Economic ties between India and Southeast and East Asia have grown over the past three decades. In a changing geopolitical and economic environment, several ASEAN member states and East Asian countries are focusing on investing in specific sectors, especially semiconductors and critical technology.

In recent years, several Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese companies have significantly increased their presence in India’s semiconductor sector. Apart from investments from the above countries, there is a need for greater cooperation in research and development (R&D) and for stronger collaborations between Indian institutions and higher education institutions in East and Southeast Asia. With declining populations in these countries, there is a growing demand for skilled professionals in areas such as semiconductors.

For this reason, several universities in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and ASEAN nations such as Thailand are offering scholarships to international students pursuing degrees in semiconductors.

Skilling India's Youth 

It is also imperative for India’s state governments to work closely with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and other ASEAN nations to tap potential synergies and cooperation, given that these countries are relaxing work visa requirements due to shrinking workforces.

Japan has already partnered with India's northeastern states, notably Meghalaya and Assam, to train and skill youth in the health care sector.

Several states, most notably Punjab, will be affected by increasingly strict student and work visa regulations in Anglosphere countries, especially Canada. Only recently, Canada rejected the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) applications of several Indian students, including several from Punjab.

Politicians from Punjab, including former Deputy Chief Minister and current Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal and senior BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, have urged the Modi government to take up this issue with the Canadian government. 

In a changing immigration landscape, Punjab should also explore collaborating with Japan, South Korea, and other Southeast Asian countries to train and skill youth and harness the opportunities available there.

Strengthening Tech Partnerships

In the sphere of technology, steps to further cooperation between India and East Asia include providing skills training and fostering greater cooperation between universities in East Asia and India.

During a recent visit to Andhra Pradesh, a Taiwanese delegation met with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and expressed interest in investing in the state. The delegation included representatives from top companies, including Delta Electronics, BenQ, CTBC Bank, DIMERCO, Sheng Huei Tech, Tech-Top Engineering, K.S. Terminals and Sandsun.

Naidu underscored his state’s focus on several areas, including electronics, semiconductors and Information Technology. The delegation also met with Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh, who highlighted the need for preparing Andhra Pradesh youth for employment opportunities in Taiwan. Some of the potential areas of cooperation discussed in this context were: industry-linked training programmes, educational partnerships, and Mandarin language training.

Building Skilled Semiconductor Workforce

Last month, Lokesh proposed a partnership between the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation and APACT, a South Korean semiconductor testing and packaging company, to develop a skilled workforce for semiconductor assembly, packaging, and testing.

On August 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of ASIP Technologies’ semiconductor manufacturing facility at Tarluvada in Visakhapatnam. The ₹2,500 crore outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) project is Andhra Pradesh’s and southern India’s first semiconductor manufacturing facility.

South Korea’s APACT Co. is the project’s technology partner and has strengthened partnerships with institutions such as IIT Tirupati and IIT Hyderabad.

APACT Chief Executive Officer Seong Dong Lee remarked:

“…Our partnership with ASIP combines Korean technology expertise with India’s engineering talent and manufacturing ambition”.

Venkata Simhadri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASIP, said the partnership with APACT was helping to:

“..establishing advanced assembly, packaging and testing capabilities in India, while driving skill development, supply-chain localisation and contributing to the growth of Andhra Pradesh’s semiconductor ecosystem.”

Expanding Higher Education Linkages

Apart from the growing linkages between India and East and Southeast Asia, there is also scope for universities from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to set up branch campuses, especially in regions where their companies have established operations.

During his visit to Singapore in June 2026, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu invited the National University of Singapore (NUS) to establish an international branch or satellite campus in the southern state. Representatives from NUS were also part of a Singaporean delegation that visited Andhra Pradesh at the end of June 2026.

Growing Synergies in Strategic Areas

Ties between India and East and Southeast Asia are bound to strengthen, given the growing synergies in strategic areas such as defence, critical technology and higher education. It is important for Indian students, professionals, and skilled workers to harness educational and work opportunities in that region that is open to receiving Indian students and techies.

This is especially important given that countries in the Anglosphere, not just the US but also Canada and to an extent Australia, are adopting increasingly insular immigration policies and tightening student and work visa regulations. It is important for all stakeholders, including governments (state and central), business groups, and research institutes, to work together to tap these opportunities. 

(The writer is a New Delhi-based policy analyst associated with OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at tsmaini@jgu.edu.in)