Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the 21st India-ASEAN summit in Lao PDR, introduced a 10-point plan aimed at strengthening India-ASEAN partnerships, emphasizing their critical role in shaping Asia’s future. He highlighted India’s Act East Policy and noted that trade between India and ASEAN had doubled over the past decade, surpassing USD 130 billion. Modi also mentioned the growing direct flight connectivity with seven ASEAN countries, with plans to extend this to Brunei. Additionally, he underscored progress in restoring cultural heritage across five ASEAN nations.
The 10-point plan includes celebrating 2025 as the ASEAN-India Year of Tourism with USD 5 million dedicated to joint activities. Other initiatives involve celebrating a decade of the Act East Policy through events like a Youth Summit and Music Festival, organizing an ASEAN-India Women Scientists Conclave, doubling scholarships for ASEAN students at Nalanda University and offering new ones for agricultural studies, reviewing the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement by 2025, and enhancing disaster resilience with USD 5 million allocated. Modi also proposed a Health Ministers’ track for building health resilience, launching a Cyber Policy Dialogue for digital security, holding a workshop on Green Hydrogen, and inviting ASEAN leaders to join India’s ‘Plant a Tree for Mother’ campaign for climate resilience.
A joint statement issued after the summit reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening the ASEAN-India strategic partnership for peace and prosperity. Leaders praised India’s role in digital transformation and its collaboration on digital public infrastructure. On the sidelines of the summit, Modi met with Japan’s Shigeru Ishiba and New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon, discussing various areas of bilateral cooperation. Modi and Ishiba reiterated their commitment to a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, while Modi and Luxon explored opportunities in trade, defense, renewable energy, and more, reflecting the strong momentum in India-New Zealand relations following the Indian President’s successful visit to New Zealand.
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