India is hosting an East Asia Summit conference in Chennai on February 6-7 with a focus on maritime security cooperation and tackling challenges in the maritime domain.

As announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bangkok in November 2019, the ministry of external affairs (MEA), in partnership with the governments of Australia and Indonesia, is organising the fourth EAS Conference on Maritime Security Cooperation in Chennai.

As a nation deeply committed to strengthening the EAS as an ASEAN-led organisation, India continues to contribute positively to the EAS goals, including maritime security cooperation, the MEA said.

What is the East Asia Summit?

The East Asia Summit (EAS) is the premier leaders-led forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity. 

It has evolved as a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security and economic issues of common regional concern and plays an important role in the regional architecture.

Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal players in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss issues of common interest and concern, in an open and transparent manner, at the highest level. 

EAS is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of ASEAN. The members are: 

Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and the USA. 

Origin of EAS

The concept of an East Asia Grouping was first promoted in 1991 by the then Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad. The final report of the East Asian Study Group in 2002, established by the ASEAN+3 countries (China, Japan and ROK), recommended EAS as an ASEAN-led development limited to the ASEAN +3 countries.

However, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held in Vientiane on July 26, 2005 welcomed the participation of ASEAN, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand, in the first EAS. 

USA and the Russian Federation were formally included as members of the EAS at the 6th EAS held in Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2011.

Fourteen East Asia Summits have been held so far. India has been a part of this process since its inception in 2005 in Kuala Lumpur and the fact that Indian Prime Ministers have participated in all the Summits, stands testimony to the importance India attaches to this process.

There are six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS. These are: 

Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity. India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.

Maritime Security Conference

The conference is expected to serve as a platform for free and open dialogue among all the EAS partners on various issues of maritime security cooperation, and to come up with useful suggestions on tackling challenges in the maritime domain in a cooperative manner, the MEA said.

This conference is the fourth in a series of EAS Maritime Security Conferences organised by the Indian government — the first conference was organised in New Delhi in November 2015, the second in Goa in November 2016 and the third in Bhubaneswar in June 2018.

Senior officials and experts from the EAS participating countries will deliberate upon various aspects of maritime security cooperation under five thematic sessions such as Holistic Maritime Security, Maritime Safety, Transition to a Regional Blue Economy, India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative and the Way Forward.

More than 100 participants are attending the conference, including about 50 delegates nominated by the EAS participating countries.

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