Page 2 - Asean

Cheap Chinese exports prompt 'protectionist' response from Southeast Asia

Economic discontent towards China has intensified in Southeast Asia as Chinese companies with surplus inventory are selling goods at give-away prices

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 ..

Jaishankar, Lavrov exchange views on ways to further boost bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and leaders from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Laos and others and discussed various aspects of bilateral collaboration, including education and agriculture technology. Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He met Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the sidelines of the meeting. "Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of India Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of #ASEAN events Vientiane, July 26, 2024 #RussiaIndia #DruzhbaDosti," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X, attaching a picture of the two ministers. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from South Korea and had a wide-ranging conversation on Special Strategic Partnership. "A pleasure to meet RoK @FMChoTaeyul today in Vientiane. Wide-ranging

S Jaishankar holds bilateral talks with counterparts on sidelines of Asean

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Brunei and New Zealand and discussed various aspects of bilateral collaboration, including education and agriculture technology. Jaishankar is in the capital of the Laos People's Democratic Republic to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from New Zealand, Winston Peters, also the country's deputy prime minister. "Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket," Jaishankar said in a post on X. Jaishankar also held a meeting with his counterpart from Brunei, Dato Haji Erywan. The two leaders launched the logo, celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between India and Brunei. "Confident that our warm and friendly ties will prosper further," Jaishankar said. He also met Laos' Minister of

Southeast Asian diplomats meet China's Wang Yi over maritime dispute

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia met Friday morning in Vientiane with China's Foreign Minister for talks that come as friction continues to escalate over Beijing's growing effort to press its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea. Several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation have disputes with China, which has led to direct confrontations that many worry could lead to broader conflict. One wrong step in the South China Sea will turn a small fire into a terrible firestorm, said Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi ahead of the talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all have conflicts with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world's most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing's encroachment on its exclusive economic zone. The United States and its allies, meanwhile, have bee

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 ...

Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Asean countries

Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar on Thursday met his counterparts from the Philippines, Enrique A Manalo, and Norway's Espen Barth Eide on the margins of the ASEAN meet and discussed strengthening bilateral collaboration and priorities in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar also held bilateral meetings with Timor Leste's Foreign Minister Bendito Freitas and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Cambodia Sok Chenda Sophea. Jaishankar and all other leaders are in the Lao People's Democratic Republic's capital to participate in the Foreign Ministers' Meetings under the ASEAN framework in the format of ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). While with his South Asian counterparts, the talks were mostly about bilateral relations and geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific, he also discussed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during his meeting with the Norwegian leader. Good to meet Foreign Minister @EspenBarthEide of Norway today. The India

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

Round-III of review meet from July 29 in Jakarta

Imports from China, Asean at predatory prices main concern: Jayant Acharya

Even imports from Japan and Korea have been elevated. India is basically a vulnerable ground because our domestic demand is very good, said Jayant Acharya, JMD, JSW Steel

RBI, four Asean countries tie up for cross-border payments platform

Project Nexus is aimed at making retail cross-border payments efficient, faster and cost-effective, the RBI release said

India to remain fastest growing Asia-Pacific economy, predicts Moody's

Moody's Ratings on Thursday said India will remain the Asia-Pacific region's fastest-growing economy in 2024, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. In a report titled Credit Conditions Asia-Pacific H2 2024 Credit Outlook, Moody's Ratings said Indonesia, the Philippines and India led the way in terms of growth in first half of 2024 and should continue to outperform pre-COVID growth numbers on the back of rising exports, local demand and government spending on infrastructure. "India will remain the region's fastest-growing economy, sustaining last year's domestically driven momentum. We anticipate policy continuity after the general election, and a continued focus on infrastructure development and encouragement of private sector investment," it said. Moody's said stronger portfolio inflows are likely in India and ASEAN economies, because of robust corporate credit metrics and appealing valuations. Last month, the rating agency projected India to grow 6.8 per cent in t

China's exports grow 7.6% in May despite trade tensions with US, Europe

China's exports in May grew at their fastest pace in more than a year despite trade tensions, though imports fell short of analyst expectations, according to customs data released on Friday. Exports jumped 7.6 per cent in May from the same month last year to USD 302.35 billion, rising at the fastest pace since April 2023. Imports rose by 1.8 per cent to USD 219.73 billion, missing estimates of about 4 per cent growth. The uptick in exports is also partly due to a lower base in the same period last year, when exports declined 7.5 per cent. In comparison, exports grew by 1.5 per cent in April compared with the same period last year, while April imports rose by 8.4 per cent. The strong exports caused China's trade surplus to widen to USD 82.62 billion, up from April's USD 72.35 billion. The growth in exports comes as China faces escalated trade tensions with the US and Europe. The US is ramping up tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars while Europe is considering levying similar ...

Next round of talks for India-Asean trade agreement review in July

Senior officials of India and the 10-nation bloc of Southeast Asian nations - ASEAN - will hold the next round of talks in July to review the existing free trade agreement in Jakarta, Indonesia, an official statement said on Sunday. The last round of the three-day negotiations concluded on May 9 in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The discussions for review of AITIGA (Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement) started in May 2023 to make it more trade-facilitative and beneficial for businesses across the region, the commerce ministry said. A joint committee, which is undertaking the review work, has so far met four times. It has finalised its terms of reference and the negotiating structure for the review in its first two meetings and initiated talks for the review from its third meeting, which was held on February 18-19 here. "The fourth Joint Committee meeting for the review of AITIGA was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia from 7-9 May," the statement said. The committee was co-chaired by Rajesh Agraw

Amazon to spend $9 bn over next 4 yrs to expand cloud infra in Singapore

AWS also announced a collaboration with the Singapore Government, public sector organisations, and enterprises to help accelerate the adoption of AI

'Asean can play imp role in emerging regional architecture of Indo-Pacific'

India believes that a strong and unifiedEAN can play a constructive role in the emerging regional architecture of the Indo-Pacific, External Affair Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday while underlining that a "multipolar Asia" and a "multipolar world" are increasingly self-evident today. In his virtual address at the 1stEAN Future Forum, he also said "we believe that Quad compliments theEAN and theEAN-led mechanisms" in their effort to make the region prosperous through delivery of people-centric benefits. Jaishankar asserted thatEAN is "at the heart of our Act East Policy" and is a "crucial pillar in India's wider Indo-Pacific vision". "We supportEAN unity, centrality and theEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific," he said. Jaishankar said India andEAN are neighbours sharing "millennia-old cultural and civilisational linkages". TheEAN-India relationship which has entered its fourth decade and has matured into a "comprehensive strategic partnership" is based on shared values and common ...

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

Citroën becomes the first multinational carmaker to export EVs from India

Citroën despatched 500 units of the Made-in-India ë-C3 to Indonesia from the Kamarajar Port

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

ICG ship makes port call in Vietnam on overseas deployment to Asean nations

Indian Coast Guard ship Samudra Paheredar, a specialised Pollution Control Vessel, on Tuesday made a port call at Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam as part of its ongoing overseas deployment to theEAN countries, officials said. This deployment is a testimony to the ICG's commitment to "bolster bilateral relationships" and "enhance international cooperation" with friendly countries, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. "The deployment of Samudra Paheredar to theEAN region reflects India's shared concern and resolve towards marine pollution, promoting safety and security through maritime cooperation. Prior to Ho Chi Minh, the vessel had visited Manila, Philippines, to demonstrate a seamless continuation of diplomatic maritime engagements in theEAN region," it said. The ship is equipped with specialised marine pollution control equipment and a Chetak Helicopter in pollution response configuration, designed to contain and recover spilled oil and augment the operation. The ICG ship is on an .