Act East and Indo-Pacific: Assessing the responses from ASEAN

Preview

PDF, English Download (327kB) | Terms of use Download (327kB)

Abstract

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plays a central role in India’s Act East Policy (AEP). After Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, who envisioned India’s Look East Policy in the early 1990s, subsequent Indian prime ministers have been following the trend of placing ASEAN in the centre of India’s engagements in the Asia-Pacific. As India has shown more enthusiasm to be a strong stakeholder in the Asia-Pacific (and, in the Indo-Pacific) in recent years, developments like Quadrilateral consultation forum (Quad) needs to be examined in order to understand the implications of such actions, especially from the perspectives of ASEAN member-states. This will help in understanding the future trajectory of India’s AEP and its approach towards the Indo-Pacific. So far, several ASEAN heads of state have expressed their scepticism about the formation and objectives of the Quad forum. This scepticism has actually motivated India and its Quad partners to invite other countries to join the forum and convert it into a consultation grouping. Against this backdrop, this paper analyses various aspects related to ASEAN’s responses towards India’s take on the Indo-Pacific.