India-ASEAN Relations.

sorcerer

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Vietnam wants India to be part of force trying to counter China

Vietnam wants India to balance power and be part of the force that is trying to counter China.

The Vietnam position was articulated by Prof. Nguyen Thai Yen Huong, a Senior Research Fellow and Vice-President , Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, at the 'Concluding Plenary: Looking Ahead' of the Delhi Dialogue IX, organised by the Ministry of External Affairs along with Observer Research Foundation and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce.

Prof. Huong said there is a need for both ASEAN and India to uphold the rule of law and make use of emerging regional powers. She said both sides must be a top priority for each other in their respective foreign policies.

Prof. Huong said India should look into the better implementation of its Act East Policy and also engage in more trade and investment with Vietnam and ASEAN while the ASEAN nations should work towards constructive competition.

She also noted that it is time for India to push for membership of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).

Mr.Jayant Prasad, Director General, IDSA and a former ambassador, said India must play the role anchors for the communities in Asia Pacific while emphasising that equal importance needs to be paid to the geo-politics in Asia.

He also impressed upon the need to connectivity through rails, air and waterways besides roads.

Mr Biren Nanda, Senior Fellow, Delhi Policy Group and a former ambassador, suggested creation of a common security paradigm by India and ASEAN.

He also emphasised on identifying and focussing on managing risks like climate change.

Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, former president of the FICCI, impressed on the need to improve cooperation on maritime as it is important for business opportunities with respect to fisheries, defence, security, etc.

She also stressed on the development of blue economy, besides saying entrepreneurs must be made aware of what they can do in business.

Mr George Barcelon, President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce, said India can be of real benefit to ASEAN nations in space industry, technology in trade, commerce and education, SMEs growth etc.

Political leaders, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders, think tanks and academicians from both India and ASEAN participated in the discussions.

The 10-member Committee of Permanent Representatives of ASEAN countries and 15 senior media personnel from ASEAN are attending the event.

http://www.defencenews.in/article/V...-part-of-force-trying-to-counter-China-263060
 

sorcerer

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India ups the ante against China in the South China Sea

Vietnam has extended Indian Oil a concession in the South China Sea and began drilling in another area it disputes with China in moves that could heighten tensions over who owns what in the vital maritime region.


The moves come at a delicate time in Beijing's relations with Vietnam, which claims parts of the sea, and India, which recently sent warships to monitor the Malacca Straits, through which most of China's energy supplies and trade passes.

Vietnam granted Indian oil firm ONGC Videsh a two-year extension to explore oil block 128 in a letter that arrived earlier this week, the state-run company's managing director Narendra K Verma told Reuters. Part of that block is in the U-shaped 'nine-dash line' which marks the vast area that China claims in the sea, a route for more than $5 trillion in trade each year in which the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have claims.

A senior official of ONGC Videsh, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said interest in the block was strategic rather than commercial, given that oil development there was seen as high-risk with only moderate potential. "Vietnam also wants us to be there because of China's interventions in the South China Sea," the official said.

Conflicting territorial claims over the sea stretch back many decades but have intensified in recent years as China and its rivals have reinforced their positions on the rocks and reefs they hold.

Underlining the relationship between India and Vietnam, Vietnamese deputy prime minister Pham Binh Minh told a forum in New Delhi this week that India was welcome to play a bigger role in Southeast Asia - and specifically the South China Sea. Hanoi's growing defence and commercial ties with India are part of its strategy of seeking many partnerships with big powers while avoiding formal military alliances.

The pace has picked up since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration took office in 2014 and sought to push back against China's expanding presence in South Asia by raising its diplomatic and military engagement in Southeast Asia.

India is providing naval patrol boats, satellite cover to monitor Vietnam's waters and training for its submarines and fighter pilots - more military support than it is giving to any other Southeast Asian country. On the agenda are transfers of naval vessels and missiles under a $500 million defence credit line announced last year. Next week, the navies of India, the United States and Japan will hold their largest joint exercises in the Bay of Bengal.

http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/i...-ante-against-China-in-South-China-Sea/311025
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India is becoming RELIABLE PARTNER for ASEAN Nations whenever and wherever china tests Indian resolve.
china wants India to be portrayed as a weak and unreliable partner in the region to enforce its stand in the region.
Whenever china is creating a skirmish for India, its china that is backing down for its "PEACEFUL RISE".
 

sorcerer

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In a clear signal to China, India invites 10 ASEAN countries for grand Republic Day Parade

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...lic-day-celebtations/articleshow/59497883.cms


Since it renamed 'Look East' as 'Act East' in 2014, the NDA government has sought a more "dynamic" and "action-oriented" approach in its relations with not just Asean, but also the wider Asia-Pacific, with emphasis on Japan. However, Asean continues to be the central pillar of 'Act East', and the special summit next year in January is expected to further underscore the point.


