Eastern Promises

Improving ties with the ASEAN may help India strengthen its position in the region, but there are kinks to iron out

- Pratul Sharma

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had a busy start to 2018. Within a span of 12 days in January, he received his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu at Delhi, flew to Davos, Switzerland, to invite global CEOs to invest in India, and hosted the ten heads of states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries in a mega show on the Rajpath on Republic Day.

The Delhi Declaration, signed during the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit held on January 25 and 26, focused on enhancing maritime cooperation and security in the region. China, which has been building and financing ports in several countries in the region, is embroiled in maritime disputes with ASEAN members Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. It would have taken note of the fact that the Delhi Declaration touched upon the South China Sea disputes. The declaration read: “...we support the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea... and look forward to an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea....”

China had opposed India’s staterun Oil and Natural Gas Corporation exploring oil wells claimed by Vietnam in the South China Sea, and Delhi has been seeking to enhance its position through greater maritime engagement. In the declaration, India and the ASEAN member countries committed to help each other during “accidents and incidents” at sea, and to promote research.

The declaration also said there would be more cooperation in combating terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation through information sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under the existing ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting.