ASEAN:- ASSOCIATION OF  SOUTH – EAST ASIAN NATIONS

Established – 1967,

Members nations – 10,  

HQ-Indonesia.

e.g. – Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mayamaar, Malaysia, Brunei ,Cambodia,Laos,Phillipines

Singapore.

India had already applied for its membership.

 But status of India is as a dialogue partner.

Dialogue partners

Including India fallowing nations are non-member dialogue partner of ASEAN are- China, Japan, South-Korea, Australia, New-Zealand etc.

Objective –

To establish AFTA- ASEAN Free Trade Area.

To Promote trade, tourism & cultural ties among member nations

Its head of states meetings are held every year.

ASEAN+3-

China, Japan and South Korea are known as ASEAN+3.

ISSUES IN ASEAN

1-Thailand Issues

2-Myanmar issues

Ethnic cleansing in Rakhine –

3-East Timor Issues

The new nation of East Timor, previously ruled by Indonesia, has had a long struggle with ASEAN. East Timor, during its long process towards independence, has sought… to have observer status in ASEAN, much like Papua New Guinea.

In 2022, the country was admitted "in principle" as the organization's 11th member, with full membership pending.

4-South China Sea issues-

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the region by several sovereign states, namely Brunei, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

The disputes involve the islands, reefs, banks, and other features of the South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal etc.

The Philipines Preseindent  reaffirmed that the dispute should be solved “within the boundaries of the law,” referring to the Hague ruling under the Philippines v. China case in July 2016.

2016 – The Arbitration Tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines and rejected China’s maritime claims that go beyond the entitlements set out in the Convention.

Geopolitical significance -:

Connecting Links-

This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it is the connecting link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. (Strait of Malacca)

Trade-

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) one-third of the global shipping passes through it, carrying trillions of trade which makes it a significant geopolitical water body.

Biodiversity-

As the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines, this sea has one-third of the entire world’s marine biodiversity .

Fishing rights:

Fishing rights are essential to the legitimacy and sovereignty of the region's It has been the main issue for the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Navigation:

Acceptance of the 9 dash line would be in conflict with the EEZs of several countries in the region, affecting not only their trade but also their sovereign rights.

Strategic location:

 Not only is militarization increasing, but this region is also being used for space exploration due to its strategic location, both economically and in terms of sovereignty, as nations such as China strive to become global powers.

5-FTA with Asean-2010

India has signed the FTA in services and investments with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2003.

 FTA in goods with Asean members is effective since 2010 .

With the signing of the pact in services and investments, the FTA will now become a comprehensive economic partnership between the two sides. Except for Philippines, every country has ratified the deal.

The Philippines had earlier raised concerns that opening up of the services sector may have an adverse impact on its own services industry given India’s strength in the same.

East Asia Summit –(18 countries)

Origin of the Idea -

The concept of EAS was given by Malasian P.M. Mahatir bin Mohammad in 1991 for a wider Asean community on ….economic, political security social and cultural issues .

What is the need of EAS?

Regional Security

Considering tension in the Korean Peninsula, South China and in the Taiwan Strait  it is important to maintain a common stance  for security in the East Asian region.

Members-

The EAS has 18 members –

10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) along with

-8 Members-Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.

Global Importance 

A united  East Asia communityplay a big role in contributing the  global peace and prosperity.

Economic benefit: 

It represents nearly 50 per cent of the world's population with 20 percent of global trade, and comprising 16 nations that are on a dynamic path of economic development.

ASEAN-INDIA SUMMIT

Why in News?:

Recently, the Vice President of India attended the 19^th ASEAN-India Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2022.

Highlights of the Meeting:

Act East Policy:

India hailed the deep cultural, economic and civilizational ties that have existed between India and South East Asia from time immemorial and stated that the India-ASEAN relationship forms the central pillar of India's ACT-EAST policy.

India reiterated its support to ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific.

Comprehensive Strategic Partnership:

ASEAN and India adopted a joint statement announcing the elevation of the existing Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

It proposes expediting the review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more user-friendly, simple, and trade-facilitative.

Peace and Security:

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific region.

Deepening Dialogue and Coordination:

As part of maintaining “ASEAN-Centrality”, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of deepening dialogue and coordination through ASEAN-led mechanisms including the ASEAN-India Summit, the East Asia Summit-

- The Post-Ministerial Conference with India (PMC+1),

-The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the

-ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), the

-Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF).

The Year 2022 has been highlighted as India-ASEAN Friendship by the leaders.

India-ASEAN Summit is held every year and provides an opportunity for India and Asean to engage at the highest level.

The 5th Asean-India Business Summit -2023

Was held at Kuala Lumpur .

A special session focusing on India-Malaysia bilateral trade and investment engagement was held during the summit.

The digital technology sectors were the key focus.

IT companies are to be focused in the coming days. The countries decided that real-time payment linkages between India and the ASEAN countries will be increased in the future.

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