New Delhi: Amid geopolitical challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a visit to Vientiane, the Lao People Democratic Republic (PDR), on October 10-11. During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit being hosted by the Lao People Democratic Republic (PDR) as the current Chair of ASEAN.
The ASEAN leaders are meeting at a time when Myanmar’s civil war and mounting tensions in the South China Sea risk gnawing the ASEAN grouping’s central role in the region. India is marking a decade of the Act East Policy this year. Relations with ASEAN are a central pillar of the Act East Policy and India's Indo-Pacific vision.
The ASEAN-India Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart the future direction of cooperation.
The East Asia Summit, a premier leaders-led forum that contributes to building an environment of strategic trust in the region, provides an opportunity for leaders of East Asia Summit (EAS) Participating Countries, including India, to exchange views on issues of regional importance. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summits.
India and ASEAN
India’s tie with Southeast Asian countries has been based on civilisational and cultural linkages, which have grown into acquiring all the elements of a contemporary relationship. These countries are pillars in our ‘Act East’ Policy and our vision of the Indo-Pacific.
The year 2024 marks a decade of India's Act East Policy and during this decade the engagements have grown from stronger people to people connected to the robust cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security and connectivity, including fin-tech, heritage conservation and capacity building. The year 2024 also marks important anniversaries of the establishment of India’s diplomatic relations with several countries in the region - 75th with Indonesia, 75th with the Philippines, 60th with Singapore and 40th with Brunei.
In the first 100 days of his 3rd term, the Prime Minister received the Prime Ministers of Vietnam (July 30 -August 1 2024) and Malaysia (Aug 19-21, 2024) in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister visited Brunei and Singapore and had fruitful discussions with the leadership on September 3-5 this year. The Prime Minister’s visit to Brunei was the first-ever bilateral visit to the country by an Indian Prime Minister. The President of India also travelled to Timor-Leste for the first ever Head of State visit from India on August 10 this year.
Each of these visits witnessed the signing and exchange of several MoUs/agreements and some significant announcements. India-Malaysia and India-Singapore ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. India- Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was strengthened and India-Brunei ties were elevated to enhanced partnership.
India and Singapore signed the MoU on Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership and agreed that advanced manufacturing, particularly in developing resilient semiconductor supply chains, could be a new pillar of bilateral cooperation.
The Prime Minister at the 20th ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta in 2023 announced India’s decision to open a Resident Mission in Dili, Timor-Leste. The Indian Resident Mission in Dili has been recently operationalised.
Direct flights between Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and New Delhi (India) have commenced from June 2024. Direct flights between India and Brunei (Chennai-Bandar Seri Begawan) are also likely to commence soon.
India's civilizational links with the Southeast Asian countries have been nourished by the sacred threads of Buddhism and Ramayana. These links are re-invigorated through initiatives such as the revival of Nalanda University, the new campus of which was inaugurated earlier this year.
Restoration and conservation of World Heritage sites such as Vat Phou in Lao PDR, Angkor Vat, Preah Vihear Temple and Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia and My Son in Vietnam by Archaeological Survey of India is helping preserve our shared heritage. India is also co-chair of the International Coordination Committee (ICC) of UNESCO for the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia.
Prime Minister Modi and the Prime Minister of Vietnam jointly inaugurated on 01 Aug 2024, the Army Software Park at Telecommunications University, Nha Trang established with a grant of US$ 5 million by the Government of India. During the Prime Minister’s visit to Brunei Darussalam, India and Brunei signed an MoU on Cooperation in the operation of Telemetry, Tracking and Telecommand Station for Satellite and Launch Vehicles (04 Sept 2024).
During the recent visit of Vietnam's Prime Minister to India, Vietnam conveyed its decision to join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) on 01 Aug 2024.
India as the first responder
It is pertinent to note that in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, India extended emergency humanitarian assistance to Laos and Vietnam under Operation Sadbhav. A consignment of 35 tons of humanitarian assistance for Vietnam and 10 tons for Laos was provided.
India has been among the first responders in providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the region. Operation Sadbhav was part of India’s broader effort to contribute to HADR within the ASEAN region, in line with its long-standing ‘Act East’ Policy.
Read more: S Jaishankar In Laos To Bolster Ties With ASEAN; Reinstate India's Act East Policy
