India’s role in East Asia: lessons from cultural and historical linkages
Author: Ellen L. Frost, Peterson Institute for International Economics and the National Defense University
Indian policy makers have a key opportunity to revive and build on India’s historical and cultural legacy in Asia without appearing to be seeking hegemony or trumpeting a chauvinist vision.
In December 2005, the East Asia Summit (EAS) was launched in Kuala Lumpur, with leaders of 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand besides India. India’s presence in the EAS signals not only a victory for New Delhi’s ‘Look East’ policy but also an implicit ‘Look West’ policy on the part of India’s neighbors to the east. This convergence represents a major economic opportunity for India and represents a long-term strategic shift in regional order.
Skeptics wonder why India claims membership in an ‘East Asian’ gathering.