According to the external affairs ministry, this year, India and Asean are marking 25 years of dialogue partnership, 15 years of summit-level interaction, and five years of strategic partnership, through a wide range of activities, both in India and through Indian missions in Asean member-states, including a commemorative summit on the theme, 'Shared Values, Common Destiny'.



India and Asean are also "actively" engaged in negotiations on forging a 'regional comprehensive economic partnership', which is expected to emerge as the largest regional trading arrangement accounting for about 40% of world trade.\


 

aystle

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Chinese expert Threatening for full scale War with INDIA

A full-blown conflict is the last thing China wants with India, a Chinese expert said on Wednesday, adding Beijing wants to see ties with India reach a 'strategic high' akin to Sino-Russian relations. However, the strategist with China's leading think tank warned that Beijing would strongly defend its territory if the need arose.

Yuan Peng also said that issues like the Doklam row between the militaries of India and China would be dealt "squarely" by Beijing. Yuan, Vice President at the China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations, said Beijing won't compromise on issues safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests.
"The last thing we want to see is a full-blown conflict. Both sides should learn the lesson that we don't need to fight and that we should take Sino-Indian relations on a strategic high, like the China-Russia relationship. "These issues should be handled in a proper way rather than letting them hijack bilateral relationship. We need more comprehensive mechanisms and dialogue," he added.

"This relationship is as important as other major country relations such as China and Russia. It is not something that China and India want to see. Both are rapidly emerging countries and partners within BRICS. We want to see the rise of the two countries like brothers." Yuan was talking to journalists on China's foreign policy in the next five years.

"When safeguarding sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interests, we will always be assertive and strong because there is no room for compromise on these issues," said Yuan. Asked if he meant that China will deal strongly on issues like Dokalm, he said: "It will depend really on what kind of crisis it is. It will depend on the situation.
"In the past, we thought we would shelve differences. Now, we will face them squarely. "Because even if we agree to shelve differences, the other party might not agree to do so. So we now face these problems head-on, and safeguard our legitimate interests. But we will do this in an incremental way."

India and China were locked in a two-month military stand-off at Doklam in the Sikkim section of their border. The crises ended in August, with both sides retreating from the point of the face-off. "Indeed, as far as protecting our interests on sovereignty and ensuring a stable and peaceful periphery are concerned, it is not so easy to strike a balance. No country will seek a peaceful external environment at the cost of its own interests. "President Xi talked about peaceful development and also that we will never allow actions that hurt China's interests," Yuan added.

http://m.mid-day.com/articles/chinese-expert-full-blown-war-with-india-will-be-last-option/18745192
 

prohumanity

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Stars are aligning in good fashion.
The quad (USA+Japan+India+Australia) can be a formidable force. The ten ASEAN nations will join the quad and the regional trade will bloom again.

I can envision a trade highway starting from Kolkata...passing thru Yangoon..to Bangkok..to Cambodia..to Vietnam.
From their connecting via sea route to Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines ,South Korea, Japan and hopefully some day Russia.

China and its two little goons,,North Korea and Pakistan will be reduced to their true size. The only choice left for China is to forget using Pakistan against India and forget using North Korea against ASEAN nations.
 

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ASEAN nations in talks with Centre to extend India-Myanmar-Thailand highway to Vietnam
New Delhi: The government is in talks with ASEAN countries to extend the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) highway up to Vietnam, a senior official said on Tuesday.

India and ASEAN countries are holding consultations on the extension of the 1,360 km IMT highway – from Moreh in India to Mae-Sot in Thailand — to Laos, Cambodia and to Vietnam, she said.
 

