India’s emphasis on the rule of law and its advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific are not directed against any country but meant to safeguard collective regional interests, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Saturday.
Singh was addressing a conclave of defence ministers of ASEAN member states and its dialogue partners in Kuala Lumpur. He also said that India’s strategic engagement with ASEAN is not transactional but long-term and principle-driven, and rests on the shared belief that the Indo-Pacific should remain open, inclusive and free from coercion.
The Defence Minister’s comments at the ADMM-Plus conclave (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting) come amid concerns of an increased Chinese presence in the region. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the US (collectively referred to as the “Plus countries”).
Singh said Saturday that inclusivity in security means ensuring that all nations, regardless of size or capacity, have a role in shaping the regional order and deriving benefits from it.
He added that sustainability implies building security architectures that are resilient to shocks, adaptable to emerging threats, and rooted in long-term cooperation rather than short-term alignment.
“For India, these principles resonate with its own strategic outlook. India’s security vision for the Indo-Pacific integrates defence cooperation with economic development, technology sharing, and human resource advancement,” he said, adding that the interlinkages between security, growth, and sustainability define India’s approach to partnership with ASEAN.
Describing ADMM-Plus as an essential component of India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and broader Indo-Pacific vision, Singh emphasised that defence cooperation with ASEAN and the Plus countries is viewed as a contribution to regional peace, stability and capacity building.
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“As the ADMM-Plus enters its 16th year, India stands ready to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest to promote dialogue over discord, and to strengthen regional mechanisms that ensure peace and stability,” he said.
He said the experience of the past fifteen years offers clear lessons: inclusive cooperation works, regional ownership builds legitimacy, and collective security strengthens individual sovereignty.
He added that India’s engagement with ASEAN predates the ADMM-Plus, but the mechanism has provided a structured defence platform that complements the diplomatic and economic aspects of its outreach.
He said the elevation of the ASEAN-India partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022 reflected not only the maturity of political ties but also a growing alignment of regional priorities, he said.
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He said India has been an active and constructive participant since the inception of the ADMM-Plus.
“We’ve had the privilege of co-chairing three Expert Working Groups, On Humanitarian Mine Action with Vietnam from 2014 to 2017, On Military Medicine with Myanmar from 2017 to 2020, On Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief with Indonesia from 2020 to 2024 and currently, on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024–2027 cycle”.
He said over the years, India has taken an active part in several Experts’ Working Groups, hosting and participating in field exercises and contributing to the creation of shared operational standards.
“The ADMM-Plus has also helped align India’s initiatives with ASEAN’s strategic outlook, ensuring that India’s engagements reinforce, rather than compete with, ASEAN mechanisms,” he stated.
