India’s emphasis on rule of law and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific is not against any country, but to safeguard interests of all stakeholders, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday (November 1, 2025) amid mounting global concerns over China’s aggressive military posturing in the region.
In an address at the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) conclave, in Kuala Lumpur, Singh said India believed that the Indo-Pacific should remain open, inclusive, and free from any form of “coercion”.
ADMM-Plus brings together the ten ASEAN members, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and eight dialogue partners: India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States.
He also pitched for an approach of “collective security” to ensure sovereignty of every nation in the region. “India’s emphasis on the rule of law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and its advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific, are not directed against any country but are meant to safeguard the collective interests of all regional stakeholders,” he said.
His remarks came amid consistent demands by several ASEAN member-states as well as democratic nations for adherence to UNCLOS in the face of Beijing’s increasing military muscle flexing in the contested South China Sea.
Singh said India’s strategic engagement with ASEAN was not transactional but long-term and principle-driven, and it rests on a shared belief that the region should remain open, inclusive, and free from “coercion”.
“The security of the future will not depend solely on military capabilities, but on the management of shared resources, the security of digital and physical infrastructure, and a collective response to humanitarian crises,” he said.
Singh said the ADMM-Plus could be that bridge to connect strategic dialogue to practical outcomes and take the region forward towards peace and shared prosperity.
The ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 11-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners — India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States.
“Let us all together reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding and strengthening the ASEAN-led, inclusive regional security architecture, which has served our region so admirably,” Singh said.
He said India was ready to enhance cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, promote dialogue, and ensure peace and stability through robust regional mechanisms.
“The experience of the past 15 years teaches us something in a clear manner, namely that inclusive cooperation is effective; regional ownership brings legitimacy, and collective security strengthens everyone’s individual sovereignty,” he said.
“In the coming years, these same principles will continue to guide India’s approach towards ADMM-Plus and ASEAN,” he added. Singh said India was ready to continue making constructive contributions in this endeavour in the spirit of its vision MAHASAGAR or Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth across Regions.
“The evolution of ADMM-Plus reflects the changing security realities of our region. Now this platform is also active in new areas such as cyber threats, maritime domain awareness, and critical infrastructure protection,” he said.
“This platform has proven that non-traditional security cooperation can be an effective medium for building trust between nations.” The defence minister said the ADMM-Plus for India was an integral part of its ‘Act East Policy’ and broader Indo-Pacific vision.
India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi in October 2010. “India has always emphasised the need to integrate climate resilience into defence cooperation. The relationship between environmental stress, resource scarcity, and conflict makes this subject an essential component of the regional security agenda,” he said.
Singh said India’s Indo-Pacific security vision links defence cooperation with economic development, technology sharing, and human resource advancement. “This strong connection between the interlinkages of security, growth, and sustainability is the true spirit of the partnership between India and ASEAN,” he said.
Singh further said the emphasis placed on “inclusivity and sustainability” under Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN was both timely and highly relevant. “In the context of security, inclusivity means that all countries, regardless of their size or capacity, become equal partners in building the regional order and benefit from it,” he said.
“Sustainability means creating such security architectures that are resilient to shocks, can adapt to new challenges, and are based on long-term cooperation rather than short-term alignment,” he said.
The Defence Minister also held separate bilateral meetings with his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing, New Zealand’s Defence Minister Judith Collins and Vietnam’s Phan Van Giang and South Korea’s Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back.
Meanwhile, India and the United States on Friday (October 31) signed a 10-year defence framework as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth. The news was confirmed by the US Secretary of Defence on his X handle.
The new India–US Defence Framework Agreement encompasses strategic logistics, joint production, and technology transfer as its core pillars. The signing of the agreement is being seen as a significant push to counter China’s expanding influence across the Indo-Pacific region.
The pact between the two nations is expected to deepen military interoperability, enabling the seamless use of each other’s bases, logistics, and maintenance facilities. The agreement will also secure long-term access to advanced defence technologies, crucial for India’s indigenous defence production and modernisation.
The primary aim of the deal is to strengthen the Indo-Pacific security architecture, signalling a united front against China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. The framework is also expected to boost India’s defence exports and innovation ecosystem through joint research, development, and next-generation projects in drones and AI-based warfare.
It is pertinent to note that this is the first time Singh and Hegseth met face-to-face. Singh was scheduled to visit Washington earlier this month; however, the visit was cancelled amid tensions between the two nations due to tariffs imposed by the US on Indian goods.
