India focusses on ASEAN centrality instead of suggesting bloc to take sides

Displaying deft diplomacy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi focussed on the concept of Asean centrality at the India-Asean and East Asia summits to initiate a process to expand strategic partnership with Southeast Asia instead of explicitly asking the countries in the region to take sides.

In his opening remarks at the 21st India-Asean summit in Laos on Thursday, the PM made special reference to the concept of Asean centrality and how India has been giving importance to that.

"Giving importance to Asean centrality, we launched the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative in 2019. This initiative complements the Asean outlook on the Indo-Pacific," Modi said.



The PM went on to say that "when there is conflict and tension in many parts of the world, the friendship, coordination, dialogue and cooperation between India and Asean are of utmost importance".

At the East Asia summit on Friday, the PM mentioned how India has consistently supported the unity and centrality of Asean.

"Asean is also pivotal to India's Indo-Pacific vision and Quad cooperation. There are important similarities between India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and the Asean outlook on Indo-Pacific."

Southeast Asian states are against taking sides in the US-China rivalry or siding with any new plurilaterals in the Indo-Pacific region, which they feel would influence them to take sides in big power rivalry having benefited by engaging both sides over the decades.


The Southeast Asian region by nature has an accommodative approach and has been pitching for a wider role by India, which it views as a third pole. Southeast Asia has been of the opinion that Quad should accept the concept of Asean centrality for any cooperation in future and has been known for its neutrality.

The joint statement adopted at the end of the Asean-India summit recognised India's support for Asean centrality and unity in the evolving regional architecture and its commitment to work closely through Asean-led mechanisms and fora.