China and India: Who is a better friend to ASEAN?

The 10 top leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday to attend the 25th ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on Thursday and are set to attend the 69th Republic Day parade as chief guests on Friday, at the invitation of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"January 26, 2018, will especially be remembered through the ages," Modi said. "The arrival of great leaders of 10 nations of the world as a unit is a matter of pride for all Indians."

Meanwhile, China and the bloc have enjoyed friendly cooperation since establishing dialogue relations in 1991, with economic and people-to-people exchanges growing rapidly.

So, to ASEAN, who is a better friend? In terms of trade ties and people-to-people exchanges (shown in tourism), which major power in Asia weighs more for ASEAN countries?

ASEAN's trade volume of goods with India in 2016 was shorter than 60 billion US dollars and has been declining since its peak in 2011. In comparison, the trade volume of goods between ASEAN and China in 2016 exceeded 368 billion dollars. India's direct investments in ASEAN and enterprises activities in ASEAN countries are also inferior to China. India invested 1 billion US dollars in ASEAN in 2016, while China invested 9.8 billion US dollars, according to ASEAN Secretariat.

India made a gesture to enhance their relations by inviting ASEAN members to the parade, but the development of their relationship is unbalanced, said the Hindustan Times. Politics prevail in their bilateral cooperation, with economic, commercial, cultural and personal exchanges lagging behind.

India’s attempt to pull ASEAN closer

The summit is considered to be by far the largest diplomatic event of India's "Act East" policy. Modi replaced India's "Look East" policy, introduced by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1992, with his "Act East" policy in 2014 to signal a more proactive approach towards the region.

"Act East" is India's answer to the rapid geopolitical transformation in the Indo-Pacific region and ASEAN countries are the core of the policy, India's local media, including The Economic Times and Times of India, said.

The Economic Times said the unilateral withdrawal of the US from Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) left many ASEAN nations more dependent on China, and ASEAN countries have hesitated to cooperate with India in security. It said India will have to show its ambition and capacities, and the Republic Day parade might be a good occasion to give a new direction to the India-ASEAN cooperation.

Friendly China-ASEAN ties

As close neighbors, China and ASEAN began talks in 1991, and established the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in 2003. During a visit to Indonesia in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed China's willingness to work with ASEAN countries to jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the China-ASEAN community of shared future.

"With joint efforts for this goal, China-ASEAN ties have developed into the most dynamic and enriched among ASEAN's relations with its dialogue partners, leading to fruitful achievements in cooperation in various areas," said Xu Bu, Chinese ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

(CGTN)