ASEAN Centrality: Rhetoric vs. Realpolitik in Indian Discourse
# India’s Indo-Pacific Balancing Act: ASEAN Centrality Amidst Minilateralism
India’s foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific is characterized by a delicate balancing act, navigating the imperative of maintaining ASEAN centrality while together leveraging the agility of minilateral groupings.This dual-track approach aims to foster regional peace, stability, and prosperity, but its long-term success hinges on substantive engagement and ASEAN’s continued relevance.## The Dual Pillars: ASEAN centrality and Minilateralism
India’s commitment to ASEAN centrality is evident in its active participation in ASEAN-led mechanisms and its endorsement of initiatives like the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). The recent ASEAN-india Joint Statement on Cooperation on the AOIP for Peace, Stability, and Prosperity in the Region serves as a crucial framework for advancing collaboration between AOIP and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). These joint efforts to explore synergies, notably in economic cooperation, maritime security, connectivity, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscore a shared dedication to regional well-being.
However, ASEAN’s inherent limitations in collective security action, notably its measured response to the South China Sea disputes, and its internal struggles with intensifying great power competition, highlight the challenges it faces in the evolving regional landscape. Concurrently, India’s increasing engagement with the Quad and other minilateral arrangements signals a strategic decision to diversify its partnerships. In a geopolitically fragmented world, minilateralism offers a more adaptable and effective platform for addressing complex challenges. This has led to a growing perception that India’s rapid adoption of minilateral formats signifies a strategic shift away from ASEAN.
## Navigating the Geopolitical Tightrope
India appears to be treading a fine line. While consistently reaffirming ASEAN’s central role in its official discourse and supporting ASEAN-led initiatives, New Delhi is simultaneously building strategic influence through minilateral mechanisms like the Quad and deepening bilateral ties with key ASEAN member states such as Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia. This dual-track strategy represents a pragmatic approach to balancing competing interests.
ASEAN centrality allows India to maintain regional goodwill and avoid being perceived as aligning with any single great power. Simultaneously, minilateralism in the Indo-Pacific provides India with the strategic versatility and leverage necessary to deter coercive behavior, particularly from China.
## The Future of ASEAN Centrality
For India,ASEAN centrality serves a dual purpose: it is both a diplomatic principle and a strategic convenience. It facilitates multilateral engagement while preserving the space for more adaptable coalitions to respond to emerging regional challenges.However, the long-term sustainability of this dual approach is contingent upon ASEAN’s continued relevance and India’s commitment to backing its rhetorical support with tangible economic and institutional engagement.
To project a credible and inclusive Indo-Pacific vision, India must ensure that ASEAN centrality does not become a mere platitude.This necessitates revitalizing economic partnerships, investing in connectivity infrastructure, and ensuring that ASEAN-led platforms remain integral to India’s regional strategy. Only through such concrete actions can ASEAN centrality evolve from a rhetorical device into a meaningful and robust pillar of India’s foreign policy.
### Further Reading on E-International Relations