The Association Of Southeast Asian

Nations Or ASEAN
An Organisation Formed By The
Governments Of Malaysia, Indonesia,
The Philippines, Thailand And
Singapore In 1967 To Promote
Economic Growth, Peace, Security,
Social Progress And Cultural
Development In The Southeast Asian
Region.

ASEAN History
ASEAN Was Established On 8th August
1967 In Bangkok, Thailand With The
Signing Of The Bangkok Declaration
(ASEAN Declaration) By The Founding
Fathers Of The Countries Of Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore And The
Philippines.

The Preceding Organisation Was The

Association Of Southeast Asia (ASA)
Comprising Of Thailand, The Philippines
And Malaysia.

HQ At Jakarta (Indonesia);

Established In 1967 In Bangkok Via

Bangkok Declaration
Five Other Nations Joined The ASEAN
In Subsequent Years Making The
Current Membership To Ten Countries.

ASEAN Members
● Thailand (Founding Member)
● The Philippines (Founding Member)
● Malaysia (Founding Member)
● Singapore (Founding Member)
● Indonesia (Founding Member)
● Brunei (Joined In 1984)
● Viet Nam (Joined In 1995)
● Lao Pdr (Joined In 1997)
● Myanmar (Joined In 1997)
● Cambodia (Joined In 1999)
ASEAN Follows The Principle Of
“ASEAN Way”

● Musyawarah And Mufakat

[Consultation And Agreement]
● Don’t Use Force / Confrontation
● Don’t Interfere In The Internal
Matters Of States
● Informal Discussion
 ● Minimal Institutionalization

To Achieve “ASEAN Way”, Treaty Of

Amity And Cooperation In Southeast
Asia (TAC) Was Signed, To Which India
Also Acceded In 2003 Viz.

● They’ll Not Interfere In The Internal

Affairs Of One Another,
● They’ll Not Use Threat Or Use Of
Force To Settle Differences /
Disputes
● They’ll Settle Of Differences Or
Disputes By Peaceful Means,
● They’ll Effectively Cooperate
Among Themselves.
● They’ll Mutually Respect Each
Others Independence, Sovereignty,
 Equality, Territorial Integrity And
National Identity
● Every State Has Right To Lead Its
National Existence Free From
External Interference, Subversion
Or Coercion

Evolution Of ASEAN

1967 Establishment Of ​ASEAN

ASEAN Regional Forum

1994 (ARF) (India Became Its
Member In 1996)

ASEAN + 3 Is Formed (China

+ Japan + South Korea) To
1997
Increase Regional
Cooperation
 Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) – A
Currency Swap Agreement
Among ASEAN + 3
2010
Provides Emergency
Liquidity To Economies
During Crisis

● ASEAN Political
Security Community
● ASEAN Economic
2015
Community
● ASEAN
Socio-cultural
Community
Accelerating Economic Growth, Cultural
Development And Social Progress In
The Region By Joint Initiatives In The
Spirit Of Partnership And Equality To
Cement The Foundation For A Peaceful
And Strong Community Of Se Asian
Countries.

1. Promoting Peace And Stability In

The Region
2. Active Collaboration And Mutual
Assistance In Subjects Of Common
Interest
3. Training And Research Facilities In
The Educational, Administrative,
Technical And Professional
Domains.
 4. Cooperating For A Better Usage Of
Agriculture And Industries, Trade
Expansion Communication And
Transportation Facilities, And
Improving Living Standards
5. Promoting Se Asian Studies.
6. Exploring More Avenues For
Further Cooperation

Timeline Of India – ASEAN Relations

India Starts Engaging With

1990 Asean, Part Of ​Look East
Policy.

Sectoral Dialogue Partner

1992
Of ASEAN
 Full Dialogue Partner Of
1996
ASEAN

Annual Summits With

2002
ASEAN

Treaty Of Amity And

Cooperation In Southeast
2003 Asia (TAC) India Signs
Counter-terrorism
Declaration​ With Asean.

Established Free Trade

2009
Area- FTA Agreement

FTA In Goods Becomes

2010
Effective

20th Anniversary Of
2012
ASEAN-India Dialogue.
 ASEAN – India
Commemorative Summit Is
Held.

