Trade, security, US meet on PM’S Singapore agenda
NEW DELHI: An agreement to create the world’s largest free trade area, the Quadrilateral alliance, security in the Indo-pacific and a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence are all on the agenda for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore during November 14-15.
Besides participating in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, East Asia Summit and IndiaAsean Summit, Modi will attend a meeting of leaders of the “Quad” comprising India, the US, Japan and Australia that will focus on peace and prosperity in the Indo-pacific.
Modi’s meeting with Pence on November 14 is expected to allow the two sides to discuss a range of issues, including US sanctions affecting India’s oil imports from Iran and defence purchases from Russia, people familiar with planning for the meeting said. The two sides will also look at security cooperation in the IndoPacific, they said.
Asean members are keen on a commitment from New Delhi on RCEP, a proposed free trade area comprising the 10 Asean members and Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand but the people cited above said an early breakthrough was unlikely.
“India has taken a constructive position in the negotiations and the leaders will review the progress made so far,” said Vijay Thakur Singh, secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry,
MODI’S MEETING WITH PENCE ON NOV 14 IS EXPECTED TO ALLOW TWO SIDES TO DISCUSS A RANGE OF ISSUES
told a media briefing on Monday.
Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsein Loong and other leaders.
The East Asia Summit on November 15, which includes the 10 Asean states and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the US and Russia, is expected to focus on ICT, maritime security and trans-border terrorism, Singh said. On November 14, Modi will deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Summit, a gathering of financial technology companies, and launch APIX, a banking solution that could benefit two billion people without bank accounts.
APIX, designed by software experts in Hyderabad, Colombo and London, will help banks to reach out to those without accounts in 23 countries, including the 10 ASEAN members and India.