The strategic alliance between the two regions has recently been addressed in a virtual ministerial meeting between ASEAN and India. The meeting discussed progress on the implementation of the ASEAN-India Action Plan (2016 – 2020) and the first significant contact with the ASEAN since India came out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership ( RCEP). In addition to the arrangements for the 17th ASEAN-India Summit, it also introduced a new action plan for the next five years.
Ministers explored ways to improve pandemic cooperation and shared views on key regional and international developments. The six influential ASEAN members are India, China, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. In these six countries, the RCEP was to be a free-trade arrangement. But India has not held away because it doesn’t protect our interests. In the conflict over the South China Sea, Indian analysts hope the ASEAN is moving towards Quad (US-India-Australia-Japan). But the attempts of Quad to improve bilateral relations with the Member States have been resisted by China.
