Southeast Asian region has always been strategically important to India. India’s relations with ASEAN countries have blossomed in the past few years.

New Delhi’s strategic up-gradation in the policy towards the region i.e. from Look East to Act East has the following evidence:

• Creation of Project Development Fund for catalysing Indian economic presence in the CLMV countries viz. Cambodia, Laos Myanmar and Vietnam.
• Recently signed agreements –
  • Various agreements signed between India and Vietnam in field of IT, space, double taxation, and sharing white shipping information.
  • India and Laos Air Service Agreement 
  • MoUs signed between India and Myanmar in Power sector,Banking Supervision etc.
• India-Indonesia bilateral maritime exercise. 
• Mekong–Ganga Cooperation for future trade and investment cooperation in the region(India, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).

Challenges to Act east policy:

• The increasing influence of China in Cambodia,Myanmar and Laos.In RCEP also, China will dominate.
• Countries like Indonesia are emerging as big powers in the region and two powers can not coexist in the same region.
• Inconsistent relations with countries like Brunei and Cambodia.
• Increasing Philippines’s new president’s interests in China.

ASEAN is full of opportunities. India has a huge market there. Vietnam is one of the largest importer of India’s meat exports. India needs to prioritize its interests. Also,Myanmar is the gate to ASEAN countries. Perpetuating good relations with Myanmar is of utmost importance.