Article, Paragraph, Essay on “India’s engagement with ASEAN” article for Class 10, Class 12, Graduation Classes and descriptive examination

India’s engagement with ASEAN

India’s relationship with ASEAN has emerged as a keystone of our foreign policy. India’s aspiration to have a comprehensive relationship with ASEAN is a conclusion of the major changes in the world’s political and economic development since the early 1990s and India’s own march towards economic liberalization. The India-ASEAN deliberate corporation acquires a new thrust with the statement of Act-East Policy in the 12th Summit in 2014. The succession of meetings with the leaders of the Southeast Asian region added power to India’s Act East Policy. All the meetings were analytic of growing India’s political, economic and strategic engagement with the ASEAN. It conveys a target on the part of India to up scaling its engagement with the ASEAN Member States. In early November 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Philippines to take part in the 15th India-ASEAN Summit, 12th East Asia Summit.

There are four most important challenges in India’s engagement with ASEAN. The initial challenge with China, next with challenging concern with ASEAN, third is connectivity problem with ASEAN and fourth is global pressure of getting involved in the region.

The first challenge is China Factor: The difficult challenge for India is to stable its relations with China in the Indo-Pacific region. China is the largest trading partner for India, on the other hand it is apparent as a impending defense threat against to India. There are uncertain border issues struggle for the resources and markets in Asia, Africa and the South America, encompassing strategy of China, disputes over One Belt One Road (OBOR) and the associated CPEC are the major issues in India China relationship. These issues have been trying the strength of the mutual relations time and again. As all the big and small nations in the ASEAN grouping have a deeper economic engagement with China. It is a major challenge for India to deal with China in the Indo pacific region. China plays a very momentous role in the ASEAN region.

Challenging concern with ASEAN: The second for the most part challenge for India is the challenging benefit. India’s monetary formation is related to the Southeast Asian countries like dominance of agriculture, cheap human resources, availability of natural resources, etc. Further the issues related to patents, labour laws, dumping, converge maritime boundaries, trafficking and terrorist activities are all in common with these nations. They play a spoil sport in forging economic and trade partnerships with India and ASEAN.

Connectivity with ASEAN: The third challenge for India is connectivity with ASEAN. The terrifying Himalayas in the North-Eastern States and Myanmar, the narrow zone of Strait of Malacca, geographical setting of land mass and oceans and the inability of small island nations in investing in connectivity projects have been hamper India’s engagement with the region. If India ASEAN engagement has to maintain then connectivity is crucial for forging economic, trade and political engagement and people’s contact.

Global Pressure: The global pressure in forging relationship with ASEAN is another challenge for India. In 2004, the Indian Maritime Doctrine elaborated on the shift in global maritime focal point from the Atlantic-Pacific combine to the Indo -Pacific region. India’s visualization towards the Indo-Pacific region is exemplifying the rising cooperation with the nations that is beyond ASEAN region. There for India’s engagement with the ASEAN region have enough of trappings. So India should neither dictate nor get dictated by them while dealing with the ASEAN region.

There are many benefits to the ASEAN-India relationship. There is anxiety in India that the agreement will have several negative impacts on the economy. The two regions aspire to trim down their tariffs on a majority of their traded goods. This will allow them to boost the market access of their products. India is not familiarity as great an increase in market access to ASEAN countries as ASEAN will in India. The economies of the ASEAN countries are largely export driven, maintaining high export-to-GDP ratios. In 2007 Malaysia had a ratio of over 100%^. And as well as the global financial crisis and India’s expansive domestic market, the ASEAN countries will look eagerly towards India as a home for its exports.

India has had an increasing trade scarcity with ASEAN, with imports exceeding exports by more than US$6 billion in 2007-2008. It is feared that a gradual liberalization of tariffs and a rise in imported goods into India will warn several sectors of the economy, specifically the plantation sector, some manufacturing industries, and the marine products industry. As a dominant exporter of light manufacturing products, ASEAN has competitive tariff rates that make it difficult for India to gain access to the industry market in ASEAN countries.

Before the agreement was signed, the Chief Minister of Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan, led a designation to the Indian Prime Minister protesting against the FTA. The state of Kerala is a significant exporter in the national export of plantation products. It uncertainties about the cheap imports of rubber, coffee, and fish would lower domestic production, adversely affecting farmers and ultimately its economy. Kerala has already experienced a flooding of its market with inexpensive imports under the South Asia Free Trade Agreement of 2006. Cheap coconuts from Sri Lanka and palm oil from Malaysia has since hindered Kerala’s coconut cultivation.

To improve the losses that occur from the initial stages of trade, the Government of India must be able to effectively reallocate some of the wealth to those industries who bear from the increased competition with ASEAN markets. The total welfare gains in India would increase and India would ultimately benefit from trade with ASEAN.