The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meet coincides with three decades of India-ASEAN partnership and a decade of India’s strategic partnership with ASEAN.
Abraham Lincoln’s comment, “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm” serves as a correct backdrop for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meet scheduled in New Delhi from 16-17 June 2022.
ASEAN is the abbreviation for Association of South East Asian Nations, which is a 10-member alliance comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, all of which are located in Southeast Asia. It was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok.
The primary objective of ASEAN is to accelerate economic growth through social progress and cultural development and the secondary objective is to promote regional peace and stability based on the rule of law and the principle of the United Nations charter.
The ASEAN countries have a combined area of 4,552,518 square kilometres with an aggregate population of 665 million (8.5% of the world population) and a cumulative GDP of US$9.731 trillion, thus making it a global powerhouse apart from its strategic location and immense geopolitical value.
Though India is not part of ASEAN due to its geographical location but it has a close relationship with ASEAN.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meet coincides with three decades of India-ASEAN partnership and a decade of India’s strategic partnership with ASEAN.
The India-ASEAN partnership was elevated to strategic partnership when New Delhi hosted the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on 20-21 December 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of ASEAN. Since then, India-ASEAN relations have been soaring to greater heights.
The New Delhi meeting comes in the backdrop of China making inroads in its quest to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and the recently concluded successful Quad summit in Tokyo on 24 May.
India with its visionary foreign policy sensed three decades ago that since all the members of ASEAN are either located near China or are on important shipping routes which are vital for the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, it has maintained good and cordial relations with this bloc.
On 13 May 2022, the ASEAN leaders met US President Joe Biden in the White House where the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which was to be unveiled a few days later in the Tokyo Quad Summit, was discussed. The US President also announced an investment of US$150 million in the ASEAN region.
In 2020, the US invested US$34 billion as compared to China investing US$19 billion in the ASEAN region.
The launch of IPEF at the Tokyo Quad saw seven members of ASEAN signing this economic treaty which included Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam thus cementing ties between the Quad and ASEAN.
With an assurance of US$50 billion investment to bolster the infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region in the Tokyo Quad summit, the Indo-Pacific region will shatter the dreams and desires of China to have a hegemony in the region, in which ASEAN will play a pivotal role.
The massive finances pouring into the Indo-Pacific region will see immense employment and business opportunities, as ports, airfields, jetties and buildings will be constructed, thus inducing a tectonic shift in the infrastructure of the region.
The upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meet in New Delhi is a firm foot forward in international relations and will focus on security, resilient supply chains, health security, green sustainable development, digital economy and vaccines and for a sustainable economic recovery of the participating nations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Andrew Carnegie aptly remarked “The world of great opportunity is available now, as it has always been, only for those with great vision”.
Lt Col J.S. Sodhi (Retd), who retired from the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army, is an alumnus of NDA, Khadakwasla and IIT Kanpur. He is an M.Tech in Structures, has done MBA and LLB and is a prolific writer and a public speaker. He Tweets and Koos at @JassiSodhi24. The views expressed are personal.