PM Modi participates in 16th East Asia Summit, reaffirms India's focus on a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific
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He recalled India’s support of 1 million US dollars to the ASEAN COVID-19 Recovery Fund and reiterated India's continuing commitment to providing Quad sponsored vaccines to Indo-Pacific countries
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reaffirmed India's focus on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and support for ASEAN's centrality in the region.
The prime minister said India remains committed to strengthening respect for the shared values of multilateralism, rules-based international order, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
He made the comments while participating virtually at the 16th East Asia Summit which was hosted by Brunei.
During his speech, PM Modi emphasised the importance of a resilient global value chain. He recalled India’s support of 1 million US dollars to the ASEAN COVID-19 Recovery Fund and reiterated India's continuing commitment to providing Quad sponsored vaccines to Indo-Pacific countries.
In addition, the PM also raised the idea of developing global standards on cyber security.
"Participated in the 16th East Asia Summit hosted by Brunei through video conference. Re-affirmed India's focus on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the principle of ASEAN Centrality in the region," Modi tweeted.
Participated in the 16th East Asia Summit hosted by Brunei through video conference. Re-affirmed India’s focus on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the principle of ASEAN Centrality in the region. @ASEAN @Asean2021_BN
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 27, 2021
Modi said he was looking forward to participating at the 18th ASEAN-India summit on Thursday.
ASEAN, the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is one of the most influential groups in the region, and India is among its dialogue partners along with the US, China, Japan, and Australia.
As India and ASEAN's relationship has grown in the last few years, the focus has been on increasing trade and investment, as well as security and defence cooperation.
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The East Asia Summit is the premier forum for security and defence issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The East Asia Forum has been playing a significant role in the strategic, geopolitical, and economic evolution of East Asia since its inception in 2005.
Apart from the ASEAN member states, the East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Russia.
(With inputs from agencies)