印度“东向政策”的初期目标区域是东南亚地区，以其作为印度发展与东亚地区经济关系的战略接口。1997年亚洲金融危机爆发后，东南亚在亚太地区经济中地位的上升趋势被抑制，印度遂将其“东向政策”的目标区域向东亚以至亚太地区扩展，东南亚地区的作用即逐步转向印度发展对亚太多边经济关系的战略平台。
As the initial target area of India's "Look East" policy, Southeast Asia was a strategic interface to develop the economic relations with East Asia. After the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the upward trend of the Southeast Asia's economic status in the Asia Pacific region was suppressed, India expend objectives of its "Look East" policy to East Asia and the Asia Pacific region, with Southeast Asia's role in that policy will shift gradually to a strategic platform for developing the multilateral economic relations in the Asia-Pacific region.
