PM Modi attends ASEAN summit in Thailand

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the group intends to reach a basic agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a 16-member trade bloc encompassing nearly a third of all global trade.

Nonthaburi: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived to attend the 35th annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which formally began on Sunday in Bangkok.

• Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. Watch. #ASEAN2019 https://t.co/meyETAd067

  — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 3, 2019 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. Watch. #ASEAN2019 https://t.co/meyETAd067

  — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 3, 2019

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  Addressing the India-ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. Watch. #ASEAN2019 https://t.co/meyETAd067

  — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 3, 2019

Leaders of 10 ASEAN countries and six of its dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, will meet Monday for their third RCEP summit.

Its host, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the group intends to reach a basic agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCECP), a 16-member trade bloc encompassing nearly a third of all global trade.

Prayut also said that the aim was to have a final deal by next year.

The ASEAN and the world today are facing increased challenges including those to global economic growth and multilateralism, and close partnership and friendship will be crucial to enabling the region to tackle and overcome these challenges, Prayut said.

There is the need to promote a seamless ASEAN through the "Connecting the Connectivities" approach, both within the ASEAN region and beyond. This includes physical, people-to-people, financial and digital connectivity, he said.

ASEAN also hopes to set a code of conduct with China regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Thailand holds the rotating chair of the ASEAN for 2019.

Under the theme "Advancing Partnership for sustainability", the ASEAN summit will sum up the bloc's achievements in community building and integration during 2019, tap the opportunities arising from digital transformation and seek solutions to economic uncertainties facing the bloc.

The related summits are also scheduled to take place on Sunday and Monday, including the ASEAN+1 summits, ASEAN+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) Summit and the East Asia Summit.