India's growing engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is helping member states navigate the intensifying US-China rivalry by broadening their strategic options, according to a detailed analysis published in Indian Narrative. The report argues that India's presence does not eliminate ASEAN's central geopolitical dilemma — but makes it meaningfully more manageable.

India as a Strategic Buffer for ASEAN

Former Indian diplomat Raghu Gururaj wrote that India's engagement increasingly aligns with ASEAN's preference for inclusive, non-bloc regional architectures. 'For ASEAN, the presence of a partner like India does not resolve its central dilemma, but it does make that dilemma more manageable. By expanding the range of available options, India helps reduce the pressure to choose between the United States and China,' Gururaj noted.

He further emphasised that India's relatively non-prescriptive approach allows it to engage Southeast Asia without generating the geopolitical tensions typically associated with major-power competition. This aligns with ASEAN's strategic culture, which prioritises equilibrium, consultation, and multi-alignment over rigid bloc formations.

India's Consistent Support for ASEAN Centrality

Unlike alliance-driven frameworks, India has consistently championed ASEAN centrality within the Indo-Pacific. New Delhi remains an active participant in the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus — multilateral platforms that reflect ASEAN's preference for consensus-based diplomacy over bilateral pressure.

This institutional commitment distinguishes India from both the United States and China, whose approaches are often perceived by ASEAN members as carrying implicit demands for alignment.

Defence Exports: India as a Credible Arms Supplier

A significant marker of India's evolving external security posture is the export of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines. According to reports, Vietnam has concluded a similar agreement, while Indonesia is reportedly in the final stages of negotiations. Together, these developments signal the emergence of India as a credible defence supplier within Southeast Asia — a role it had not previously occupied at this scale.

This is notably the first time India has positioned itself as a meaningful arms exporter to the region, adding a hard-power dimension to what had largely been a soft-power and trade-driven relationship.

Digital Public Infrastructure: A Sovereignty-Sensitive Alternative

Beyond defence, India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) model is gaining traction as a third-way digital option for ASEAN states wary of both Chinese platform dependency and Western big-tech dominance. Built around interoperability, lower implementation costs, and state ownership, India's DPI framework offers something neither Beijing nor Washington can fully replicate.

The 21st ASEAN-India Summit joint statement, issued in October 2024, formally acknowledged 'the opportunities for collaboration, with the mutual consent of ASEAN Member States and India, to utilise various kinds of platforms to promote DPI development across the region.'

The Broader Strategic Value

'India does not seek to dominate or define the region's trajectory. Instead, it operates as a complementary force, expanding options and reducing over-dependence on any single partner. In a system defined by hedging, such a role is inherently valuable,' Ambassador Gururaj concluded. As US-China competition intensifies, India's multi-alignment posture may prove to be its most durable strategic asset in Southeast Asia.