The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context:

A Chinese envoy has lobbied Southeast Asian nations to let Myanmar’s military ruler attend a regional summit being hosted by China’s President next week but has met stiff opposition.

THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN)

It is a regional organization established for the promotion of political & social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s states.

It is an intergovernmental organization of ten Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

PRINCIPLES OF ASEAN

• Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations
• The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion
• Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another
• Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner
• Renunciation of the threat or use of force
• Effective cooperation among themselves

INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM

Chairmanship of ASEAN- based on the alphabetical order of the English names rotates annually among the member states.

ASEAN Summit:  It is the supreme policy-making body that sets the direction for ASEAN policies & objectives. According to the charter, it meets twice a year.

ASEAN Ministerial Councils: There are 4 ministerial councils to support ASEAN-

•  ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC)
• ASEAN Political-Security Community Council
• ASEAN Economic Community Council
• ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council

Decision Making:  Consultation & consensus are primary modes of decision-making at ASEAN

ASEAN-LED FORUMS

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): the twenty-seven-member multilateral grouping was launched in 1993 to develop and facilitate cooperation on political & security issues for regional confidence-building & preventive diplomacy.

ASEAN Plus Three:  It is a consultative group consisting of ASEAN’s ten members along with China, Japan, & South Korea initiated in 1997

East Asia Summit (EAS): The summit was first held in 2005. It aims to promote security and prosperity in the region. Heads from ASEAN, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States usually attend this summit

SIGNIFICANCE OF ASEAN

• As compared to what its members could have achieved individually, ASEAN commands far greater influence on Asia-Pacific trade, political, and security issues
• Demographic dividend – It consists of the third-largest population in the world, of which more than half is below 30years of age.
• Economic:
• The third-largest market in the world – larger than EU and North American markets.
• The sixth-largest economy in the world, Third in Asia.
• Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
• 4th  most popular investment destination globally.
• The rising importance of trade to ASEAN’s economic prospects led to increasing in its share of global exports from only 2 %  in 1967 to 7 %  by 2016
• The transport and connectivity potential has been increased by the ASEAN Single Aviation Market & Open Skies policies
• By building much-needed norms and fostering a neutral environment to address shared challenges ASEAN has contributed to regional stability 

CHALLENGES

• • Inequality between rich and poor ASEAN member states -Cambodia’s per capita GDP is the lowest at less than $1,300, while Singapore boasts the highest GDP per capita—nearly $53,000 (2016
  • The less developed countries could not incorporate many regional initiatives into national plans since they faced resource constraints to implement the regional commitments.
  • The political systems of members are equally mixed with democracies, communist, as well as authoritarian states.
  • The rifts in the organization have been exposed by the issue of the South China Sea. It has not been able to negotiate a unified approach with regards to China
  • The organization had divided opinion over some major issues of human rights like Violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar
  • The difficult problems have been avoided rather than confronted because of  emphasis on consensus which sometimes makes it a chief drawback 

• Whether it be in the economic or political spheres there is no efficient dispute-settlement mechanism

INDIA AND ASEAN

Two of the largest and most prosperous entities

•  India’s present GDP amounts to the US $3.4 trillion, while the combined GDP of the ASEAN countries is over US $4 trillion
• Both ASEAN and India reached 5-7 per cent growth rates over the past two decades, with India slightly ahead owing to its rising status.
• India’s population is approximately 1.3 trillion people, while ASEAN’s is slightly below half of India

Rising powers in the Asian regional environment

• They have the capability and the capacities to command remarkable influence, which may eventually be on par with their contemporaries such as the United States, China, the European Union, and Japan. 

Association between India and ASEAN 

• India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992, which was followed by an elevation to the apex-level full dialogue partnership, three years later. 
• India also became a member of the influential ASEAN-adjunct regional conference, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which focuses on political and security dimensions for ASEAN

Full dialogue partner status to India

• It has also  become a member of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+), which  discusses defence issues of pivotal significance between ASEAN countries and all of its dialogue partners

Issues between ASEAN and India

• Asian security dilemma
• Nuclearisation of the Indian subcontinent 
• A plethora of issues concerning the implementation of an ASEAN-India Free Trade Area (AIFTA)
• The balance of power that risks being left ‘off balance’ and bearing the possibility of having to assume an anarchic nature owing to the region’s delicate current balances. 

WAY FORWARD

Shifting our focus to the present day, it is apparent that the wide-ranging set of partnerships and complementarities between India and ASEAN reflect a need to engage the maritime medium more constructively, and with due attention paid to specific areas of concern such as maritime security. Together, India and the ASEAN reveal the vast potential between what institutes a multilateral organization in the ASEAN of vital significance to its region, and the numerous aspects of a growing superpower in India.

The Hindu Link: 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/asean-objects-as-china-wants-myanmar-junta-to-join-summit/article37568581.ece

Question: Examine the significance of ASEAN for India’s economic, geostrategic and security imperatives?