The Significance of the ADMM-Plus: A Perspective from India

Abstract

India sees a role for itself in shaping Asia's emerging security and economic architecture. The Indian view, stated clearly Shri Anil Wadhwa, then secretary (east) in Ministry of External Affairs, is that the regional security architecture should be open, transparent, inclusive and evolutionary; should respect diversity of region; as well as be coterminous with boundaries of EAS [East Asia Summit].1 This essay will first look at security challenges India perceives in Asia-Pacific before examining cooperation with ASEAN and involvement in ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The third section will then discuss involvement in other regional forums and make some comparisons with ADMM-Plus.India's Perception of Its Present Security ChallengesFrom perspective, security is a prerequisite for internal cohesion, economic development, and consolidation. According to Secretary Wadhwa, India's primary interest is to create an enabling external environment for economic progress of country. 2 Unless there is regional security, economic development cannot be envisaged.At 2016 Shangri-La Dialogue, Manohar Parrikar identified three key challenges to security: territorial disputes that could degenerate into military conflict, terrorism, and protection of maritime domain. Emphasizing third challenge, he went on to state that by virtue of geographical location, Indo-Pacific is crossroads of [the] world's maritime traffic. Over half of world's commercial shipping passes through these waterways.3 Any adventurism would disrupt process of economic growth and development not only for India but for broader region. Earlier, addressing third ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, Parrikar referred to seas and oceans as critical enablers of our prosperity. 4The maritime challenge affects India directly, as bulk of its trade is via maritime routes and thus requires freedom of navigation and security of sea lines of communication. Even though India is not a party to any of disputes in South China Sea, it has a significant stake in stability of region because any conflict would disrupt flow of trade and supplies. India is therefore carefully watching to see how parties will react to decision of Permanent Court of Arbitration in Philippines' arbitration case against China's nine-dash line claim, which is still pending at time of writing. To resolve a maritime dispute between India and Bangladesh, in July 2014 court awarded Bangladesh 19,467 square kilometers of sea area in Bay of Bengal, and New Delhi readily accepted decision. A verdict that re-establishes trust in international law and norms on maritime issues is best outcome that India can hope to see in case involving China and Philippines.To address challenges in maritime domain, Indian Navy has stepped up its activities in regional waters. The Indian Navy released its maritime security strategy Ensuring Secure Seas: Indian Maritime Security Strategy at Naval Commanders' Conference in October 2015, which replaced and updated 2007 strategy. India was a founding member of Indian Ocean Rim Association. It also founded Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in 2009, which provides a forum to discuss issues that have a bearing on maritime security in Indian Ocean region. The symposium includes 35 countries as members and has become a dialogue partner of Indian Ocean Rim Association. Moreover, Indian Navy has adopted a proactive approach to maritime security organizing 2016 International Fleet Review (its second ever) and Milan (confluence) exercises in Bay of Bengal.India's Cooperation with ASEAN and Participation in ADMM-PlusIn conjunction with greater U.S.-India cooperation and U.S. rebalance to Asia, New Delhi's cooperative approach has served to reduce distance between India and ASEAN and fostered commitment to playing a role in emerging security architecture in Asia-Pacific. …