PM Modi to co-chair virtual India-ASEAN summit today, Indo-Pacific key focus of discussion

The 17th India-ASEAN summit will take place today in a virtual format with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the ten ASEAN leaders participating in the meet. 

A release by the Ministry of external affairs said, "the Summit will review the status of ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and take stock of progress made in key areas such as connectivity, maritime cooperation, trade and commerce, education and capacity building etc."

Indo-Pacific will be the key focus of the virtual meet, given how New Delhi has been reiterating ASEAN centrality in the region. During last year's summit in Bangkok, Indian PM had launched the Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative (IPOI) that focuses on maritime security, trade, connectivity, disaster risk reduction. In fact, New Delhi was quick to welcome ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific.

The release explained, "ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership stands on a strong foundation of shared geographical, historical and civilizational ties. India’s Act East Policy, underlining ASEAN centrality, reflects the importance, India attaches to engagement with ASEAN."

COVID pandemic undoubtedly will be one of the main talking points, with cooperation on post-pandemic economic recovery being a key point of discussion. 

The summit also comes amid Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea and in eastern Ladakh. A number of ASEAN countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 17th India-ASEAN summit will also be co-chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.