BACKGROUND 

Progress in relations between ASEAN and India steadily grew from the period 1992 up to the present. This was evidenced with India being accepted as Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 1992 and elevated to full Dialogue Partner status on December 1995. The 1st ASEAN-India Summit was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1992. 

Volume of trade and investment flows between ASEAN and India, however, remained relatively low compared with other dialogue partners of ASEAN. Between 1993 and 2005, ASEAN-India bilateral trade grew from US$2.9 billion in 1993 to US$23 billion in 2005. India accounts for less than 2.0 percent of ASEAN’s total trade and 0.2 percent of FDI in the region. Major export commodities of ASEAN to India in 2004 and 2005 comprise of mineral fuels, mineral oils and products, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, electric machinery and animal or vegetable fats. ASEAN’s top import commodities from India, on the other hand, comprise of natural or cultured pearls, precious and semi-precious stones and metals, mineral fuels and oils and organic chemicals. 

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 

Since India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, the collaboration has transcended the realm of functional cooperation to cover political and security dimensions. India participates in a series of consultative meetings with ASEAN which include the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMCs) 10+10, ASEAN-India Summit and East Asia Summit. 

Since July 1996, India has been an active participant of the ARF. It views the ARF as a valuable process in promoting stable relationships between the major powers, and as a useful complement to the bilateral alliances and dialogues between India and ASEAN Member Countries, which are at the heart of the region’s security architecture. 

POLITICAL COOPERATION 

In the field of political and security cooperation, ASEAN and India undertook the signing of the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity and its Plan of Action at the Third ASEAN-India Summit on 30 November 2004 in Vientiane that sets out the roadmap for long-term ASEAN-India cooperation. The two sides have agreed to make the annual progress report of the implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action. 

To demonstrate India’s commitment and shared interest to ensuring peace, security, stability and development in Southeast Asia, India acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on 8 October 2003 during the Second ASEAN-India Summit in Bali. On the same occasion, ASEAN and India also signed a Joint Declaration for Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism (CCIT) symbolizing concrete initiatives to step up cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Currently, the two sides are looking at developing a work plan to implement activities and projects under the Joint Declaration to Combat International Terrorism. 

ECONOMIC COOPERATION 

Recognizing the potentials for closer economic linkages, ASEAN and India signed the ASEAN-India Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation at the Second ASEAN-India Summit in 2003. The Framework Agreement laid a sound basis for the eventual establishment of an ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area (RTIA), which includes FTA in goods, services, and investment. The FTA in goods is scheduled to be established by 31 December 2011 for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, and India, while the deadline for the Philippines and CLMV countries is set for 31 December 2016. 

DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION 

ASEAN-India sectoral cooperation has also been gaining strength with the establishment of working group level meetings such as ASEAN-India Working Group on Development Cooperation; ASEAN-India Working Group on Science and Technology; ASEAN-India Consultations on Tourism; ASEAN SME Agencies Working Group-India Consultations; ASEAN-India Working Group on Transport and Infrastructure and ASEAN-India Telecommunications and IT Senior Officials Consultations.  

At the 6th ASEAN-India Join Cooperation Committee Meeting on 24 March 2004 in Vientiane, ASEAN and India agreed to intensify cooperation in agricultural research. To this end, ASEAN and India have agreed to consider establishing another working group in agriculture. ASEAN and India are also considering the establishment of a working group on health. 

Over the past three (3) years, several new areas have been included in the cooperation such as health, transport and infrastructure, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), information and communication technology (ICT) and agriculture. ASEAN-India cooperation projects are funded by the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund. 

FUNCTIONAL COOPERATION 

ASEAN-India functional cooperation has deepened and broadened. In terms of sectors, ASEAN-India cooperation covers wide-ranging areas: trade, investment, tourism, human resource development, science and technology, and people-to-people contacts, among others. 

Leaders of ASEAN and India acknowledged the need for ASEAN and India to strengthen their economic partnership in the face of growing challenges of globalization, terrorism, rising oil prices, and the threat posed by avian influenza and other emerging and communicable diseases. They agreed that information sharing and international cooperation are vital to address this challenge. They supported efforts to develop a generic version of antiviral drug and a regional network of antiviral stockpiling. 

ASEAN and India could promote social and cultural cooperation. Given the dynamics of ASEAN-India cooperation, the importance of further building upon the people-to-people linkages is very important. This should be carried out not only through dialogue at the level of policymakers, but also through exchange programmes of youth, media personnel, academics, business people, government officials and artists. Interaction amongst these groups of people would help promote better understanding and lasting friendship, which would be important in forging greater cooperation between ASEAN and India. 

5th ASEAN-INDIA SUMMIT 

The Fifth ASEAN – India Summit was held in Cebu, Philippines on 14 January 2007. ASEAN acknowledged the cooperation provided by India in the field of functional cooperation and its contributions to the ASEAN Development Fund and the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund. 

The Leaders underscored the need to give new impetus to cooperation in key areas such as combating terrorism and cooperation in science and technology, energy, health and pharmaceuticals, information and communication, energy, human resource development, transportation and infrastructure, information and communications technology, agriculture, and small and medium enterprises. The importance of people-to-people contacts facilitated through tourism, education, media, and information was also emphasized.