Kalki_2018

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Hmmm wonder why this is required? What are we angling for with Palestine? And why is it in Indo-ASEAN section.
 

delbruky

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Update: India just became the 43rd member of the AUSTRALIA GROUP
 

Hindustani78

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Ministry of Commerce & Industry24-May, 2018 17:35 IST
5th India CLMV Business Conclave held at Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 21-22 May 2018


Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation at the 5thIndia CLMV Business Conclave at Phnom Penh



The Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India along with Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia organized the 5th India-CLMV Business Conclave in Phnom Penh on 21-22 May 2018. After four rounds of the Business Conclave in India, this initiative was brought by Department of Commerce of Government of India to Cambodia,for greater participation from the region. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is the institutional partner of the event.



The inaugural session of 5th India CLMV Conclave was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister of Kingdom of Cambodia and was attended by Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Government of India. Ministers of Commerce andIndustry and Trade of Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Lao PDR were also present on this occasion. Ministerial and business delegations from India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos consisting of about 400 delegates participated in the inaugural programme.



Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry of Government of India was accompanied by a business delegation led by Dr.Naushad Forbes, President of the Confederation of Indian Industry and other prominent business leaders and captains of the India Industry.



In his inaugural address, Deputy Prime Ministerof Cambodia, appreciated India’s efforts in organising the 5th India CLMV Business conclave in Cambodia and called for collaboration of CLMV countries and India on agriculture, health, tourism, education and connectivity for promoting regional integration and creation of value chain.



Suresh Prabhu in his address emphasised the need for strengthening India CLMV business and trade relations. He highlighted the need for greater connectivity, promoting small and medium enterprises, harnessing the opportunities in service sector especially health care, tourism, transportation, and logistics. He stressed upon the need to promote productivity and value addition in agriculture to address livelihood and employment issues.



The Commerce Minister urged the Indian business leaders to make more investments in the CLMV region, considering that it is a gateway to the entire ASEAN and provides an access to the huge markets of these countries. In order to institutionalize the bilateral business to business engagements of India with each of the CLMV countries India’s Commerce Minister proposed setting up of an India Cambodia Chamber of commerce with the institutional partnership between CII and Cambodian Chamber of Commerce.



He also proposed setting up of similar bilateral business forums in Vietnam and Laos. Suresh Prabhu also announced expanding funding support to theIndia CLMV business conclave and for holding India CLMV business expositions every year beginning from next year.This will further strengthen collaboration between traders and exporters of these countries.



The inaugural session was followed by plenary and country sessions which focussed on sectors such as SME, manufacturing, agriculture, plantation, fisheries and related industries, healthcare, education, information technology and skill development. The business conclave provided an opportunity for developing better understanding of CLMV economies which have untapped potential for development and which offer more scope for enhancement of economic engagement with India.

***
 

kunal1123

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As Japan Goes All Out To Improve Ties With Beijing, India Fades Into Background
Wednesday, February 06, 2019 by Indiandefense News


An Indo-Japanese automobile manufacturing plant in India
While India has been emphasising that the improvement in ties between China and Japan will not have a negative impact on its relationship with the latter, recent trends in trade and investments indicate otherwise.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Japan twice this year as Tokyo seeks to further improve relations with Beijing through a series of top-level meetings, diplomatic sources told The Japan Times on Monday. If Xi does visit Japan twice this year, he will become the first Chinese president to do so since Hu Jintao in 2008.
In October 2018, India's External Affairs Ministry expressed confidence that the improvement in ties between China and Japan would not have a negative bearing on its relation with Tokyo.
But some foreign policy observers are of the view that the growing camaraderie between Japan and China is a clear indication of trouble in India's proposed collaboration with Japan on infrastructure projects, especially in African nations.
India and Japan decided to come together to take advantage of the growing scepticism over China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the associated heavy debt loads taken on by countries such as Angola, the Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.
According to figures published on 14 November by Moody's Investors Service, annual Chinese lending to sub-Saharan governments is now more than $10 billion as compared with less than $1 billion in 2001.
"In 2017, India and Japan together announced the Asia-Africa Economic Growth Corridor (AAEGC), to extend joint infrastructure funding to Asian and African countries. However, in June 2018, Japanese Prime Minister Abe reversed course to offer to work with China in third countries to develop infrastructure. Fifty such collaboration projects were announced during his visit to China in October 2018, including a rail project in Thailand. AAEGC has receded into the background. Japan is now on board the BRI," notes Shyam Sharan, a former foreign secretary and current senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.
India's ambitions in Africa and beyond may further erode with the renewed focus of Japanese firms on China. Japanese companies have bestowed a lot of confidence in the "China 2025" vision, as it offers them a bundle of opportunities in sectors like artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and quantum computing. On the other hand, India's tax and investment environment poses some concerns to Japanese firms, according to the Joint Report of the India-Japan Business Leaders Forum 2018.
"While Japanese FDI into India has increased significantly from about $85 million in 2006-07 to $4.7 billion in 2016-17, the anticipated surge in Japanese FDI has not materialised… With China once again emerging as an attractive destination for Japanese investment, India may be pushed to margins," Shyam Sharan added.
Going by the data published by India's Ministry of External Affairs, Japan's direct investment in India 2017-18 dropped to $1.6 billion.
To add to India's worry, the latest survey of Japanese manufacturing companies, conducted by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) in 2018, concluded that China has replaced India at the top of the list of most promising countries/regions for overseas business over the medium term.
China took first place on the list for the first time in five years. Its percentage share rose 3.7 points from the previous year to 45.7 per cent. Over 90 percent of companies that named China as a promising country said that it is promising in terms of sales, adding that they have high expectations regarding China as a huge market. India, which came in first place for the third consecutive year until last year, fell to second place this year.
 

