Hindustan Times (Delhi)

India, Asean to bolster maritime security ties

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

- Jayanth Jacob letters@hindustant­imes.com CONTINUED ON P 10

NEWDELHI: 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 gathering in a 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 Asean, which is key to New Delhi’s Act East policy and the Indo-pacific strategy. The 10 members of Asean 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 Asean leaders for a retreat 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 Asean-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.

Review of India-myanmarTha­iland highway

Defence cooperatio­n

In July, Thailand will take over the role of country coordinato­r for India within the Asean

Stepping up air connectivi­ty Establishi­ng a meaningful smart cities network Harmonisin­g digital payment systems

Stepping up counter-terrorism cooperatio­n, and greater coordinati­on on drug traffickin­g

Interested in the Philippine­s' own Aadhaar Cooperatio­n in healthcare, HRD and IT sectors

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