, and administrative spheres.
• Improve collaboration to maximize agriculture and industries, expand commerce, improve transportation and communications, and raise people's living standards.
• Promote Southeast Asian studies.
• Enhance cooperation with existing international and regional organizations.

• By establishing agreements such as TAC and ARF, they have contributed to regional peace and stability.
• ASEAN is a manufacturing hub and commerce hub and the world’s fourth largest exporter.
• It is a fast expanding trade and investment market.
• A major shipping route for the trade is the Strait of Malacca.
• ASEAN’s strategic placement at the interaction of major commercial routes makes it a valuable hub for trade and business.
• To utilize the strategic position to influence global concerns, ASEAN has established strong diplomatic ties with key nations like the US, China, and Japan.

ASEAN is one of the key tenets of India's Act East Policy, hence there are many areas of collaboration between the two countries.

• Annual summit: India and ASEAN presently hold yearly summits.
  In 1992, the official involvement started as a "Sectoral Dialogue Partner," and in 1996, it changed to a "Dialogue Partner." In 2002, it was raised to the Summit level.
• Trade and Investment: The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India and ASEAN inked has increased investment and trade between the two. India's fourth-largest supplier of goods is ASEAN. In 2021–2022, total trade was $110.4 billion.
  • The ASEAN-India Business Council (AIBC) was established in 2005 with the intention of promoting stronger commercial ties.
• Regional connectivity: With projects like the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway, India is attempting to improve connectivity with ASEAN nations.
• Defense and Security: Through joint military drills like the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM+), India and ASEAN have improved their security relations.
  • As an illustration, India centers its Indo-Pacific vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) around ASEAN.
  • India-ASEAN Agreement on Maritime Cooperation, 2019.
  • India has participated in several joint exercises with ASEAN countries, such as the Malabar naval exercise and the Tiger Cub air exercise.
  • The ADMM+ brings together Defence Ministers from the 10 ASEAN nations plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States on a biannual basis.
• Socio-cultural cooperation: To strengthen ties between people, India and ASEAN have encouraged cultural exchanges.
  • Example :One such initiative is the annual invitation extended to ASEAN students to visit India for the Students Exchange Programme
• Business & Innovation: The ASEAN-India Start-up Festival seeks to highlight the most innovative and promising ideas in the area. The ASEAN-India Grassroots Innovation Forum offers a platform for community entrepreneurs to showcase their goods and exchange insights on grassroots innovation. The ASEAN India Business Council (AIBC) is a forum that unites important actors in the private sector from ASEAN nations and India on one stage for idea sharing and business connections.
• Education and research: India established the ASEAN-India Centre at the Research and Information System for Developing Nations (RIS).
  • Example: the ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks, the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Lecture Series, the Exchange of Parliamentarians, and a Special Training Course for ASEAN diplomats.
• Delhi Dialogue, 2009: Every year, ASEAN and India hold a Track 1.5 forum to talk about socioeconomic, cultural, and political-security problems.
• Funding: The ASEAN-India Green Fund and the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund and Science and Technology Development Fund support cooperative research and development in the areas of climate change, energy efficiency, clean technology, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, and environmental education.
• A meeting of the economic ministers from ASEAN and India to promote cooperation in the economy and guarantee long-term gains for both parties.

Instabilities in South Asia have an impact on ASEAN's economic and regional relations.

• The Rohingya crisis in Myanmar questioned ASEAN's commitment to non-interference in member states' internal affairs.
• ASEAN took action against Myanmar's junta following a forcible takeover in 2021.
• ASEAN has had challenges in resolving issues in the South China Sea.
• ASEAN's member members face a significant economic disparity. Cambodia has the lowest GDP, about a quarter of Singapore's.
• Lower-income states face resource restrictions, resulting in inadequate implementation of regional efforts. The diversity of political systems, including democrats, communists, and authoritarian nations, can lead to difficulties in negotiating a united response to challenges.
• The conflict settlement process is ineffective owing to the members' various political and economic conditions.

In India-ASEAN cooperation, India presented 12 point plans that support their relationship, including connectivity, digital transformation, trade and economic engagement, addressing present challenges, people-to-people contact, and deepening strategic engagement. These 12 points plan includes:-

• To connect Southeast Asia, India, West Asia, and Europe by establishing multimodal connectivity and an economic corridor.
• India's digital public infrastructure stack shares with ASEAN partners.
• To focus on cooperation for the digital future, digital transformation, and financial connectivity, they announce the ASEAN-India fund.
• For improving the engagement in the Economic and Research Institutes of ASEAN and East Asia, renew the support to share knowledge with each other.
• To raise the issues that are faced by the Global South in the multilateral forum.
• To join the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine being established by WHO in India, invited by ASEAN countries.
• They invite us to work together on Mission Life (Lifestyle for the Environment).
• Through Jan-Aushadhi Kendras, India shares their experiences in providing affordable and quality medicine to people.
• Joint efforts to fight against terrorism, terror financing, and cyber-disinformation.
• For cooperation in disaster management, we invited ASEAN countries to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
• To enhance the collaboration on maritime safety, security, and domain awareness.

India needs a strong diplomatic relationship with ASEAN nations for economic and security reasons. Connectivity with ASEAN can enhance India's presence in the region, ensuring economic growth for Northeast India. Improved trade ties with ASEAN counter China's presence and support India's economic growth. ASEAN's central position in the Indo-Pacific security architecture is vital for India, as most trade relies on maritime security. Collaboration with ASEAN is necessary to counter insurgency, combat terrorism, and tax evasions.