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4TH India-Asean Expo Summit on 21 – 23 February 2019 in New Delhi


The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit will be held on 21-23 February, 2019 in New Delhi. This is a flagship event of Department of Commerce, being organised with FICCI to carry forward the momentum and to further strengthen India-ASEAN relations under the Act-East Policy. The 4th India-ASEAN Expo and Summit, 2019 will build upon the success of the previous edition of ASEAN-India Business and Investment Meet and Expo which was held in 2018 as a precursor to India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit.

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei. India's relationship with ASEAN is a key pillar of our foreign policy and the foundation of our Act-East Policy.India-ASEAN trade and investment relations have been growing steadily, with ASEAN being the second largest trading partner of India,after China,with a total bilateral merchandise trade of USD 81.33 billion.

Trade Ministers of ASEAN Countries, Secretary General of ASEAN and business delegations will participate in the New Delhi Expo and Summit. The Summit is a platform for the policy makers, industry captains and business leaders to come together and forge a common vision for India and ASEAN’s mutual growth and progress. There will be various Plenary Sessions on sectoral engagements with ASEAN which will be attended by the Ministers and other eminent delegates from ASEAN and India.The Expo component of the event will have India and ASEAN Country Pavilions. 200 plus exhibitors from India and ASEAN,and more than100 buyers from ASEAN are expected to participate in the Expo. B2B and B2G meetings are also being organised. There will also be buyer-seller meetings to provide business leaders an opportunity to closely interact with their counterparts and consolidate B2B and B2G relations.

Union Minister of Commerce &Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhuand Trade Ministers of ASEAN countries along with ASEAN Secretary General will jointly inaugurate the India-ASEAN Expo and Summit on 21st February, which will be followed by the inauguration of the exposition. The exposition will showcase the best initiatives of the business and industry from India and ASEAN countries across various sectors of mutual cooperation such as Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Manufacturing & Engineering, ICT, healthcare, tourism, environment, agriculture, science & technology, finance & banking, logistics and retail.

Key speakers from the Indian side include Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, C.R. Chaudhary and Minister of State, Agriculture Ministry, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia,Mr. Enggartiasto Lukita, Dr. Than Myint, Union Minister, Ministry of Commerce, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Mr. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Kingdom of Cambodia, Ms. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Acting Minister of Commerce of Thailand, and Mr. Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary General, ASEAN, Mr. Lee Chuan Teck, Second Permanent Secretary, Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, DatoLokman Hakim Bin Ali, Secretary General MITI, Malaysia and Mr. Doan DuyKhuong, Vice Chairman, Vietnam Chambers of Commerce and Industry will also address the Forum.

The 4th India ASEAN Expo and Summit will bring Indian and ASEAN businesses together to work jointly towards integrating them into regional value chains, thereby promoting mutual trade and investment.
 

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Why India-Developed COVID-19 Vaccine Can Earn More Trust in Cambodia?

As many countries globally are racing to vaccinate their population through purchasing and stockpiling COVID-19 vaccines, Cambodia has been seeking vaccine donations from its friends and partners in order to share the cost and accelerate the process of the immunization.

