India–ASEAN relations: the initiatives, successes, and challenges

ABSTRACT In 2017, India celebrated its 25 years of dialogue partnership, 15 years of summit level interaction and 5 years of strategic partnership with ASEAN. The article examines India–ASEAN relations by focusing on four important issues—politics, economy, security, and social and culture. The South China Sea dispute is also analyzed to understand the security concerns both India and ASEAN have on the issue. It argues that India–ASEAN relationship will continue to grow in the future. For India, however, the relationship is geared more toward economic cooperation than any other issues. Therefore, it is unlikely that New Delhi will take confrontational measures that could escalate tensions with Beijing, at least in the near future. So long as India is hesitant or reluctant to speak out on the aggressive activities of China or take a more counterbalancing role in the SCS, ASEAN, especially the claimant states, will continue to view India as an unreliable security partner.