Pridi Banomyong International College

In physical and socio-cultural dimensions, India and ASEAN have never been separated entirely. Southeast Asia has long been influenced by Indian civilization from the ancient time and there have been good relationship between India and Thailand over the centuries. 

In this seminar, Dr. Mohammad Faheem and Prof. Dr. Jaran Maluleem discussed about the challenges and prospects of economic development and cooperation between India and ASEAN in the 21st century.

For the first session, Dr. Faheem offered an overview of the contemporary relations between India and ASEAN by focussing on India’s Look East or Act East Policy. The audiences knew several factors about the importance of ASEAN in Indian perspectives as well as people-to-people interconnection and the spread of “Indian Diaspora” in Southeast Asian communities.

In the second session, Prof. Dr. Maluleem demonstrated the closer view of dynamic relations between Thailand and India. This bilateral relations was disrupted during the Cold War period due to the indeological difference between the two entities. However, the relationship was developed through the convergence between Thailand’s economic policy under General Chatichai Choonhavan’s administration and India’s Look East policy. In 2003 under Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration, Indian investors started to come to Thailand for expaning their business networks. There have been both progresses and obstacles in Thai-Indian economic relations.

In the last session, Dr. Faheem introduced his new released book “India-ASEAN Engagements: Economic and Social Dimensions”, which is co-edited by Dr.Faheem and Dr. Faisal Ahmed who also joined this seminar by introducing this book via Zoom program. Dr. Ahmed gave us his impressive perspective about the possibility of economic cooperation between the two entities in the post COVID-19 scenario.