Given that the reliable reports on efficacy and the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines produced by some countries like India and China remain ambiguous, many countries which can’t afford a pricy and very difficult-to-handle vaccines, are compelled to accept whatever vaccines available as long as they can manage to secure enough doses to immunize their entire population in a timely manner, hoping to bring back a “normality”.

As can be seen Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen personally requested India-developed vaccine during his meeting with Ambassador Khobragade on Jan. 18 just few days after he announced the acceptance of 1 million doses of China’s Sinopham vaccine — 300,00 doses of which are due to arrive in the country in February. Not only India Hun Sen had made a request to, but also some other friends and partners, including Russia is also on the list.


The effort has been seen as substantial diplomatically in many ways as the prime minister aims to take the opportunity to reinforce diplomatic relations with other major countries while indicate that the Kingdom doesn’t solely depend on China in the light of a common speculation that the country is Chinese client state. The action, of course, is aimed at echoing its foreign policy mantra: “Cambodia is friend to all countries and enemy to none.”


For Cambodia in particular, maybe China is a close friend with deep pocket, but possibly with the vaccine donation, India can now appear to be a more reliable and better friend during this time of crisis.


In response to the Cambodian premier’s request, ambassador Khobragade reassured during the 72nd National Day that the Southeast Asian nation will receive the vaccines developed in India, underlining the Indian government’s role in international stage as a responsible emerging power to supply the vaccine to the rest of the world. So far, it has remained undetermined on how many doses of India-developed vaccine will be donated to Cambodia.


Cambodia had reportedly asked for to be given 1 million doses from the Indian side, but there has not been any public revelation from either Cambodian or Indian side regarding the final decision on the donation.


But as a long-lasting friend and an important partner in Southeast Asia under the so-called Act East policy, it is clear that Cambodia will soon be receiving vaccine donation from the Indian government through “Vaccine Maitri (vaccine friendship)” initiative.


Moreover, it is also strategically vital if India can manage to swiftly get started by providing its vaccines to Cambodia. As Cambodia will assume the chairmanship of ASEAN regional grouping next year, it is obvious that it can play as a facilitator to further bridge the ties and parentship covering wide-ranging issues between ASEAN and India be they security, cultural, economic and political connectivity.


As of Jan. 27, the country announced that it would receive up to 11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines — 1 million doses from China, 3 million doses from Australia and 7 million doses through COVAX, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) vaccine distribution platform.

Why can Cambodians have more trust in India-developed vaccines?

So far two Indian vaccines — Covishield produced by India’s Serum Institute and Covaxin developed and manufactured by Bharat Biotech — have been approved by the country’s drug regulator this month. But what still remains a major problem is the Indian people’s hesitancy in accepting the domestically manufactured vaccines due to inadequacy of efficacy data in spite of the Indian government’s determination to inoculate 300 million people by July.


As the second most populous nation on earth, India has more than 1.3 billion people to be vaccinated. However, from a Cambodian perspective, India has been seen putting more effort to promote the South-South Cooperation and assist other poorer nation in times of need.

Of course, a diplomatic reason might involve in any move by a nation in spearheading an act of generosity, but India, as an emerging power, chooses to do both: expanding its capacity to protect its people while looking to increase its determination in helping other nations battling against the pandemic. This happens while most of the wealthy nations prefer to keep stockpiling the vaccines for their own citizen — an act that is giving a greater boost to the philosophy of the vaccine nationalism.

Not only India’s kind action is worth mentioning, but its easiness to handle and affordability is also important in making the Indian vaccines more appealing to many developing countries despite insufficient efficacy data.

For the Cambodian government, logistical and storage capacity is fundamentally one of the factors that must be taken into account. But what I can see is that the Indian vaccines can face least resistance from the Cambodian general public when it comes to inoculation compared to others specifically those developed in Russia and China.

Although accepting and using a particular vaccine is about public health issue, it also involves the perception of the people. In Cambodia, there is far more defiance to Chineseness than to the Indianess. For instance, Chinese products have long been deemed low quality by many, let alone the vaccines which are of the concern of public health and safety.

But things about India have been perceived differently. Cambodians regard India as an old-age friend with long-standing cultural and religious linkage, and its adherence to democracy has well cherished by many Cambodians, too.


