PM Modi to co-chair virtual Asean-India summit today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc will co-chair the virtual AseanIndia Summit on November 12 to discuss ways to boost cooperation in areas such as connectivity, trade and maritime issues.
The summit between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will be held on the margins of the 37th summit of the 10-member grouping. Vietnam is the current chair of Asean. Leaders of all 10 Asean states will participate in the summit with India.
The summit will review the status of the Asean-India strategic partnership and assess the progress made in key areas such as connectivity, maritime cooperation, trade and commerce, education, and capacity building, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.
The leaders will discuss ways to strengthen Asean-India engagement, including through the Asean-India Plan of Action for 2021-25.
The Asean-India Summit provides an opportunity for the two sides to engage at the highest level, and Modi attended the last summit held in the Thai capital of Bangkok in November 2019.
The Asean-India strategic partnership “stands on a strong foundation of shared geographical, historical and civilisational ties” and India’s “Act East” policy, underlining the centrality of Asean, reflects the importance New Delhi attaches to engagement with the grouping, the ministry said. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which the 10 members of Asean are set to sign with five other partners of the grouping, is also expected to figure in the discussions as several of the Southeast Asian states are still keen on roping in India for the pact, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.
THE LEADERS WILL DISCUSS WAYS TO STRENGTHEN ASEAN-INDIA ENGAGEMENT, INCLUDING THROUGH THE ASEAN-INDIA PLAN OF ACTION FOR 2021-25.