Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Laos is set to reaffirm India's commitment to ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific region. Scheduled for October 10-11, PM Modi will attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit at the invitation of his Laotian counterpart, Sonexay Siphandone, the current ASEAN chair. This visit marks another significant step in India’s Act East policy and its engagement with Southeast Asia.
The focus of the ASEAN-India Summit will be to review the progress made under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established between India and ASEAN. Leaders will explore further avenues for cooperation and development, while the East Asia Summit will allow heads of state from participating countries, including India, to discuss important regional and global issues.
As the summit offers an opportunity to exchange views on pressing matters, India’s continued emphasis on strengthening ties with ASEAN is expected to be a key theme.
India has long regarded ASEAN as a pillar of its Act East policy, with PM Modi emphasising ASEAN centrality in the region. Over the past decade, India has worked to build stronger ties with ASEAN nations, underlining the significance of the region in the Indo-Pacific framework.
India’s Indo-Pacific Vision, encapsulated by PM Modi’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative, aligns well with ASEAN’s own outlook, demonstrating a commitment to regional security and economic development.
PM Modi’s visit to Laos comes on the heels of his recent trip to Jakarta in September 2023, where he participated in the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and 18th East Asia Summit. His visit to Indonesia sent a powerful message of India's dedication to enhancing relations with ASEAN and promoting peace and stability in the broader Indo-Pacific region.
That summit was particularly notable as it was the first following the elevation of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022, outlining future collaboration in various sectors.
India’s engagement with ASEAN has been driven by three core objectives: strengthening connectivity, enhancing cooperation in the maritime domain, and supporting ASEAN as a key player in the region.
These goals remain relevant, especially as ASEAN countries continue to face growing challenges from China’s strategic expansion in the South China Sea. Many ASEAN members are seeking to deepen defence ties with India to balance these challenges.
During the Jakarta summit, PM Modi reiterated India’s belief in ASEAN centrality and its importance in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific. He highlighted synergies between India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which aim to ensure peace, security, and prosperity in the region.
India’s vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific resonates strongly with ASEAN’s outlook, and this alignment has paved the way for deeper collaboration in areas such as digital transformation, economic engagement, and people-to-people ties.
The Prime Minister’s 12-point proposal during the summit in Jakarta demonstrated India’s readiness to advance cooperation with ASEAN. The proposal focused on key areas such as connectivity, trade, strategic engagement, and addressing contemporary global challenges. Modi’s remarks that “the 21st century is Asia’s century” encapsulate India’s belief that cooperation between nations is crucial to shaping a new world order.
PM Modi’s role in the East Asia Summit is also vital, as the forum provides an opportunity to address pressing issues affecting the region. India, alongside ASEAN, shares a common vision for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, and has consistently underscored the need for maritime cooperation and respect for international law.
PM Modi emphasised that any code of conduct for the South China Sea must align with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and consider the interests of all countries, not just those directly involved.
As regional dynamics continue to shift and geopolitical tensions rise, PM Modi’s participation in the summits in Laos will likely include bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines.
These discussions will further solidify India’s strategic partnerships within the region and explore new avenues for cooperation. With ASEAN’s role becoming increasingly important in the Indo-Pacific, India remains committed to ensuring the success of these relationships.
Follow us
