India-Asean summit: Modi, leaders to discuss naval drill & key developments
On Thursday evening, PM Modi and Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong will deliver the opening remarks at the summit's plenary session
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to give India's 'Act East' policy a push as he rubs shoulders and holds bilateral meetings with the leaders of Asean nations on Thursday. New Delhi will hold the Commemorative India-Asean Summit to mark 25 years of India-Asean partnership on Thursday. The heads of state or government of all 10 southeast Asian nations will be in attendance at the summit, which has a theme of "shared values, common destiny".
On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Modi and Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, will deliver the opening remarks at the summit's plenary session, in which all the other leaders of the bloc will share the dais.
As reported earlier, strengthening ties in the fields of counter-terrorism, security, trade, and connectivity would be among the key discussion points during the summit. According to news agencies, experts are of the view that the summit will be an opportunity for India to present itself as a powerful ally to these countries in the strategic areas of trade and connectivity
One of the key agendas that the assembled leaders will discuss will be India-Asean maritime cooperation, including a proposal for joint naval exercises near the Malacca Straits.
Here are the top events, expectations, and challenges associated with the summit:
1. Joint naval exercise on the cards?
President Ram Nath Kovind will host a lunch for the assembled Asean leaders at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. After that,PM Modi will hold a leaders' retreat where the issue of maritime cooperation and security will be discussed.
According to agency reports citing officials and diplomats, during the India-Asean summit, India plans to promote maritime security in a region dominated by China. The assembled leaders will hold talks on maritime cooperation and security, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs has said.
One of the plans India and the Asean nations will be discussing at the closed-door summit will be for their navies to hold a joint exercise near the Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Singapore, an Indian Navy official told news agencies.
Preeti Saran, secretary in the MEA, told news agencies that India and the Asean nations have stressed on the importance of freedom of navigation and open seas.
Further, India already has strong naval ties with Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, she added.
"The ongoing activities of ship visits, of coordinated patrols, of exercises that take place bilaterally, are taking place very well," Saran said, adding, "And every time we have defence to defence talks or navy to navy talks, there is a great deal of satisfaction that has been expressed by the Asean member countries.
2. Unfinished RCEP hangs fire
With trade being a top agenda, the unfinished Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal could also feature in discussions.
As reported earlier, on the first day of the Asean-India Business and Investment Meet and Expo in New Delhi, the stalemate over the proposed RCEP deal proved to be a contentious issue.
Trade and economy ministers belonging to seven nations in the 10-country bloc alluded to speedy conclusion of RCEP as a necessity. The Indian side, for its part, said that the sensitivities of all nations — in its case, services trade — needed to be taken into account first.
RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the 10 Asean nations and six others with which the bloc has trade agreements — Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand."I hope India will not disappoint Asean this year in completing the RCEP," Indonesian trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita has said during the meet.
3. Nine bilateral meetings scheduled
On the sidelines of the Summit, Modi is holding nine bilateral meetings - with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Singapore Prime Minister Lee, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia President Joko Widodo, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak.
On the eve of the summit on Wednesday, PM Modi held separate bilateral meetings with Myanmar State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha. Economic and commercial exchange and defence and security between India and Thailand were among the issues discussed during the meeting.PM Modi also had "a productive discussion" with Singapore's Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, on "economic and commercial ties, financial technology, tourism, enhanced connectivity, and smart cities", tweeted MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. (Source: The Business Standard)
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