East Asia Explorer
Dr. Pradeep Taneja analyses Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 20 October meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, which took place nine months after Trump’s second inauguration. Widely seen in Australia as a diplomatic success for Albanese, the meeting reaffirmed U.S. support for the AUKUS alliance but did little to ease persistent doubts about the agreement’s long-term stability.
In her brief, Divya Rai analyses China’s September 2025 declaration for the establishment of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, arguing that Beijing’s environmental narrative conceals deeper geopolitical objectives. Presented as conservation, the move extends Chinese administrative and enforcement control, curbing Philippine access to the shoal. It reflects Beijing’s sustained “grey zone” tactics to institutionalise its presence and legitimise maritime claims in the South China Sea.
Amb. Biren Nanda reviews the proceedings of the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit and 47th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28. He underscoresthe significance of Prime Minister Modi’s virtual participation in the Summit and the launch of key initiatives such as the ‘ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation’(2026) and the ‘Plan of Action’(2026–2030)to deepen strategic collaboration between India and ASEAN. He notes that US President Donald Trump’s active engagementresulted in the signing of legally binding trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia andFramework Agreements with Thailand and Vietnam.China’s move to advance the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area 3.0, reflectedASEAN’s growing strategic role amid shifting Indo-Pacific dynamics.
To read East Asia Explorer, Vol. III, Issue 10, please see the PDF attached.
