The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN After a Decade of the Act East Policy
Gurjit Singh, author
Date of publication:
2025
Publisher:
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Number of pages:
284
Code:
ASC18
Soft Cover
ISBN: 9789815203981
Reviews
“Readers benefit from a highly readable and policy-focused account of India’s ties with Southeast Asia with forward-looking insights across multiple chapters rather than just a short conclusion as may be the case in other works.”
-- Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, ASEAN Wonk, August 2025
📄 Click here to read the full review
📄 Click here to read the full review
About the publication
“This book captures the essence of India-ASEAN partnership and reflects the values Ambassador Singh has long championed—dialogue, mutual respect and a commitment to peace and shared prosperity. I am confident that readers will find valuable insights and enduring lessons from one of India’s foremost diplomatic voices in these pages.”
“Ambassador Gurjit Singh was India’s Ambassador to ASEAN during my tenure as ASEAN Secretary General. This book provides a profound insight into how the India-ASEAN relationship has evolved and how it may further develop in the new phase of a comprehensive strategic partnership.”
“Ambassador Gurjit Singh has written an accessible and analytical account of the India-ASEAN relationship and its recent evolution. With his personal experience of shepherding this relationship, which has the potential to be one of India’s most significant external engagements, his account and insights deserve a close reading. This is a book that I would highly recommend to all those interested in the course of this rapidly evolving and increasingly significant part of the world.”
“The Act East Policy, which evolves from an economic to a multi-dimensional partnership, revitalized India’s ties with ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific. Using his personal experience in the region, Ambassador Gurjit Singh offers a readable and insightful analysis of this evolving relationship and explores its growth and future potential in a shifting global landscape.”
—Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brunei Darussalam
“Ambassador Gurjit Singh was India’s Ambassador to ASEAN during my tenure as ASEAN Secretary General. This book provides a profound insight into how the India-ASEAN relationship has evolved and how it may further develop in the new phase of a comprehensive strategic partnership.”
—Lê Luong Minh, Former ASEAN Secretary General (2013–17)
“Ambassador Gurjit Singh has written an accessible and analytical account of the India-ASEAN relationship and its recent evolution. With his personal experience of shepherding this relationship, which has the potential to be one of India’s most significant external engagements, his account and insights deserve a close reading. This is a book that I would highly recommend to all those interested in the course of this rapidly evolving and increasingly significant part of the world.”
—Shankar Menon, Former National Security Advisor of India
“The Act East Policy, which evolves from an economic to a multi-dimensional partnership, revitalized India’s ties with ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific. Using his personal experience in the region, Ambassador Gurjit Singh offers a readable and insightful analysis of this evolving relationship and explores its growth and future potential in a shifting global landscape.”
—Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa 2022–25
Contents
-
The Mango Flavour: India and ASEAN After a Decade of the Act East Policy
[Whole Publication, ISBN: 9789815203998], by Gurjit Singh, author -
preliminary pages
-
1. Introduction
-
2. From Look East to Act East Policy
-
3. The Act East Policy
-
4. Engaging the Political, Security and Defence Pillar
-
5. The Crucial Pillar of Economic Cooperation
-
6. The Broadening Socio-Cultural Basis of India-ASEAN Partnership
-
7. Revitalizing Post-pandemic Functional Engagement
-
8. The Aroma of ASEAN Centrality
-
9. The Bridging of Uneven Linkages
-
10. Improving Understanding to Strengthen ASEAN-India Relations
-
11. Regional Integration and the AEP
-
12. What Unites and What Divides Us
-
13. Achieving Development Together
-
14. Exceeding Expectations
-
Survey Results
-
Index
