Rajnath Singh to push for deeper defence ties at ASEAN defence ministers' meet in Philippines

Rajnath Singh is using the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus to strengthen India’s defence partnerships with Southeast Asian countries. He plans to review existing ties, identify fresh cooperation, and support peace, stability, and collective growth across the Indo-Pacific. The meeting also gives India a platform to reaffirm ASEAN centrality under its Act East Policy.

Singh will hold bilateral meetings with defence ministers from participating countries. These discussions could cover patrol vessels, radars, air defence systems, helicopters, drones, and other technologies. India is also expanding practical defence links, including through the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, which Indonesia is set to acquire after the Philippines and Vietnam.

The meeting takes place as China seeks greater influence in the Indo-Pacific. India wants countries to protect their interests, make independent choices, and settle disputes peacefully under international law. Singh’s visit could therefore strengthen strategic partnerships while encouraging regional cooperation without forcing countries to choose sides.

The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting is ASEAN’s highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism. ADMM-Plus expands that forum by bringing ASEAN’s 11 member states together with eight dialogue partners, including India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. This creates a broad setting for defence ministers to discuss shared security concerns.

Its importance lies in regular dialogue and practical cooperation. Countries can review defence relationships, build capacity together, and explore new areas such as counter-terrorism. India is co-chairing the experts working group on counter-terrorism with Malaysia for 2024-2027, showing how the forum supports structured collaboration.

The meeting also supports a wider regional order based on trust and international law. Singh said security is strengthened when countries build capacity together and maintain trust through dialogue. With competing interests in the Indo-Pacific, ADMM-Plus offers a channel for cooperation without requiring countries to choose sides.

ADMM-Plus has 19 participating countries. The group consists of 11 ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners. The ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

The eight dialogue partners are India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Their participation places major regional and global powers alongside Southeast Asian states in the same defence cooperation framework. This wide membership gives the meeting a broad regional reach.

The arrangement matters because security challenges in the Indo-Pacific cross national borders. ADMM-Plus allows defence ministers to consult, build capacity, and develop cooperation through dialogue. India’s co-chairing of the counter-terrorism experts working group with Malaysia for 2024-2027 is one concrete example of this structured work.

India and Southeast Asian countries could widen defence cooperation across equipment, technology, and security capabilities. Singh has identified patrol vessels, radars, air defence systems, helicopters, drones, and other technologies as possible areas. These options cover maritime security, surveillance, air protection, mobility, and unmanned systems.

The BrahMos missile provides a clear example of this expanding relationship. Indonesia is set to become the third ASEAN member, after the Philippines and Vietnam, to acquire the supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia. This shows that cooperation can move beyond dialogue toward major defence acquisitions.

The broader mechanism is partnership between India and individual Southeast Asian states, supported by ministerial discussions and the ADMM-Plus framework. Singh’s bilateral meetings will review ongoing ties and explore new avenues. Future cooperation could therefore combine equipment sales, technology links, and shared security capacity, although the article does not specify particular future agreements.

India’s phrase “free, open and inclusive” describes an Indo-Pacific where every country can make its own choices, protect its interests, and pursue development in peace. It also rests on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful dispute resolution, international law, and cooperation through dialogue. The approach rejects an order in which countries are pressured into strategic camps.

Singh connected this vision to India’s Act East Policy, which guides deeper engagement with Southeast Asia. He said India is firmly committed to ASEAN centrality and to the region’s peace, stability, and collective growth. Defence cooperation is therefore part of a broader strategic relationship, not simply a search for military equipment.

At the ADMM-Plus meeting, India can turn these principles into practical conversations. Bilateral meetings, capacity-building, and cooperation on technologies can strengthen partnerships. The article presents this approach as especially relevant while China seeks greater influence and some states face pressure over maritime claims.

China’s growing influence gives urgency to India’s defence engagement with Southeast Asia. The article says China has sought greater Indo-Pacific influence by setting up military bases, pushing smaller countries to advance its maritime claims, and forcing strategic concessions from vulnerable states. These actions affect the security choices available to countries in the region.

The South China Sea is a direct example. China has longstanding territorial disputes with several ASEAN members, including Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. India’s expanding defence ties, including the BrahMos relationship with the Philippines, Vietnam, and soon Indonesia, give Southeast Asian countries additional partnership options.

India responds by supporting sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, and peaceful dispute resolution. Singh has urged countries to discuss differences early, before they become disputes, and to cooperate without being forced to choose sides. Stronger ties could therefore support regional capacity and strategic flexibility, while promoting dialogue rather than confrontation.

Sovereignty means countries retain authority over their own territory and choices. Respecting territorial integrity assures states that cooperation will not erase their independence. International law provides a common framework for managing disagreements, while peaceful dispute resolution lowers the risk that differences will become wider conflicts.

Singh said security grows when countries build capacity together, respect international law, and maintain trust through dialogue. He also called for differences to be discussed early and peacefully, before they become disputes. These principles help governments cooperate on defence, technology, and regional security even when their interests are not identical.

The practical result is a regional order where countries can work together without being forced to choose sides. This is important in the Indo-Pacific, where China has territorial disputes with several ASEAN members and seeks greater influence. India’s approach links defence partnerships with rules, dialogue, and independent decision-making.