India, Asean to bolster maritime security ties

PM discusses greater cooperation on counterterrorism, trade and connectivity with 10 heads of state who will attend Republic Day celebrations today

NEW DELHI: With an eye on growing Chinese influence in the region, India and the Asean nations on Friday decided to step up maritime and counter-terror cooperation and bolster connectivity plans during a commemorative summit, the second such gatherin gina little over five years.

The summit between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) also looked at ways for the speedy conclusion of a balanced and mutually beneficial Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a trade pact being negotiated by 16 nations.

The summit marked India’ s 25 years of engagement with A sean, which is key to New Delhi’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific strategy. The 10 members of A sean and India have a combined population of about 1.8 billion and a combined GDP of more than US$4.5 trillion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who earlier joined the A sean leaders for are treat meeting on maritime cooperation and security, said at the plenary of the summit that India shares the grouping’s view on rules-based order for the oceans and seas.

The word maritime was mentioned 14 times in the Delhi Declaration issued by the leaders after their summit.

In a boost for India’s position on terrorism, the term “crossborder terrorism” – an oblique reference to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism–found an approximate mention in the declaration, which spoke of “countering cross-border movement of terrorists” as part of a “comprehensive approach” to fight the menace. The declaration also spoke about the decision to “deepen cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, violent extremism and radicalisation through information-sharing, law enforcement cooperation and capacity building under the existing A sean-led mechanisms ”.

“India shares Asean’s vision for peace and prosperity through a rules-based order for the oceans and seas. Respect for international law, notably UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea ), is critical for this.