Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

ASEAN’s recent initiatives towards the Indo-Pacific help cement its centrality further while maintaining the grouping’s autonomy.

Southeast Asian nations’ responses to the ongoing violent conflict between Israel and Hamas are influenced by historical, domestic, demographic and strategic factors.

The East Asia Summit remains critical to advancing closer regional cooperation, at a time of a rapid geo-political and geo-economic changes.

Negotiations between ASEAN and China regarding a Code of Conduct on South China Sea may continue to be prolonged and evasive.

The ADMM-Plus offers India and ASEAN opportunities to develop practical collaboration on security issues ranging from terrorism, maritime threats and other non-traditional threats.

Beijing’s pushback against the Washington-backed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is likely to result in an intense regional geo-economic competition.

The recent Joint Statement issued after the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Melbourne indicates the grouping’s drive towards institutionalisation and coming close to achieving a concrete mandate for its existence.

The BrahMos deal with the Philippines marks a convergence between India’s Act East and Defence Export policies and adds to its profile as a reliable defence partner in the Indo-Pacific.

The Indo-Pacific construct has significantly enhanced the strategic salience of both India and Australia in a multipolar region. While the two nations have considerably deepened their strategic partnership, there is scope for much more improvement in several sectors.