India-ASEAN ties are crucial in times of conflict, says Prime Minister Modi | Latest news India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the friendship between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has assumed greater significance at a time when conflicts and tensions are raging across the world, pointing out that the 21st century belonged to India and to the regional bloc, and unveiling a 10-point plan for trade, tourism, cybersecurity and healthcare to deepen ties with the alliance.

In his speech at the 21st Asean-India Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Modi reiterated India’s support for the bloc’s “unity, centrality and vision” of the Indo-Pacific – a vast region in which China is skewing its influence with its aggressive moves that fueling global concerns about its intentions.

“Friendship, dialogue and cooperation between India and ASEAN are very important at a time of conflict and tension in different parts of the world. We are all peace-loving nations with respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the Prime Minister said in his opening speech.

In the past decade, trade between India and Asean has almost doubled to $130 billion, and the bloc is one of the country’s largest trade and investment partners, Modi said, as he called for completion of the Asean review -India Trade in Goods Agreement. (AITIGA) in a time-bound manner to leverage greater economic potential.

Read more: Laos visits an opportunity to discuss challenges to peace and stability: Modi

The alliance consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Modi, who attended the summit for the 11th time, said India-ASEAN ties were crucial in steering Asia’s future, while highlighting the vibrancy of the country’s Act East policy, which has now is ten years old, emphasized.

Modi and Asean leaders adopted two joint statements: one on strengthening the Asean-India comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, and another on advancing digital transformation.

In the first joint statement, leaders reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, and other lawful uses of the seas, including unimpeded lawful maritime commerce , and promoting peaceful settlement of disputes, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law.

“In this regard, we support the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety and look forward to the early conclusion of an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the South. China Sea (COC) that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea),” the statement said.

It is fair to say that in the resource-rich South China Sea, China has long-standing territorial disputes with several members of the bloc, including Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

India and Asean agreed to strengthen cooperation in maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber security, military medicine, transnational crime, defense industry and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. “This will be achieved through the exchange of visits, joint military exercises, maritime exercises, port visits by naval vessels and defense fairs,” the joint statement said.

The steps announced in Laos are intended to build on past initiatives.

Last year, the navies of India and ASEAN conducted their first joint exercises in the South China Sea, where China is known for aggressive activities that threaten to escalate tensions in the region. Beijing has become increasingly belligerent in asserting its claims to the South China Sea.

India has consistently called for a free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific, centered on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, while emphasizing peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and within framework of international law.

The summit comes as China seeks to expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific by setting up military bases, pushing countries to assert their maritime claims and extracting strategic concessions from vulnerable states.

India and Asean agreed “to promote diverse, safe, transparent and resilient supply chains while exchanging information on identifying and proactively addressing potential risks in supply chains in areas of mutual interest to promote sustainable development”.

Cooperation in emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, quantum computing and 6-G technology were also discussed in the joint statement.

In keeping with the chair’s theme of ‘Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’, Modi announced a ten-point plan, which included celebrating 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, for which India will complete a decade of its Act East policy mark through various people-oriented activities, including a youth summit, startup festival, hackathon and a conclave of women scientists.

Doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University and providing new scholarships for Asean students at agricultural universities in India were also part of the plan.

It also discussed revising AITIGA by 2025, enhancing disaster resilience for which India would provide US$5 million, and initiating a regular mechanism of the ASEAN-India Cyber ​​Policy Dialogue to enhance digital and cyber resilience.

The joint statement on advancing digital transformation discussed strengthening cooperation in various areas, including digital public infrastructure, financial technology, cybersecurity, AI and sustainable finance and investments.

The summit also comes at a time when Exercise Malabar 24, involving the navies of India, US, Australia and Japan (Quad), is underway in Visakhapatnam. A top admiral said on Wednesday that the exercise has its own strategic significance and implications for the Indo-Pacific region, adding that it aims to promote regional stability and security and deter potential threats through enhanced interoperability.