PM Modi to Take Part in Asean Meet Virtually

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate virtually in the India-Asean Summit on Sunday, which will also be attended by leaders of 11 Asean nations in Kuala Lumpur. External affairs minister S. Jaishankar will travel to the Malaysian capital to represent India in person.

During the summit, both sides are expected to review the regional situation and explore ways to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, where Chinese military assertiveness has been growing. Economic collaboration will be another key focus area, with discussions likely to include progress on the review of the Asean–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).

India remains one of Asean’s top trading partners. In 2024-25, bilateral trade between India and the Asean bloc rose to US$123 billion, with Indian exports valued at $38 billion and imports at $84 billion. Between 2000 and 2023, cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Asean countries into India amounted to $156 billion, primarily from Singapore.

Officials noted that Asean is a crucial pillar of India’s Act East Policy and its broader Indo-Pacific vision. A strong and unified Asean, they said, plays an essential role in shaping regional dynamics, while India remains committed to supporting ASEAN centrality, unity, and the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) currently includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Timor Leste is expected to be formally inducted on Sunday as the 11th member of the grouping, after being granted observer status in February 2023. Malaysia chairs Asean this year, while the Philippines will take over in 2026.

Prime Minister Modi has participated in all Asean–India Summits since 2014, except in 2022, when then vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar represented India. Notably, during the 25th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in January 2018, the leaders of all Asean nations attended India’s 69th Republic Day Parade as Guests of Honour.

To support Asean–India cooperation, New Delhi has established four dedicated funds, the Asean–India Cooperation Fund (AIF), Asean–India Green Fund (AIGF), Asean–India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF), and the Asean–India Fund for Digital Future.

On the economic front, Asean–India engagement is guided by the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation (2003), which includes the Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), the Trade in Services Agreement, and the Investment Agreement, all of which are currently under review.

India’s ties with the Asean region are millennia-old, rooted in shared culture, religion, language, architecture, and cuisine. India formally began engaging with Asean in 1992 as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner, later becoming a Dialogue Partner in 1995. The partnership was elevated to the Summit level in 2002 and to a Strategic Partnership in 2012 during the Commemorative Summit in New Delhi marking the 20th anniversary of Asean–India relations.

At the 25th Anniversary Commemorative Summit in 2018, both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in the maritime domain. In 2022, marking the 30th anniversary of dialogue relations, the partnership was further elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with a Joint Statement on Asean–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership adopted during the 19th Asean –India Summit.