India’s “Act East” policy introduced a little more than a decade ago has resulted in deeper diplomatic engagement, stronger trade partnerships and enhanced security cooperation with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, people familiar with the matter said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi transformed the earlier “Look East” policy of 1992 into the more dynamic “Act East” policy, with an eye on the changing dynamics of the world and to make India an active stakeholder in regional affairs, the people said on condition of anonymity.
Modi has also undertaken multiple visits to key Southeast Asian countries to bolster cooperation in key areas. For instance, his three visits to Singapore between 2015 and 2024 strengthened economic and fintech collaboration, while his three trips to Indonesia between 2018 and 2023 expanded maritime security cooperation.
In 2017, Modi became the first premier to visit the Philippines in 36 years, while his trip to Brunei in 2024 was the first trip by an Indian PM, symbolising India’s growing diplomatic outreach. In keeping with the Act East policy, he invited leaders of all 10 Asean member states as chief guests for the Republic Day celebrations in 2018 to mark 25 years of the Asean-India dialogue partnership.
Over the past decade, India’s trade with Asean has nearly doubled from $71 billion in 2016-17 to more than $130 billion in 2024. India is now the grouping’s seventh largest trade partner, while ASEAN is the country’s fourth biggest trade partner.
As part of efforts to enhance economic connectivity and trade, the government has pushed infrastructure projects such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and improved direct flight connectivity to several Asean countries to bolster business, tourism and cultural exchanges.
In the sphere of connectivity, the government has also pushed infrastructure projects such as the Agartala-Akhaura rail link, the first such project between the northeastern states and Bangladesh that is also aimed at encouraging trade.
The people said the strategic and defence aspect of the Act East policy has been another key area of focus, with India actively engaging in maritime security cooperation with the Philippines and Vietnam. In this context, a major milestone was the sale of BrahMos cruise missiles to the Philippines, marking India’s emergence as a supplier of major military hardware in the region. India has also signed military logistics agreements with Vietnam, expanding its presence in the Indo-Pacific security framework, they said.
The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), launched in 2019, was another major step for maritime stability and freedom of navigation in the region. India and Asean held their first joint maritime exercise in 2023, which was aimed at countering security challenges in the South China Sea and broader Indo-Pacific.
