Asean Nations

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with counterparts from Japan, New Zealand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a "very productive" meeting with newly-appointed Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba here during which they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in different areas, including infrastructure, connectivity and defence. Separately, Prime Minister Modi also met his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on the margins of the ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane. Modi, who is in the Laotian capital on a two-day visit, met Ishiba on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and congratulated him on his new responsibility and wished him success in leading Japan to greater heights. "Had a very productive meeting with PM Ishiba. I'm happy to have met him just a few days after he became Japan's PM. Our talks included ways to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, defence and more. Boosting cultural linkages was also discussed," Modi said in a post on X. Ishiba was appointed Japan's prime minister just last week. He replaced Fumio

Act East policy changed engagements with ASEAN, Indo-pacific: Indian envoy

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Lao PDR at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Lao PDR to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit later this year

Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to tackle Myanmar crisis, disputed sea

Southeast Asian leaders gathered in the capital of Laos on Wednesday for an annual regional forum that will focus on tackling the prolonged civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will also be followed by meetings with global powers including China, the US and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region. The timing of the meetings in Vientiane makes it likely that talks will also touch on the escalation of violence in the Middle East, although Southeast Asia has faced only indirect fallout. ASEAN's influence has historically been limited even among its own members, but the forum has often served as a platform for dialogues among superpowers looking to engage with the region. The 10 member states of ASEAN Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos will also hold talks with their dialogue partners from elsewhere in the region including

Amid maritime disputes, Myanmar crisis, Asean meetings joined by US, China

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened Saturday in the Laotian capital with their powerful dialogue partners in the last of the three-day regional talks that have grappled with tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalry. Meetings on Saturday will bring together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Saturday in Vientiane to meet with the ASEAN foreign ministers. He is also expected to meet on the sidelines with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as both countries are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith opened the first meeting of the day with China, Japan and South Korea by saying he hopes the cooperation framework, called ..

EAM S Jaishankar calls Asean cornerstone of India's Act East Policy

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the cornerstone of India's Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday, as he sought to expand political, economic and security cooperation with the bloc. Jaishankar is in the Laotian capital to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In his remarks at the opening session of the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting, Jaishankar said that the current political, economic, and security cooperation with ASEAN is India's top priority. "For India, ASEAN is the cornerstone of its Act India Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision that was thereafter built on it," he said. "The current political, economic and security cooperation with ASEAN is of the utmost priority so is the people-to-people linkages, that we are constantly seeking to expand," he said. It is encouraging to note that the India-ASEAN partnership acquires ever more dimensions with

EAM Jaishankar meets New Zealand Dy PM Peters on sidelines of Asean meet

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Vientiane, Laos. In his post, the External Affairs minister said he "enjoyed" meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand."Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket, " the External Affairs minister said on X.Earlier on July 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory phone call from his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, on his victory for the third time in the general elections and the two leaders, during their interaction, reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come."Noting that India-New Zealand ties are anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, both leaders reiterated their ...

Myanmar violence tops discussion as Southeast Asian diplomats meet in Laos

Southeast Asian foreign ministers and top diplomats from key partners including the United States and China were gathering in the Laotian capital on Thursday for the start of three days of talks expected to focus on the increasingly violent civil war in Myanmar, tensions in the South China Sea and other regional issues. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to hold one-on-one talks on the sidelines of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, which come as both Beijing and Washington are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith thanked ASEAN members and partners for their unwavering collective effort that has led to its past achievements and emphasized the importance of the bloc's continuous work to promote peace and stability. In light of the rapid and complex geopolitical and geoeconomic changes, we need to further enhance ASEAN centrality and unity so

Need for tweak: India for distinct tariff plans with all Asean partners

Round-III of review meet from July 29 in Jakarta

India reviews Asean trade pact to address domestic manufacturing anomalies

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has asked for input from the industry to pinpoint products suffering from an inverted duty structure that puts local manufacturers at a disadvantage

Asean finance leaders points challenges from geopolitics, volatile prices

Southeast Asian economies are gaining ground as tourism and exports recover from the shocks of the pandemic, but geopolitical tensions and volatile commodity prices still pose serious risks, regional financial leaders said on Friday. Laos' Finance Minister Santiphab Phomvihane read out a joint statement following meetings among finance ministers at a hotel in the Laotian city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO heritage site, but he made no other remarks and took no questions. Estimates for economic growth in members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations vary but are generally near a robust 5 per cent for 2024. Nevertheless, there are still challenges due to adverse financial spillovers from geopolitical tensions, volatility in global commodity prices, Phomvihane said, also pointing to climate change, aging populations and rapid development of digitalization as key factors for the region. He did not elaborate, but the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and tensions betwee

Hope to work on untapped areas of cooperation: Asean SG during India visit

Maritime cooperation was one of the key focus areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) that was adopted in June 2019

Not an absolute no from India on RCEP, doors open: Asean secy general

Asean Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn CM is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation on a working visit to India

Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn arrives in India on five-day visit

This is Kao Kim Hourn's first official visit to India since assuming office in January 2023, spanning from February 11 to 15

Tensions in S China Sea, violence in Myanmar as Laos takes over Asean chair

Simmering tensions in the South China Sea between China and several Southeast Asian nations now regularly spark direct confrontation. Fighting in Myanmar against the military government that seized power three years ago has grown to the point that most say the country is now in a civil war. Hopes were high that Indonesia might be able to make significant inroads on both issues during its 2023 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, using its clout as the bloc's largest country, but little progress was made. Now Laos, the bloc's poorest and one of its smallest countries, has taken over the rotating chair. As foreign ministers gather in Luang Prabang for this year's first top-level meetings over the weekend, many are pessimistic that ASEAN can keep its biggest challenges from festering and growing. There were so many expectations when Indonesia started its presidency and some of those expectations fell short, said Shafiah Muhibat, an expert with the Centre for ...

Statsguru: Neighbourhood ties weaken as global economic partnerships evolve

The share of its neighbours in India's trade shows signs of weakening from an already low base amid a review of regional trade agreements

ASEAN wants India to join RCEP for greater market access: Secretary-General

ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn has said that the 10-member bloc of the Southeast Asian countries wants India to join the landmark Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) for greater market access as he asserted that all partners stand to gain from the inclusive, open and rule-based trade pact. Dr Kao also said that India and ASEAN have been working together across different sectors - from space to investment, to tourism, to the defence sector and counter-terrorism, among others - and advocated expanding such cooperation in new sectors. Talking to a select group of Indian journalists here on Monday evening, Dr Kao said joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would benefit India as the agreement would provide greater market access. He added that all partners will gain from the inclusive, open and rule-based trade pact. The RCEP is a free trade area (FTA) consisting of 10 ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapo

Myanmar's trade with ASEAN countries tops $10.3 bn in 9 mths till Dec 2022

The Ministry reported on Thursday that imports surpassed exports, with exports reaching more than $3.538 billion and imports valued at more than $6.77 billion, Xinhua news agency reported

Act East Policy to boost NE India's ties with ASEAN countries: Mizoram Guv

Mizoram Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati said on Saturday that implementation of India's Act East Policy will improve the relations of the northeast region with the ASEAN countries

FTAs and their discontents: Do free trade agreements benefit India?

India's balance of trade has worsened with countries with which it has signed free trade agreements

US vows $150 mn investment in ASEAN for infrastructure with China in focus

The US ASEAN gathering is intended to demonstrate the commitment the United States has to the Indo-Pacific, where China has been increasing its clout and making extensive claims in regional waters