Towards ASEAN Centrality: India-China Cultural and Strategic Diplomacy

Southeast Asia’s geopolitics and cultural diplomacy have become essential tools in the 21st century for establishing relationships that go beyond political strategies and economic interests. The relationship between China, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the best example to understand the point of culture in International Relations.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Southeast Asia has been considered where East and West civilisations met, India and China, two great civilisations with deep cultural linkages with Southeast Asia, earlier than any other civilisation. Southeast Asia is a region at once a hub of commerce, religion, and ideas. Both China and India aim to engage and frame partnerships with ASEAN through the aid of nuanced strategic diplomacy and cultural framings. 

CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND SHARED COMMUNITY HERITAGE

Relations among China, India, and Southeast Asian countries stretch back a millennium and remain multidimensional.  Indian culture and civilization have long radiated across Southeast Asia, leaving enduring marks on language, religion, and art. The temples and ancient infrastructures across the countries derive ancient philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism from the Indian subcontinent.

Likewise, Chinese migration and maritime trade contributed significantly to the cultural and economic landscape of the region. Chinatowns, ancestral shrines, and Chinese festivals abound in almost every major Southeast Asian city, proving the existence of Chinese communities and the strong ties with the host country that they have been involved in the local economy, especially in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

ROLE OF CULTURE IN FOREIGN POLICY

Both cultures have a unique power to build lasting connections and create ‘trust’ that plays a role beyond formal diplomatic treaties or structural alliances that are considered the primary issue in global politics. It creates trust, empathy, and a feeling of shared destiny, fundamentals in a diverse and often divided region like Southeast Asia. India’s cultural diplomacy towards ASEAN emphasises equal partnerships and people-centred engagements. Therefore, as a natural and friendly partner, India seeks to present itself as a force that is conducive to respecting mutual respect and historical connections.

On the other hand, the cultural diplomacy of China is considered in terms of large state-led projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which stresses infrastructural and economic advancements in host countries through the outreach of Confucius institutes, cultural centres, and the media. Therefore, the suspicion rises among the ASEAN member countries, which stresses economic and political dependency.

Most importantly, the diplomatic character of ASEAN focuses on the ‘ASEAN Way’ that aims to build consensus and avoid diplomatic conflict. Such a character enables both the competing partners, India and China manage their relationships with ASEAN culturally, providing manoeuvrability in their major power relations. 

INDIA-CHINA-ASEAN TRILATERAL CULTURAL COOPERATION

With the long history and regional complexities, there have been an existence of strong arguments in creating a mechanism for formal relations involving ASEAN, China, and India.

With respect to cultural diplomacy and heritage preservation, the existing relations can create opportunities for knowledge sharing, resource management, and driving expertise coordination. 

With the creation of an ASEAN-guided forum focused on cultural relations and activities, having ASEAN lead the major cultural initiatives focused on Southeast Asia and inclusivity will provide a shield against China and other competing partners in influencing cultural diplomacy and agenda. For example, collaborative projects, such as multilingual heritage tours, joint research on historical and heritage sites, and arts festivals, would highlight shared traditions while celebrating cultural diversity.

ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Economic and cultural integration involving traditional industries, arts, music, crafts, fashion, and traditional medicines can celebrate diversity and expand transformative promise. India's age-old Ayurveda and handicraft heritage and China's tea and ceramics market can help discover synergies in ASEAN’s expanding middle class.

In addition, common festivals and spiritual circuits, like Buddhist pilgrimage circuits from Bodh Gaya to Luang Prabang and Lumbini, can be promoted together, bringing sustainable tourism to areas not touched by mega-infrastructure projects.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE DIGITAL WORLD

The population bulge in ASEAN, China, and India translates into the next generation of diplomacy being youth-oriented.  Cultural diplomacy’s shift towards an online medium can attract diverse young individuals and professionals from India, China, and ASEAN, helping in not only reenvisioning heritage but also creating ASEAN-centric cultural startups for the contemporary audience. 

Such engagement is not cosmetic but strategic.

We build strategic patience and long-term resilience by grounding diplomacy in shared values and experiential culture, a longer-lasting platform than transactional treaties. The collective promotion of UNESCO heritage nominations, cross-border climate storytelling, and youth hackathons on cultural preservation will create a generation that sees history not as a place of contestation but cooperation.

CONCLUSION

The Indo-Pacific stands at a crossroads. Militarisation and distrust risk emptying regional cooperation. By investing in people-to-people connections, safeguarding pluralistic storytelling, and allowing ASEAN to co-author the narrative of Asia’s cultural ascendance, we don’t water down diplomacy; we enrich it. Regional stability in the future will not come from hard power, but strategic culture. And in that future, China, India, and ASEAN need to move together not as competitors, but as heirs of a common civilisational experience.

---

BY OJASW TIWARI, KOTCHAPHOP KORNPHETCHARAT

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com