Missed opportunity: India and ASEAN Summit in Malaysia
Analysis
- Since becoming an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1995 and being elevated to Summit-level engagement in 2002, ASEAN summits have remained a key platform for India’s engagement with Southeast Asia.
- The ASEAN and ASEAN–India Summits, along with the East Asia Summit (EAS), provide India direct interaction with major Indo-Pacific powers including the US, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, and others.
- The ASEAN Summit has historically served as a venue for major strategic initiatives; for instance, the revival of the Quad in 2017 occurred on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit after a decade-long gap.
- At the ASEAN–India Summit in Kuala Lumpur (October 2025), Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his virtual address, described the 21st century as the “century of India and ASEAN”.
- India reiterated support for:
- ASEAN Unity
- ASEAN Centrality
- ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific
- India announced 2026 as the Year of ASEAN–India Maritime Cooperation, focusing on:
- Humanitarian assistance and disaster response
- Maritime security
- Blue economy cooperation
- The summit took place amid heightened geopolitical turbulence, including:
- Economic disruptions due to US tariff policies
- China’s restrictions on critical exports
- Rising maritime tensions
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, representing India, highlighted the complexity of the global situation at the East Asia Summit, pointing to:
- US constraints on energy trade with Russia
- China’s issues related to supply-chain reliability and market access
- India and ASEAN committed to expediting the review of the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).
- Despite substantive commitments, Prime Minister Modi’s absencefrom the summit was widely seen as a diplomatic setback, especially given:
- His absence in 2022 as well
- The presence of other major global leaders, including the US and China
- Possible reasons cited for the absence included:
- Domestic engagements and electoral considerations
- India–US trade tensions
- Strains in India–Malaysia relations, including Malaysia’s position during Operation Sindoor (2025) and recent Pakistan–Malaysia interactions
- Overall, the absence was viewed as a missed opportunity for India to visibly reinforce its leadership role in the Indo-Pacific and ASEAN-led regional architecture.
Necessary Static Part
ASEAN–India Relations
- India–ASEAN Dialogue Partnership: 1995
- ASEAN–India Summit-level engagement: 2002
- ASEAN’s central role in Indo-Pacific multilateralism through mechanisms such as:
- East Asia Summit (EAS)
- ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)
- ASEAN’s emphasis on centrality aims to balance major power competition in the region.
East Asia Summit (EAS)
- Members include ASEAN countries and key partners such as:
- India, US, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea
- Platform for discussion on strategic, political, and security issues in the Indo-Pacific.
Updated – 29 October 2025 | 12:50 AM IST
News Source: The Hindu