PM Modi attends ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta: Why this grouping matters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ASEAN is the “central point” of India’s Act East Policy. Attending the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Indonesia’s Jakarta today (7 September), the Indian leader said, “Our history and geography unite India and ASEAN. Along with it, our shared values, regional integration, and our shared belief in peace, prosperity and multipolar world also unites us”.

“This year’s theme is ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth. ASEAN matters because here everyone’s voice is heard & ASEAN is epicenter of growth because ASEAN plays an important role in global growth”, Modi was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times (HT). 

Later today, PM Modi will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS). He will then fly back to Delhi as India hosts the G20 Summit this weekend.

Cementing ASEAN-India bonds!

PM @narendramodi with the ASEAN leaders ahead of the ASEAN-India Summit. pic.twitter.com/2UHdTHvgZZ

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 7, 2023

If you want to sound like an ASEAN expert, we have all the information for you.

What is ASEAN?

ASEAN, formally known as The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is an organisation bringing together 10 Southeast Asian nations to address economic and security issues. It has 10 member nations – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – that boasts of a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $3.2 trillion.

It was formed in 1967 when the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand met during the polarised atmosphere of the Cold War. The alliance aimed to promote stability in the region. In subsequent years, the bloc added Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

According to the World Economic Forum website, regional cooperation was further extended with the creation of the ASEAN Plus Three forum in 1997, which included China, South Korea and Japan. And then the East Asia Summit, which began taking place in 2005 and has expanded to include India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

The main objective of ASEAN countries today is to promote collaboration and cooperation among member states, as well as to advance the interests of the region as a whole, including economic and trade growth. Over the years, ASEAN has negotiated a free trade agreement with China as well as eased travel in the region for citizens of member countries.

What’s India’s link with ASEAN?

While India is not a member country of ASEAN, it has ties with the bloc; from being Regional Dialogue Partners in 1992 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 propelled by PM Modi’s Act East policy. In 2018, ASEAN leaders were also the chief guests at India’s Republic Day parade.

India has also signed a Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN in 2010.

Notably, India also had individual ties with the member countries, making it a strong player amid the grouping.

Who’s coming for this ASEAN summit?

Indonesia’s Jakarta is hosting the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 6-7 September. PM Modi was invited to the meet by President Joko Widodo.

Along with Modi, South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol has confirmed that he will be attending the ASEAN summits, second year in a row, underscoring the importance his government places on the bloc.

While PM Modi will attend the meet, China’s Xi Jinping, who has decided to snub the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi, is also opting out of the ASEAN meeting. Chinese foreign ministry announced earlier that Premier Li Qiang would instead attend the meeting. “At the invitation of President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, Chinese premier Li Qiang will attend the 26th China-ASEAN Summit, the 26th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit to be held in Jakarta, and pay an official visit to Indonesia from 5 to 8 September,” state-run Global Times quoted the Chinese foreign ministry as saying.

Earlier, it had been reported that Modi would hold talks with China’s leadership on the margins of the meetings.

Another big name that is opting out of the summits is US president Joe Biden. The White House has announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would attend in his stead.

Marty Natalegawa, a respected former foreign minister of Indonesia, has expressed disappointment over Biden’s absence, but said that such incidents were more alarmingly emblematic of ASEAN’s declining relevance. “The absence of the US president, while it is disappointing and symbolically significant, is for me the least of the worry because what’s more worrisome actually is the more fundamental structural tendency for ASEAN to become less and less prominent,” Natalegawa told The Associated Press in an interview.

What’s on the table at ASEAN?

Leaders gathering at the summit will have one primary concern that they wish to address – China and its growing influence in the region.

“The eyes of our peoples are on us to prove ASEAN still matters and can contribute towards peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Monday.

China’s latest map adventures – claiming territories of their own in their recently-released ‘standard map’ has upset some member nations as well as India. Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines have dismissed China’s map claims.

China’s movement and growing presence in the South China Sea is also bound to be discussed extensively. Earlier on 5 August, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocked and shot water cannon at a Philippine navy-chartered supply boat in the vicinity of Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. Vietnamese fishermen have also complained that a Chinese vessel attacked their fishing boat with a high-pressure water cannon in the South China Sea on 28 August, injuring two of them.

Another hot topic that will garner attention at the summit is the situation in Myanmar following the 2021 coup. News agency AFP reports that there’s been no consensus on the issue. While Indonesia advocates for Myanmar’s junta to adhere to a previously agreed plan to halt violence and resume talks, these pushes have seen no results due to the junta’s non-cooperation.

Additionally, Thailand’s separate engagement with the junta has further divided the ASEAN.

It is expected that PM Modi will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations and chart the future direction of cooperation. There’s also talks to review the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) which was signed in 2009. The Print has also reported that digitisation of trade procedures and addressing non-tariff barriers like Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures — which are applied to protect human, animal or plant life — are likely to be on the table as well.

With inputs from agencies