India and

East Asia
oreign Minister GeorgeYeo was reflecting Sin-

F gapore’s far-sighted and consistently helpful

attitude when he characterised India’s inter-
est and presence in the East as being “bene-
ficial and beneficent to all of us in South East Asia.” He
regards India’s rise in the world “good for Singapore-
...good for the region.” The stance taken by the city
state’s political leadership over the past decade and
more has helped India not just to build a new part-
nership with the Association of South East Asian Na-
tions (ASEAN), but also to establish a new equation
with the larger region. Singapore was among the first
countries in the East to recognise India’s growing im-
portance for the larger region from both the economic
and strategic viewpoints. This led naturally to the In-
dia-Singapore strategic partnership. Aside from help-
ing India cement its position as a dialogue partner of
Asean (and consequently as a participant in the Asean
Regional Forum), this close relationship has enabled
New Delhi to take part in the East Asian Summit.
Foreign Minister Yeo, who was earlier handling Trade
and Industry, has had a productive visit, studying In-
dia’s progress in different fields and meeting several of
the country’s political leaders.
India has wisely been cautious and even reticent
about articulating its interests in the East from an
overt strategic perspective. Its ‘Look East’ policy has
correctly focussed on economic engagement with
countries in South East Asia and in the larger East
Asian region. Given its buoyant trade and economic
relations with Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and
also with China, Japan, and South Korea, India might
come under pressure from the United States and its
regional allies to involve itself in the ‘strategic architec-
ture’ of the region. Suggestions include taking a more
active role in ensuring the security of air and sea lanes,
especially in the Straits of Malacca and the South China
Sea. Singapore rightly sees the peaceful rise of India
and China as a critical factor in maintaining “a larger
environment of peace for development.” If India is to
play a substantive role in East Asia’s security architec-
ture, it must first know what to avoid. It must avoid
going along with any strategy of countering or contain-
ing China or any other country in the region. Growing
fundamentalist militancy in the region and the global
terrorist network remain major causes of concern.
However, New Delhi must be careful not to compro-
mise the independence of its international policy in
seeking to have a more active role in any regional
security architecture.