TRENDING
Friday, 13 November 2026
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3 Jumada Al-Thani 1448 AH
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attendance at the ASEAN summit in Manila marks a significant moment in India's engagement with Southeast Asia, aiming to deepen economic and strategic ties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila, Philippines, from November 16 to 17. This visit underscores India's sustained diplomatic push into Southeast Asia, aiming to bolster its presence and influence within a region increasingly central to global power dynamics. The summit provides a crucial platform for New Delhi to engage with leaders from ten diverse nations, discussing trade, security, and regional stability.
India's engagement with ASEAN is a cornerstone of its 'Act East' Policy, a strategic evolution from the earlier 'Look East' initiative. This policy is fundamentally about diversifying India's strategic partnerships and economic opportunities beyond its immediate neighborhood, particularly in response to the shifting geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific. For India, the primary incentives are multi-faceted: economic integration, security cooperation, and the broader goal of establishing itself as a credible alternative pole in a region heavily influenced by China.
ASEAN itself operates as a critical fulcrum in the Indo-Pacific. Its member states, though diverse in size, economic development, and political systems, share a collective interest in maintaining regional stability and avoiding undue dominance by any single external power. This desire for 'ASEAN centrality' means the bloc actively seeks engagement with multiple major powers – the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and increasingly, India – to balance influence and secure their own national interests. Modi's presence at the summit reinforces ASEAN's ability to attract high-level attention, validating its role as a significant diplomatic platform.
The most significant underlying power dynamic driving India's 'Act East' policy is the pervasive influence of China. Beijing's economic might, its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and its assertive territorial claims in the South China Sea have created both opportunities and anxieties within ASEAN. For many ASEAN nations, India represents a crucial counterweight. While India cannot match China's economic scale or military projection in the immediate term, it offers an alternative development model, a democratic partner, and a significant market. This balancing act allows ASEAN states to hedge their bets, ensuring they are not solely reliant on China for trade, investment, or security. India's participation in forums like the Quad (with the US, Japan, and Australia) further signals its commitment to a 'free and open Indo-Pacific,' a concept often interpreted as a direct response to China's growing assertiveness.
From an economic standpoint, India sees Southeast Asia as a vital market for its goods and services, a source of critical raw materials, and a destination for its investments. Projects like the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway exemplify New Delhi's ambition to enhance physical connectivity, facilitating trade and people-to-people exchanges. Diversifying supply chains away from over-reliance on China has also become a priority for many global economies, and ASEAN nations, with their growing manufacturing bases and strategic locations, are attractive partners. For ASEAN, Indian investment and trade offer new avenues for growth and job creation, reducing dependence on traditional partners.
Security cooperation, particularly in the maritime domain, is another critical pillar. India shares concerns with several ASEAN states regarding freedom of navigation and adherence to international law in the Indo-Pacific. Joint naval exercises, intelligence sharing, and capacity building in areas like disaster relief and counter-terrorism are increasingly common. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, strategically located at the mouth of the Malacca Strait, give India a significant geographical advantage in monitoring and influencing maritime traffic, making it a natural security partner for ASEAN nations dependent on these sea lanes for trade.
While high-level summits and strategic partnerships are framed in terms of national interest and regional stability, the consequences of these power shifts ripple down to ordinary citizens. The human cost, though often unquantified in official statements, is real and varied across the diverse populations of Southeast Asia.
Increased trade and investment from India can bring new opportunities, but also disruption. For instance, the influx of Indian goods might challenge local industries that cannot compete, potentially leading to job losses in some sectors while creating others. Infrastructure projects, while promising connectivity, can displace communities, alter traditional land use, and impact local environments. The promise of economic growth often comes with uneven distribution, benefiting urban centers and specific industries more than rural populations or marginalized groups. Small farmers, fishermen, and indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to large-scale development projects or shifts in trade patterns driven by international agreements.
For communities living near contested maritime areas, such as those in the South China Sea, the intensifying competition between major powers like India and China translates into daily uncertainty. Fishermen face harassment, access to traditional fishing grounds is restricted, and the constant presence of naval vessels creates an atmosphere of anxiety. The rhetoric of a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' might resonate in diplomatic halls, but on the ground, it can mean increased militarization and a heightened risk of accidental escalation, directly impacting the safety and livelihoods of coastal populations.
Economic expansion, whether driven by India or other external powers, inevitably places pressure on natural resources and the environment. Demand for raw materials, energy, and land for infrastructure can lead to deforestation, pollution, and unsustainable resource extraction. While agreements might include environmental clauses, enforcement often lags, and local communities bear the brunt of ecological degradation, affecting their health, food security, and cultural heritage. The push for rapid development can override local environmental concerns, particularly in nations with weaker regulatory frameworks.
India's engagement with ASEAN nations, some of which have authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes, raises questions about the impact on human rights and democratic governance. While India positions itself as the world's largest democracy, its foreign policy prioritizes strategic and economic interests, often leading to engagement with regimes irrespective of their human rights records. This transactional approach can inadvertently legitimize or strengthen governments that suppress dissent, impacting civil liberties and political freedoms within those ASEAN states. Local activists and civil society groups may find their struggles for greater accountability and transparency overshadowed by larger geopolitical narratives.
Beneath the headlines of diplomatic visits and strategic partnerships, several critical aspects are often downplayed or omitted by powerful actors, shaping a narrative that serves their interests while obscuring the full picture.
While India's 'Act East' policy is ambitious, its practical leverage in Southeast Asia remains constrained compared to China. Beijing's economic footprint, through trade, investment, and infrastructure projects, is significantly larger and more deeply entrenched across the region. Many ASEAN nations view China as their primary economic partner, and while they welcome India as a balancer, they are unlikely to jeopardize their relationship with Beijing. Official statements from New Delhi and ASEAN leaders will emphasize growing cooperation, but they rarely acknowledge the significant gap in economic and military power that still exists. For ASEAN states, it's less about choosing sides and more about navigating a complex web of dependencies and opportunities.
ASEAN is not a monolithic entity. Its ten member states have diverse national interests, historical grievances, and varying relationships with major powers. Countries like Cambodia and Laos have strong economic ties and political alignment with China, while others like Vietnam and the Philippines are more assertive in their maritime disputes and more open to partnerships with India and the United States. Official pronouncements often highlight ASEAN unity and centrality, but the reality is a constant negotiation of these internal divergences. This makes it challenging for ASEAN to adopt a truly unified stance on issues like the South China Sea or to fully commit to any single external partner's vision, a nuance often lost in the broader geopolitical narratives.
Source referenced: CGTN
This brief was synthesized by our Editorial Engine and reviewed by The Ground Narrative team.