More significantly, India’s capacity and fame in manufacturing and supplying sophisticated medicinal products have been prevalent in Cambodia over the past decades. This claim can be further buttressed by the amount of money Cambodia spends each year on imports of pharmaceutical products from India. According to the United Nations COMTRADE, Cambodia pharmaceutical imports from India in 2019 stood at $45.67 million higher than that of the imports from France.

Even though Cambodia’s schedule for vaccination rollout remains undetermined, it can be expected that there will be more propensity of more people willing to take the shot of the India-developed vaccines.

India’s vaccine supplies: a catalyst in consolidating ties with ASEAN

It is undeniable that India’s vaccine donation to Cambodia will redound to the determination in expanding the relations between the two countries and, to a certain extent, deepening socio-economic and cultural integration with Southeast Asian region — the key pillar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Act East Policy.

It should be noticed that many pundits have been critical of the Delhi government for its reluctant position as well as its lack of a substantive role in the region, which has left a vacuum for Beijing to fill in recent years.

However, its successful development and production of COVID-19 vaccine as well as its impending competence in pursuance of vaccine diplomacy is more critical than ever as this will offer more rooms for the Indian government to navigate its foreign policy, eventually shifting the trajectory of its relations with the countries in the region.

In order to achieve a more fruitful result, the Indian government might also need to grasp this opportunity to recalibrate its foreign policy response and continue to reach out to the countries in the region in order to fortify a vaccine collaboration.

Even though there are already some countries namely Indonesia and the Philippines whose drug regulators have already approved China-developed vaccine Sinovac, it is not too late for the South Asian country to ramp up its diplomatic effort in channeling the vaccine offer and lend a helping hand to the Southeast Asian nations in safeguarding the vaccine supply.

What is raised here is actually not a suggestion of competition with China in particular, but having more actors especially major powers like India involved will be driving a more vibrant and divergent vaccine supply and distribution amid these fast-changing regional geopolitics.

And India’s diplomatic triumph in vaccine diplomacy will also pave the way for the post-COVID-19 engagement with the countries in the region, which will eventually bring about tangible benefits to the people of ASEAN and India, enabling a favorable environment to be created for further expansion of the mutual cooperation.
 

VivaVietnamm

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Vietnam, India warships conduct joint exercises in East Sea
By Vu Anh August 20, 2021 | 04:58 pm GMT+7

Vietnamese and Indian sailors greet each other in the waters off Vietnam's central coast, August 18, 2021. Photo by Customs Newspaper

A Vietnamese frigate has joined an Indian fleet for drills in the waters off the central Khanh Hoa Province.
The 012 Ly Thai To frigate of Vietnam along with India's INS Ranvijay destroyer and frigate INS Kora held joint drills in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, on Wednesday in accordance with the Western Pacific Navy's Code of Conduct for Unexpected Encounters at Sea (CUES).
After the drill, all crews performed a greeting ceremony, ending the visit to Vietnam of the Indian naval fleet.
The activity aims to strengthen and promote the friendship between Vietnam and India in general and the armies and navies of both countries in particular.

According to a statement posted on the Indian Ministry of Defense's website, frequent contact between the navies of Vietnam and India over the years has enhanced the coordination and adaptability of both forces.
The Indian naval fleet with 459 officers and sailors arrived at Cam Ranh Port in Khanh Hoa Province on Aug. 15. The reception ceremony was held online to ensure the prevention of Covid-19.
INS Ranvijay is a Rajput-class guided-missile destroyer commissioned by India in late 1987, while INS Kora is the first of the eponymous missile corvettes, in service since 1998.

Vietnam call South CN sea is East Sea
 

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A general question about ASEAN countries. When they mark their independence days( such as Indonesia, which would have turned 70 in 2019) , are there articles in various US, UK et al publications, looking at the countries in all phases, economic, political, social, environmental, scientific, technological? Are there quotes from persons of different shades of the political spectrum which are critical of the path they( the respective countries) have taken? Are there scathing articles attacking various national 'myths'? When it comes to India, many commentators weigh in, and it's usually quite critical and negative, with the one bouquet thrown about the relative success of democracy. I don't recall reading soul searching, deep thought, or acerbic essays or editorials about Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand etc. Unless one has made an horrendous oversight, why is there an absence of this sort of commentary. If you were to tell people from those countries, that everything is going great, and has been great from day one, and they have attained the pinnacle of success in every phase of life, I'm sure you'd get some strange looks!
 

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