47th ASEAN Summit: ASEAN a major pillar of India’s Act East Policy: PM Modi
New Delhi, Oct 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday virtually addressed the 47th ASEAN Summit held in Kuala Lumpur, highlighting the deep historical and cultural ties between India and Southeast Asia and reaffirming ASEAN’s role as a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy.
Congratulating Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for chairing the summit, PM Modi said India and ASEAN together represent nearly a quarter of the world’s population and share “deep historical ties and common values.”
He thanked the Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos for serving as India’s country coordinator and welcomed East Timor as the newest member of ASEAN.
The PM expressed condolences to Thailand on the passing of Queen Mother Sirikit and commended ASEAN’s focus on inclusivity and sustainability.
He noted that despite global uncertainties, the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership “continues to make steady progress” and serves as “a foundation for global stability and development.”
PM Modi announced that 2026 will be marked as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation, underlining India’s commitment to enhancing collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security, and the blue economy.
He also emphasised the need to expand cooperation in education, science, tourism, green energy, and cybersecurity.
Concluding his address, the PM said, “The 21st century is our century — India and ASEAN’s century,” expressing confidence that ASEAN’s Community Vision 2045 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 would together shape “a brighter future for humanity.”
The summit, attended by several global leaders including US President Donald Trump, marked a significant step in advancing regional cooperation and reaffirmed India’s growing engagement with the Indo-Pacific through its partnership with ASEAN.
India’s relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dates back over three decades and has evolved into one of the cornerstones of its Act East Policy.
India became a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992, a full dialogue partner in 1995, and upgraded the partnership to the strategic level in 2012.
In 2022, the two sides elevated ties further to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
ASEAN, a 10-member bloc comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, represents a key partner for India in trade, security, and regional stability.
Bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached $123.1 billion in 2024–25, with India’s exports at $38.9 billion and imports at $84.1 billion.
ASEAN countries also account for a major share of foreign investment in India, with cumulative FDI inflows from the region crossing $156 billion between 2000 and 2023, led by Singapore. Beyond trade, cooperation spans diverse areas including connectivity, maritime security, education, green energy, and digital innovation. India and ASEAN also collaborate through regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, and the ASEAN Regional Forum, reinforcing their shared commitment to an open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
