PM heads to Manila for ASEAN, E Asia, Quad summits

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to the Philippines next week to attend the 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit and the 21st meeting of the ASEAN-led East Asia Summit process and is expected to participate in the maiden Quad Summit under Trump 2.0 early next week.

The visit will take place from November 16 to 18, Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) MEA, stated during a special media briefing here on Thursday.

"In addition to a very active bilateral relationship with all 11 ASEAN member states, we see our engagement with the ASEAN regional platform also as a key element or building block of our Act East policy," Tandon said.


The PM's programme in Manila will include a dinner hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for the visiting leaders, followed by the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit the next day, with bilateral meetings with other leaders in between.

While the Quad Summit is scheduled on November 17, there is no certainty yet of a standalone bilateral meet between the PM and US President Donald Trump. Modi is expected to travel to the USA mid-December for the G20 Summit. ET had reported recently that the Quad Summit will be held in Manila on the margins of ASEAN and East Asia Summits with focus being on critical minerals, critical technology and resilient supply chains.

"There is also a very strong demand from the Indian community to meet the prime minister, so we are trying to adjust that also in his schedule," Tandon said.

Tandon said ASEAN has emerged as a major trading partner for India, with trade with the entire region at approximately $122 billion.

"We in India strongly believe that, as an Indian Ocean country that abuts this very important Southeast Asian maritime zone, a strong strategic relationship with ASEAN member states, as a collective and individually, is good for both of us," Tandon said.

Such a relationship, he said, will make both sides more resilient in handling rapid geopolitical changes and will contribute to peace and stability in Asia.

Describing the East Asia Summit as a very unique ASEAN-led grouping of eight leaders, Tandon said leaders of ASEAN and these countries will discuss global security issues and issues of common concern in an informal setting.

"This year's East Asia Summit process is led by the ASEAN Chair, which is the Philippines. That's why it's happening in Manila. This, too, is a remarkable example of how successful ASEAN collective diplomacy has become," he said.