The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an “important pillar” of India’s Act East policy, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, as he departed for Indonesia to attend the 20th ASEAN-India summit and 18th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta. Mr. Modi will meet with leaders of the ten ASEAN countries on Thursday, followed immediately by the EAS meeting, which includes leaders of all ASEAN nations and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the U.S. While Mr. Modi will return immediately after the summits so as to be in Delhi in time for the arrival of guests of the G20, many of the leaders present in Indonesia and Indonesian President Joko Widodo himself will also travel to Delhi on Friday.
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“I look forward to discussing with ASEAN leaders the future contours of our partnership, which has now entered its fourth decade. Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership entered into last year has injected new dynamism in our ties,” said Mr. Modi in a departure statement, adding that he hopes to discuss “issues of importance to the region, including food and energy security, environment, health, and digital transformation” at the EAS summit.