Now ​India Becomes A

Strategic Partner Of
ASEAN

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) – 1994

Dialogue Platform Between The

Foreign Ministers Of ASEAN And Its
Full Dialogue Partners
 To Provide Diplomatic Solutions To
Regional Problems.

ARF Has Total 27 Member States

ARF Vision 2020

● Regional Security Challenges &

Measures
 ● Confidence Building And
Cooperation

Hanoi Plan Of Action (POA) To

Implement Vision 2020 Involving
Concrete And Practical Actions In The
Fields Of:

● Disaster Relief
● Maritime Security
● Non-proliferation And Disarmament
● Counter-terrorism
● Peacekeeping

India And ARF

● Member Of The ARF Since 1996

 ● “Look East” Policy, And
Development Of Closer Links With
The ASEAN As A Full-dialogue
Partner.
● Co-chaired ARF Inter-sessional
Support Group (Arf-isg) On Cbms
And Preventive Diplomacy
● Organized Several Seminars,
Workshops And Training
Programmes For Arf Members Viz.

Concerns

India And The 10-member ASEAN

Have Agreed To Initiate A Review Of
The Bilateral Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) In Goods To Make It “More
User-friendly, Simple And Trade
Facilitative”.
India Is Not Happy About The Fact
That Its Trade Deficit With Asean Has
Widened Significantly Since The Pact
Was Implemented In January 2010.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic

Partnership (RCEP) Is A Trade Deal
That Was Being Negotiated Between 16
Countries.

They Include :
The 10 Association Of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) ​Members
(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, And Vietnam) And

The Six Countries ​With Which The

Bloc Has Free Trade Agreements
(FTAs) — India, Australia, China, Korea,
Japan, And New Zealand.

To Create An “Integrated Market”

Spanning All 16 Countries. This Means
That It Would Be Easier For The
Products And Services Of Each Of
These Countries To Be Available Across
The Entire Region.

The “Largest” Regional Trading

Agreement Yet — The Countries
Involved Account For Almost Half Of
The World’s Population, Contribute Over
A Quarter Of World Exports, And Make
Up Around 30% Of The Global Gross
Domestic Product (The Value Of All
Goods And Services Produced In A
Year).

Negotiations To Chart Out The Details

Of This Deal Have Been On Since 2013,
And All Participating Countries Had
Earlier Aimed To Finalise It By
November 2019.
But India Has Held Back Because Of
“Significant Outstanding Issues, Which
Remain Unresolved”.

The Deal In Its Present Form Does Not

Fully Reflect “The Basic Spirit And The
Agreed Guiding Principles Of RCEP”,
According To Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.

“When I Measure The RCEP Agreement

With Respect To The Interests Of All
Indians, I Do Not Get A Positive Answer.
Therefore, Neither The Talisman Of
Gandhiji Nor My Own Conscience
Permit Me To Join RCEP”

Key Issues That Have Prevented

India

“Inadequate” Protection Against Surges

In Imports.

Fears That Cheaper Products From

China Would “Flood” The Market.

India is Seeking An Auto-trigger

Mechanism That Would Allow It To
Raise Tariffs On Products In Instances
Where Imports Cross A Certain
Threshold.
India Demands For More Market
Access, And Its Concerns Over
Non-tariff Barriers.

China Is Known To Have Used

Non-tariff Barriers In The Past To
Prevent India From Growing Its Exports
To The Country.

Despite India Already Having Separate,

Bilateral FTAs With Most RCEP
Nations, It Has Recorded Trade Deficits
With These Countries

Several Sections Of The Indian Industry

Have Raised Concerns Over India
Signing The Deal.

Domestic Sectors May Take A Hit Due

To Cheaper Alternatives From Other
Participant Countries. For Instance, The
Dairy Industry Was Expected To Face
Stiff Competition From Australia And
New Zealand.

Civil Society Bodies And Trade Experts

Have Also Raised Questions Over The
Possible Gains From An RCEP Deal.

“All RCEP Participating Countries Will

Work Together To Resolve These
Outstanding Issues In A Mutually
Satisfactory Way. India’s Final Decision
Will Depend On Satisfactory Resolution
Of These Issues,” The Joint Statement
By RCEP Members .