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Showing posts with the label India- Asean

ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits: India's Opportunity to 'Act East' ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ankit Panda)

Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / MEA official gallery, Govt of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda It’s late November and Asian summitry is in the air. India, which has long sought to “Look East” and, of late, has sought to “Act East,” won’t be left on the sidelines. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on a trip to Malaysia and Singapore on Friday to attend two important summits: the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits. Modi will also meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss bilateral issues in India-Malaysia relations. In Singapore, Modi will focus on building private sector interest in investment opportunities in India and tout his “Make in India” initiative, which aims to bolster India’s manufacturing sector. Modi’s four-day visit will be closely watched by observers back home, given the broad economic and security agenda. Ahead of his trip, the Indian prime minister noted that the summits in Malaysia will focus on “pressing securit

Why RCEP Is Vital for India ( Source- The Diplomat / Authors- Bipul Chatterjee & Surender Singh)

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Navi Mumbai ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons/ Author- Jaxer) Source- The Diplomat Authors- Bipul Chatterjee & Surender Singh Mega regional trade deals are in vogue in an otherwise fragile global economy. In an environment of falling aggregate demand, these trade deals are seen as a means to insulate economies from market uncertainties. Three important mega regionals are currently under negotiation: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of Asia and the Pacific (RCEP), the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). It is expected that these agreements, once concluded and implemented, will set the stage for a new generation of global trade and investment rules. From India’s point of view, the RCEP presents a decisive platform which could influence its strategic and economic status in the Asia-Pacific region and bring to fruition its “Act East Policy.” It is expected to be a

A Multilateral Test for Modi ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Neelam Deo)

Image credits- Flickr/ MEA Official Source- The Diplomat Author- Neelam Deo The India-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS), both in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar, on November 11 and 12, are among the major geopolitically significant gatherings of world leaders this month. These interactions will demonstrate if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proactive engagements over the past six months, at the bilateral level and with BRICS leaders, have effectively improved global perceptions of India. After Nay Pyi Daw, Modi will head to the G20 meeting in Brisbane, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Kathmandu. Modi will not attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing, although India has applied for membership of the grouping. China has been the main obstacle to India’s membership, but the first-ever invitation to India to attend the summit—by Chinese president Xi Jinping in Ju

The United States Should Look East with India ( Sources- The National Interest, Authors- Melissa S. Hersh, Ajay Lele)

Image credits- Flickr/ MEA Sources- The National Interest Author- Melissa S. Hersh, Ajay Lele According to the insightful, Nobel Prize winning Amartya Sen, India is prone to being mischaracterized. Accordingly, the United States must see the bigger picture and look beyond India’s fickleness and vacillation in order to recognize that there is a bidirectional relationship that needs to be maintained. This lesson is important to recall during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit last week. As India’s foreign-policy tentacles reach further east and west, Washington’s expectations for U.S.-Indian relations need to remain steady. While India can be a fulcrum for leveraging U.S. interests in both Central and East Asia, it should also be an anchor partner that practices a different brand of democracy that may align with the United States on many—but not all—things. The United States should support India in its efforts to broaden its neighborhood interests and should no

From 'Looking' East to 'Acting' East: India’s Own Pivot to Asia ( Copy Right @ The Diplomat, Author- Micheal Kugelman & Raymond E. Vickery Jr)

Indo- Vietnamese meeting ( Image credits- Flickr/ MEA) Sources- The Diplomat Author- Micheal Kugelman &  Raymond E. Vickery Jr The United States has long urged India to play a more active strategic role in world affairs—a role commensurate with the image India likes to project of itself as a powerful democracy, and with its leaders’ proclamations of their country as a “natural partner” of the United States. By and large, New Delhi has resisted this American request on the grounds that its interests are better served by non-alignment, non-interference, and, when it comes down to it, close relations with U.S. adversaries such as Iran and Russia. And yet for Washington, urging India to play a more active global role may actually amount to a proverbial case of kicking in an open door. Indeed, there are increasing signs that India is in fact beginning to play a bigger role in the world—or at least in Asia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spearheading a substant