India and Southeast Asia in a Changing World Exploring Relationship Prospects for a Sustainable Future

Introduction 1

1 Strategic Partnerships and Regional Resilience: Exploring the Evolving Landscape of India-Southeast Asia Relations 19

Hema Appachu and Biddappa Appachu

2 An Assertive China and Disengaged United States: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for India’s

Foreign Policy Strategy in the Indo-Pacific 33

3 Betwixt QUAD and China in the Indo-Pacific: Implications for India and ASEAN 44

4 The Continuous Evolution of India-Southeast Asia Synergy in the Changing Indo-Pacific Context 57

5 Asymmetries of Power and Negotiations: A Case of South China Sea 68

6 India’s Economic and Political Engagements with ASEAN in a Changing World 81

7 Geopolitics of Connectivity in Southeast Asia: A Study of India and China 90

8 India’s Trade Relationship with RCEP Members in the Context of Act East Policy 103

9 India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Impact, Issues, and Challenges in Act East Policy 117

Prajakta Arote, Pravin Jadhav, Rahul Nath Choudhury, and Hastimal Sagara

10 Agricultural Productivity and Sustainable Development in South and Southeast Asia 131

11 India-ASEAN Science Diplomacy in Renewable Energy Cooperation 147

12 India’s Vaccine Diplomacy to Southeast Asia in the Context of “Act East Policy” 162

13 Northeast in India’s International Diplomacy through Look East Policy to Act East Policy 178

14 Connecting Culture: The Tradition of Boita Bandana 193

Biography

Shailza Singh teaches in the Department of Political Science, Bharati College, University of Delhi, India. Her area of specialization includes international relations and comparative politics. Her research interest primarily centres around security as a conceptual, policy and governance category, particularly its relevance for the developing countries. The broad spectrum of her research includes security studies in the Third World, traditional and non-traditional security in South and Southeast Asia, everyday (in)security in the Indian cities, as well as global international relations. She has been actively presenting her works on significant national and international forums. She has published in International Studies and Studies in Indian Politics, two prestigious journals in political science and international relations in India. She teaches courses on India’s foreign policy, international relations and global politics, peace and conflict resolution, human rights, gender and environment. Shailza is Associate Editor of the journal The Research Post. She is also associated with peace and security in the International Politics Research Group of the University of Delhi and has been a member of International Studies Association (ISA).

Philip Varghese is currently a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science-United Nations University (JSPS-UNU) postdoctoral fellow. He is also a visiting researcher at Akita International University and United Nations University. In this role, he works closely with the Biodiversity and Society (BDS) team at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Tokyo, and his independent research looks at the intersections of local governance, sustainability and tourism. Prior to this, he spent about five years teaching courses on Indian government and politics, global politics, comparative politics, social movement and development process, and international relations in Delhi NCR at Christ University and GD Goenka University. While at Christ University, he was part of the project “India’s Neighborhood Policy Towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INPSAR)” funded by Hanns Seidel Stiftung, India. He holds a PhD and an MPhil degree in political science from the Centre for Political Studies (CPS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; an MA in political science from Madras Christian College, Chennai; and a BA in economics and political science from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi. He is the corresponding editor for this book project.

Shalini Balaiah teaches International Relations at Christ University, Bannerghatta Road campus, Bengaluru, India. Her research interests include conflict and security issues, foreign policy, geopolitics, Eurasia, West Asia and Indo-Pacific. She teaches courses on geopolitics, foreign policy, terrorism and counterterrorism, West Asia, global power politics, and peace and conflict studies. She has been part of the project “India’s Neighbourhood Policy towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INSPAR)” funded by Hans Seidel Stiftung, India. She has completed her MA, MPhil and PhD in international relations from the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and her BA from Bangalore University, Karnataka. She is also a member of the International Studies Association (ISA).

Sarish Sebastian teaches political science at Christ University, Delhi NCR. He is also the Coordinator of Examinations at the NCR campus. Currently he is teaching political theory and thought for law graduates. His research interests include foreign policy of India, Southeast Asia, Geopolitics, South Asia and Indo-Pacific. He was the principal investigator of the project “India’s Neighbourhood Policy towards the Southeast Asian Region: A Study on Act East Policy (INSPAR)” funded by Hans Seidel Stiftung, India. He has published a book titled Parliamentary Democracy in Bhutan and a few articles on Bhutan in edited books and journals. He holds a masters and PhD in political science from the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India, and a bachelor degree from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.

“This book offers valuable perspectives from regional scholars on the convergence between India and Southeast Asia, the heart of the Indo-Pacific. It makes an important contribution to understand the intersection of India’s Neighbourhood First and Act East policies in the broader Bay of Bengal region.”

– Dr Constantino Xavier, Fellow, Foreign Policy and Security Studies, Centre for Social and Economic Progress

“In the era of globalization and amidst fast-changing geopolitics and geoeconomics, India’s foray into Southeast Asia has gained immense scholarly attention in recent times. This edited book volume is a humble effort in generating academic interest and in contributing significant value addition to a wide array of students, research analysts, policymakers and area study experts. A must-read for students of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts in general and International Relations in particular.”

– Dr Mohammed Badrul Alam, Formerly Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India

“Though Asia now sits firmly at the center of the global political and economic order, what this entails in practice remains widely outside the purview of many Western scholars across the social sciences. This invigorating collection of insights into the interactions between India and Southeast Asia goes a long way towards filling these gaps. Importantly, these works help us to reframe our intellectual geography by demonstrating the numerous threads binding South and Southeast Asia.”

– Kevin Hockmuth, PhD, Associate Professor, Global Studies Program, Akita International University, Akita, Japan

“The book India and Southeast Asia in a Changing World: Exploring Relationship Prospects for a Sustainable Future is an important contribution to the contemporary foreign policy literature as it offers a comprehensive analysis of India’s evolving engagement with Southeast Asia, focusing on economic integration, strategic alliances, and cultural ties. By exploring policy implications for a sustainable future, it fills a critical gap in understanding India’s foreign policy dynamics in this region.”

– Dr Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury, Senior Fellow, ORF, Kolkata

“There is a renewed push by India to engage with South East Asia, a region with which it has ancient ties. However, the terms of this engagement now have to be balanced in context of geopolitics and economics of the region. Indian scholarly work in this domain is of utmost importance due to the unique perspective and understanding which geography and history afford India. This edited book volume is an important academic work reflecting this uniqueness. Must read for students, scholars and practitioners of foreign policy.”

– Kadambini Sharma, NDTV