This Republic Day, 10 heads of states from ASEAN countries would be participating as chief guests in the parade at Rajpath in New Delhi. This is the first time all 10 leaders have been invited by New Delhi for the January 26 ceremony.
This is both unusual and historic. It is unusual because this is a significant departure from the past where chief guests for the Republic Day ceremony were invited as part of tradition established for decades. Though diplomatic meetings used to happen during those visits too, the meetings were much more symbolic in nature. And the visit of heads of states to our Republic Day ceremony didn’t carry such a huge diplomatic meaning as it does today.
Secondly, it is historic because this time, India is trying to engage with the region as a whole rather than involve just one country. This step is very much a part of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ which the Modi government seems be pushing forward ardently.
This could be understood from PM Narendra Modi’s address on the Mann Ki Baat program, where he remarked that the event would be “remembered through the ages”. Modi added, “On 26 January, the arrival of great leaders of 10 nations of the world as a unit is a matter of pride for all Indians.”
While this might be seen as just another rhetorical statement by Modi, it certainly carries a lot of value to observers of international relations. We have to keep in mind that only last year, India and ASEAN completed 25 years of partnership. And analysing the recent developments, one can say that India’s engagement with ASEAN countries has certainly seen a shift from ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’.
This should not be seen as merely a nomenclature change. India’s Look East policy was initiated in 1991 by the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and has often been described as “a multi-faceted and multi-pronged approach to establish strategic links with many individual countries, evolve closer political links with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and develop strong economic bonds with the region”.
On the other hand, the Act East Policy under the Modi government originated at the East Asia Summit in Myanmar in November 2014. This policy basically reflects India’s re-energised efforts to re-engage with the region, which has often been neglected by India in the past as argued by many foreign policy experts.
But the questions now are: Why did India wait so long to shift its focus to the South East Asian region? And why is India launching huge diplomatic efforts to ‘woo’ these countries now? Firstly, when the Look East Policy was launched more than 25 years ago, India was in a very delicate position, both domestically as well as internationally.
This was the time when the Soviet Union had collapsed and India was facing a balance of payments crisis. Due to the fast changing geopolitics of that time, India was unsure of its future path in terms of finding new allies and making new engagements with other players in the international system.
It is true that India took a long time to settle those issues. But one aspect which is certainly different is that the India of today is a much more stronger, stable and reliable partner than it was back then. India’s rise in the past 25 years, post-liberalisation, has raised both its ‘capabilities’ as well as its ‘ambitions’ globally. Today, we are in a much better position as an emerging power and therefore we know our future course of action precisely—much more than we did in the early 90s.
India’s engagement with ASEAN could very well shape the future balance of power in the region. At a time when India wants to become a potential counterweight to China’s hegemonic ambitions in the region, a strengthened engagement with ASEAN countries will increase India’s reach into the area, more so economically if not politically.
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj while inaugurating the Fifth Round Table of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) India Network of Think Tanks in Jakarta said that India wants to evolve a regional architecture based on the twin principles of shared security and shared prosperity which would deepen India’s economic integration with this ‘dynamic’ region.
India would be focusing heavily on commerce, connectivity and culture with the region. India has always looked to tap into the Indian diaspora which is scattered across the world, often helping India engage with different nations and region. In ASEAN countries too, there is a significant presence of Indian-origin people since a long time. If one goes back to history, one can find deep cultural and economic linkages with the region.
The India-ASEAN partnership is mutually beneficial. While it could give India huge economic as well as political gains with the increase of trade between the two sides, ASEAN countries will have India as a good ‘alternative’ option to China which has a huge presence in the region. India has the potential to provide good businesses to ASEAN countries, considering our huge markets and a very large consumer base. A growth in the India-ASEAN partnership would also have a positive effect on India’s maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
When the India-ASEAN summit happens on January 25 this year, India would look forward to increase the momentum in its relations with the region so that this renewed engagement doesn’t end up as a one-off case of mundane diplomatic activity. In short, the upcoming visit of 10 ASEAN heads of states could prove to be a big catalyst for the future of India-ASEAN relations.
Martand Jha
Junior Research Fellow, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Email: martandjha@gmail.com