Narendra Modi to attend 12th East Asia Summit, 15th India-ASEAN Summit in Manila today

On the invitation of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will represent India at the 15th India-ASEAN Summit and 12th East Asia Summit on Tuesday in Manila, according to a press statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. The India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit, as the event is officially known, is an international trade meet in which India holds dialogue with the ASEAN nations to celebrate New Delhi’s diplomatic relations with these countries. “At the 15th India-ASEAN Summit, the prime minister and ASEAN Leaders will review the commemorative activities undertaken in 2017 to mark the 25 years of India’s dialogue partnership with ASEAN, as well as review the broad spectrum of India-ASEAN cooperation in all its aspects,” the foreign ministry statement said.

The statement mentioned that trade between India and ASEAN nations stood at $71 billion in 2016-17, and comprises 10.85 percent of India’s total trade with the world. “Early conclusion of a balanced Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will further boost our trade and investment ties with the region,” it said.

[caption id=“attachment_4207351” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at ASEAN summit. AP[/caption] The East Asia Summit, the first edition of which was held in Malaysia in 2005, is a forum held annually by leaders of 18 countries including the ASEAN nations, India, US, and Russia. The participating members of the 12th East Asia Summit are Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, US, and Vietnam. “India, being a founding member of the East Asia Summit, is committed to strengthening the East Asia Summit and making it more effective for dealing with contemporary challenges,” the foreign ministry statement said. “At the 12th East Asia Summit, leaders will discuss matters of regional and international interest and concern including maritime security, terrorism, non-proliferation, irregular migration, etc. The leaders are also expected to accept declarations on countering the spread of terrorist narratives, anti-money-laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, and poverty alleviation,” it added. Following the East Asia Summit on Tuesday, Modi would be also attending a ’leaders’ meeting’ on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations.