Post-pandemic (COVID-19) Economic Dynamics in India and Southeast Asia: Challenges, Opportunities and the Future

Since the onset of the year 2020, countries across the globe have been grappling with the socio-economic, political and humanitarian repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. South and Southeast Asia, like other regions of the world, faced the challenges that this crisis unfolded in diverse spheres. India, a highly populous, developing nation in the South Asian region was not immune to the consequences of the pandemic, taking into account its economic potential, performance and attendant impact on the social fabric. Several domestic, regional and international factors like the difficulties in arresting the contagion, the pandemic policy responses of the countries of South and Southeast Asia/Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and underlying vulnerabilities, especially across the financial sector and the overall global slump fuelled the economic distress. It is in this backdrop that the chapter, based on empirical and qualitative analyses, situates the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on India-ASEAN trade relations, while accounting for the compulsions emanating from economic interdependence and regional economic arrangements. It analyses the policies adopted by ASEAN bloc as a whole and India towards addressing the situation and embarking on a resilient economic future. It concludes with a discussion of the challenges, impact and prognosis for unveiling resilient economic future in India-ASEAN relations.