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On Thursday (Nov 12), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will co-chair the 17th India – ASEAN Summit virtually. The summit is expected to highlight the measures to recover from the economic turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and further ways to expand the base of strategic connections.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that the summit will review the status of the strategic partnership between India and ASEAN and assess progress in key areas such as connectivity, capacity building, trade and commerce, maritime cooperation, and education.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential organizations in the region. The ASEAN has 10 member countries named Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. India and several other countries including the United States, New Zealand, South Korea, China and Australia are its dialogue partners.
The summit is held during China’s aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and eastern Ladakh. Many ASEAN countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
The leaders will discuss possibilities to further strengthen the ASEAN-India interaction and take note of the adoption of the ASEAN-India Action Plan (2021-2025) in this regard. The Ministry of External Affairs has said in a statement that the summit will also discuss COVID-19, economic recovery after the pandemic and important regional and international developments.
Along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will also co-chair the 17th India-ASEAN Summit.
PM Modi attended the 16th India-ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in November 2019. The strategic partnership between India and ASEAN is based on a solid foundation of common geographical, historical and cultural ties. India’s Act East Policy emphasizes the centrality of the region SEAN and reflects its importance.
In regard to COVID-19 transmission in India, the reports from the federal health ministry shows that country has reported a total number of 8,659,513 confirmed cases which are under treatment and 127,810 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. However, 8,037,467 patients who tested positive to the COVID-19 have recovered from the virus, as of Wednesday (Nov 11).
