India Looks East to ASEAN

Relationship with the ASEAN countries continues to be the foundation of India’s Look East Policy.

ASEAN Community by 2015 is Initiative for ASEAN Integration for Narrowing the Development Gap and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.

India is partnering the ASEAN countries in the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The FTA on Trade in Goods, which India signed in 2009, has helped to bring about steady increase in trade volumes between ASEAN and India. It now stands at USD 76 billion annually and India is pursuing a target of USD 100 billion by 2015. There is a trade imbalance in favour of the ASEAN but that sometimes comes naturally.

Connectivity in all its dimensions is receiving the highest priority on the ASEAN India agenda. ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee deals with this and does a stock-taking of work underway but which is also looking at the utility of economic clusters and back-end linkages, SEZs and economic nodes along the connectivity corridors and also ways to encourage an inter-modal approach, which can integrate land, sea and air routes with hinterland economic activity. This meeting is going to be held on September 8, 2014 at Nay Pyi Taw.

India has proposed that India-Myanmar-Thailand begin negotiations on a Transit Transport Agreement for the Trilateral Highway.