India's Act East Policy: Engagement with ASEAN

Abstract

Over the years, India has interacted extensively with Southeast Asia nations. This contact began with trade but rapidly extended to other areas. Indian art, culture, and religion have significantly impacted many countries. The changes in the global political and economic environment in the early 1990s and India's march toward economic liberalisation have strengthened the multifaceted partnership between India and ASEAN. Since 1991, the ‘Look East’ policy (LEP) has played a significant role in India's foreign policy. Though LEP was initially intended only as an economic policy, it has broadened to include political, strategic, and cultural dimensions, developing into an active, result-driven ‘Act East’ policy. The India-ASEAN partnership has upgraded to Strategic Partnership in 2012, which was previously ASEAN Sectoral Partner since 1992, a Dialogue Partner since 1996, and a Summit Level Partner since 2002. There are 30 dialogue mechanisms between India and ASEAN, encompassing various aspects. India will remain critical to engaging with ASEAN for ‘Act East’ and the ambition for the ‘Indo-Pacific’ geopolitical construct. This paper analyses the Act East policy's objective and highlights India-ASEAN relations during the Look East period and how it has transcended into Act East policy. The methodology employed in this paper is qualitative, using a descriptive and analytical method that draws on secondary data and publicly available government documents.