ASEAN-India Summit: PM Modi bats for open and free Indo-Pacific at East Asia Meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised while addressing the East Asia Summit on Thursday that "the need of the hour is an Indo-Pacific where international law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), applies equally to all countries, where there is freedom of navigation and overflight, and where there is unimpeded lawful commerce for the benefit of all".

He also addressed the India-Asean Summit in Jakarta, where he unveiled a 12-point plan across sectors ranging from connectivity to digital public infrastructure (DPI) and counter-terrorism. "India believes that the Code of Conduct should be effective for the South China Sea, be UNCLOS compliant and, in this, the interests of those countries which are not part of the discussions should also be kept in mind," the PM said.

At the East Asia Summit, the PM pitched for everyone's commitment and joint efforts to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries against the backdrop of China's increasing military assertiveness in the South China Sea. He said all countries in the region have an interest in peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.


His comments came days after a number of Asean member countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines reacted sharply to China's territorial claim over the South China Sea in its latest edition of the "standard map of China".

On August 28, China released the 2023 edition of the "standard map of China", showing Taiwan, the South China Sea, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territories. India dismissed the "map" and lodged a strong protest with China over it.

The 12-point plan unveiled by the PM at India-Asean summit proposes establishing multi-modal connectivity and an economic corridor that links India, Southeast Asia, West Asia and Europe.

Modi was on a less than 24-hour visit to Jakarta to attend the India-Asean Summit and East Asia Summit held under Indonesian presidency ahead of the G20 summit. India also offered to share its DPI expertise with Asean partners and announced an "Asean-India fund for digital future".

The PM also announced the renewal of support to the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia and called for collectively raising issues of the global south at multilateral forums and offered to share the country's expertise in providing affordable and quality medicines through the Jan-Aushadhi Kendras.

Modi also called for a collective fight against terrorism, terrorism financing and cyber disinformation, cooperation in disaster management and bolstering collaboration in maritime safety and security and domain awareness.

Other measures included in the plan are traditional medicine, India's Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. "The 21st century is the century of Asia. This is our century. This requires the creation of a rules-based post-Covid world order, and everyone's effort for human welfare," Modi said on the occasion. "We all have a common interest in amplifying the voices of the global south."

Asean-India cooperation is making steady progress in every field, "even in an environment of global uncertainties", the PM emphasised. India and the Asean states are connected by history and geography, shared values, peace, prosperity and a shared belief in a multipolar world, he said. "Asean is the central pillar of India's Act East policy. India fully supports Asean centrality and Asean's outlook on the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN holds a prominent place in India's Indo-Pacific initiative. Last year, we celebrated the India-Asean Friendship Year and elevated our relationship to a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'," he said.

During the summit, PM Modi announced India's decision to open an embassy in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste. The Prime Minister of Timor-Leste attended the summit as an observer.