East Asia Explorer
Date: March 10, 2025
By Dr. Pradeep Taneja
, Arshiya Chaturvedi
, Prabir De
The East Asia Explorer tracks evolving geopolitical trends, emerging security challenges, and progress towards regional integration in East Asia. It focuses on the ASEAN grouping, domestic and foreign policy developments in countries of East Asia and Oceania, great power contestation in the region, and India’s relations with ASEAN and its member countries.
In this issue, Dr Pradeep Taneja discusses the military manoeuvres of the People’s Liberation Army Navy warships in the Tasman Sea and their potential impact on Sino-Australian relations. He asserts that this strategic move, which can be understood as demonstrating China’s naval capabilities and testing Australia’s reaction, is likely to push Australia into enhancing its defence capabilities.
Prof. Prabir De writes about reshaping investment flows between ASEAN and India. Heexplores the ‘ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’, delving deep into the trade and investment dynamics between India and the ASEAN.Prof. De also discusses the salient features of the markets in individual ASEAN countries. He emphasises that while there has been a steady growth in economic exchanges between India and the ASEAN, the existence of significant trade and investment barriers hinders the effective realisation of the economic potential of India-ASEAN collaboration for mutual benefit.
Arshiya Chaturvedi analyses Southeast Asian perceptions of Trump's second-term policies, finding a mixed response due to his "America First" agenda and transactional approach to international issues. She notes that the Trump-led US administration’s active push for restructuring China-dominated trade links will present potential long-term economic benefits, but also pose short-term challenges like retaliatory dumping by China and export disruptions for Southeast Asian countries. She further underscores that while expectations for stronger economic ties with the US under Trump 2.0 are low, security partnerships founded on shared interests are expected to remain stable.
To read this East Asia Explorer, Vol. III, Issue 1, please see the PDF attached.
In this issue, Dr Pradeep Taneja discusses the military manoeuvres of the People’s Liberation Army Navy warships in the Tasman Sea and their potential impact on Sino-Australian relations. He asserts that this strategic move, which can be understood as demonstrating China’s naval capabilities and testing Australia’s reaction, is likely to push Australia into enhancing its defence capabilities.
Prof. Prabir De writes about reshaping investment flows between ASEAN and India. Heexplores the ‘ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’, delving deep into the trade and investment dynamics between India and the ASEAN.Prof. De also discusses the salient features of the markets in individual ASEAN countries. He emphasises that while there has been a steady growth in economic exchanges between India and the ASEAN, the existence of significant trade and investment barriers hinders the effective realisation of the economic potential of India-ASEAN collaboration for mutual benefit.
Arshiya Chaturvedi analyses Southeast Asian perceptions of Trump's second-term policies, finding a mixed response due to his "America First" agenda and transactional approach to international issues. She notes that the Trump-led US administration’s active push for restructuring China-dominated trade links will present potential long-term economic benefits, but also pose short-term challenges like retaliatory dumping by China and export disruptions for Southeast Asian countries. She further underscores that while expectations for stronger economic ties with the US under Trump 2.0 are low, security partnerships founded on shared interests are expected to remain stable.
To read this East Asia Explorer, Vol. III, Issue 1, please see the PDF attached.
