Examine the significance of the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation (2026) for regional security in the South China Sea.

At the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2025, 2026 was declared the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation. A second ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME) and a second Defence Ministers' Meeting were proposed as part of it [1]. Its value for South China Sea (SCS) security lies less in showing force and more in building rules, trust and shared capacity.

Significance for SCS security

• Calibrated signalling: AIME-2026 was hosted at Subic Bay, Philippines [2]. The Philippines brought the 2016 UNCLOS arbitration against China. India "noted" that Award and backed freedom of navigation [3]. The exercise adds a multilateral layer to the 2025 India-Philippines Strategic Partnership [4].
• Rules, not rivalry: India says its support for UNCLOS is "not against any country" [5], which reassures cautious ASEAN members.
• Interoperability: Drills in VBSS (Visit-Board-Search-Seizure), underway replenishment and cross-deck helicopter landings [6] build capacity against piracy, smuggling and grey-zone incidents.
• Non-traditional security: HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief) and CASEVAC (casualty evacuation) drills [6] put into practice the 2023 ASEAN-India Joint Statement on Maritime Cooperation, which covers HADR, search-and-rescue and anti-piracy [7].
• Confidence-building: The theme was "Anchored in Trust, United at Sea", and the harbour phase included Yoga and community interaction [6]. Both reflect Act East and MAHASAGAR [6].

Limitations

• ASEAN disunity: Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were not among the seven ASEAN navies in AIME-2023 [8]. Because ASEAN works by consensus, this limits how far the exercise can go.
• Irregular schedule: There was a three-year gap between the first and second editions [8][2]. Interoperability gains fade when drills are not repeated.
• Outsider status: India is not a party to the China-ASEAN Code of Conduct talks, so its influence there stays indirect.
• Perception risk: Beijing may read the venue rather than the theme.

Way forward

• Use the proposed Defence Ministers' Meeting [1] to fix a regular AIME cycle.
• Align the drills with the pillars of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI): Maritime Security, Disaster Risk Reduction and Capacity Building [9].

The Year of Maritime Cooperation turns Act East into a maritime partnership based on rules and shared capacity. If India makes AIME a regular exercise and respects ASEAN centrality, it can help keep the SCS a sea of cooperation rather than contest, in line with UNCLOS, SDG 14 and the MAHASAGAR vision.