On November 13, the heads of states of Southeast Asian nations gathered for the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila under the chairmanship of the Philippines. This year, the summit’s theme is “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World.”
The leaders met with the purpose of realizing the six thematic priorities of the Philippines as ASEAN’s main deliverables for 2017 – (a) A people-oriented and people-centered ASEAN; (b) Peace and stability in the region; (c) Maritime security and cooperation; (d) Inclusive, innovation-led growth; (e) ASEAN’s resiliency; and (f) ASEAN: a model of regionalism, a global player. Out of all these themesPeace and stability and Maritime security and cooperation in the region have been prioritised on top of the agenda.
Acts of Terror and Piracy
Acts of terror and piracy are of grave concern to all ASEAN countries. The Philippines, Indonesia and India, especially, have had to deal with Muslim extremists perpetrating acts of terror on their soil. Archipelagic countries also often have to contend with pirates or terrorists endangering trade via sea-lanes. Heads of government and their defence and security ministers will be discussing ways to better coordinate with each other to address this common security threat subsequently.
Smuggling of goods and persons, and trafficking of illegal drugs are just some of the crimes that cross national borders and thus require a regional or multinational approach. For years, ASEAN countries have been working together to seize shipments of drugs or catch poachers who hop from one country to another to evade the law. Country leaders and security officials discussed progress made on this front and what still needs to be done to work with each other more effectively.
Maritime Cooperation
To this body water is of huge importance, not just to ASEAN, but also to the rest of the world because some 80 per cent of the world’s traded goods pass through here. But China, an ASEAN dialogue partner, is claiming virtually all of the sea while four ASEAN countries are claiming parts of it. Freedom of navigation and passage, as well as global trade, is at stake in this issue. ASEAN and China finally came up with a Framework for a Code of Conduct (CoC) on how claimants must behave in the South China Sea. They are expected to start work on the CoC itself. ASEAN has repeatedly come under fire for bowing to Chinese pressure to water down its statements against China’s increasing militarisation and aggressive acts, such as land reclamation, in the disputed sea.
The COC for the South China Sea is intended to prevent violent conflict in one of the world’s busiest and most strategic maritime areas. China has unilaterally laid claim to almost the entire South China Sea, but this has been disputed by ASEAN members Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India, which all have claims. So too does Taiwan.
Though a long-time security issue, it was only in recent months that North Korea’s missile-launching capabilities now pose an immediate threat to nearby Southeast Asia. ASEAN, which invites a North Korean representative to its summits, has condemned the missile launches despite the rogue nation’s pleas for the regional bloc to take its side. Other players in the unfolding diplomatic saga participated in the Summit, including US President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jai-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
There have been calls for ASEAN to discuss and address the Rohingya crisis as a region. Since 2012, Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims have been on the run from state persecution, living in refugee camps in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, or Bangladesh, or in overcrowded ships off the coast of ASEAN countries. The problem has become a massive humanitarian crisis, especially after reports that some Rohingyas are falling victim to human trafficking syndicates.
Prime Minister Modi’s Meeting with World Leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Prime Ministers of Australia, Vietnam, Japan, New Zealand, China and the Sultan of Brunei as part of his 3-day visit for the ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines. The Prime Minister attended the 12th East Asia Summit and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leader’s meetings before heading back to India. PM Modi is the second Indian Prime Minister to visit Manila since Indira Gandhi.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi held “very expansive” talks with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit. He visited the International Rice Research Institute where he learnt about salinity tolerant rice varieties and drones that can greatly aide agriculture. The meeting comes days after President Trump praised India in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
“I am happy that I have got another opportunity to meet President Trump. India-U.S. ties are becoming broader and deeper and you too can feel that India-U.S. ties can work together beyond the interest of India, for the future of Asia and for the welfare of the humanity in the world. Wherever President Trump has travelled in recent days and wherever he had an opportunity to speak on India, he has spoken optimistically. I also assure that India will try its best to fulfill the expectations that the U.S. and the world has from it,” Mr. Modi said in his opening statement of the meeting.
Sources said that the U.S. leadership has indicated through a series of public statements that it wishes India plays a greater role in the global architecture of the 21st century and the talks are likely to help in greater coordination in the global partnership between the two sides.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is here. We had met at the White House before. He has become a friend of ours. He’s doing a great job. A lot of things were solved and we will continue to work together,” Mr. Trump said.Mr. Modi was doing a “fantastic job by bringing lots of factions in India together that is what I hear and is a good news and lot of good reports are coming out of India”.
The two leaders are understood to have discussed the security scenario in the region besides several other issues of mutual interests, including ways to further boost trade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump in the Philippines shows the “strategic convergences” in geopolitics and economy between India and the US, India’s envoy Navtej Sarna has said. Modi and Trump held their second bilateral meeting in Manila on 14 November, on the margins of the East Asia Summit in the Philippines.Modi held wide-ranging talks with Trump and told him that both nations can rise beyond bilateral ties and work jointly for the future of Asia, reflecting their growing convergence on strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region.
“President Trump and the prime minister have again underlined the closeness that they have between them and the strategic convergences both in geopolitical terms as well as in economic terms that India and the US have been working on,” Ambassador to the US Sarna said in his address to US lawmakers and representatives of the Indian corporate leadership at the Capitol Hill. He was speaking on the occasion of the release of a report ‘Indian Roots, American Soil’ by the Confederation of Indian Industry, according to which 100 Indian companies in the US account for$17.9 billion in investment and for generating 113,000 jobs in the US.
The India-US closeness and strategic convergences has been evident in the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US and subsequent visits of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to India and now again in the meeting between the president and Prime Minister Modi, Sarna said.
“The 1.25 billion people of India are keen to welcome the ASEAN Leaders as our Chief Guests at India’s 69th Republic Day Celebrations. I am committed to working with you to realize our common.” PM Narendra Modi said while concluding his opening remarks at the 15th India ASEAN Summit on November 14, 2017.
PM Narendra Modi in conversation with the Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Manila said,“We look forward to the East Asia Summit attaining greater salience in years to come. I reiterate my commitment to work with you to address the political, security and economic issues of the region”.
ASEAN began in times of a great global divide, but today as it celebrates its Golden Jubilee, it shines as a beacon of hope; a symbol of peace and prosperity: PM Narendra Modi at the 12th East Asian Summit in Manila held wide ranging deliberations on enhancing India-Vietnam friendship, which can greatly benefit our citizens and region: PM Narendra Modi tweets after meeting Vietnam’s PM, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the ASEAN Summit in Manila.
PM Narendra Modi on Twitter said he had an “excellent meeting” with the Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe. The two leaders reviewed the various aspects of India-Japan ties and discussed “ways to deepen cooperation between our economies and people”.
PM Narendra Modi congratulated New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern on her appointment as the Prime Minister. The two leaders discussed the “steps to expand bilateral relations across sectors”, tweeted Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
China Optimistic of China-India Relations
Despite 30 incursions at the Line of Actual Control (LOAC) by China in the recent past Luo Zhaohui Chinese Ambassador to India isoptimistic about the prospect of China-India relations. The new thought and blueprint have emerged in the 19th National Congress. President Xi and Prime Minister Modi reached important consensus during their meeting in September in Xiamen. Against the aforesaid backdrop, I am optimistic about China-India relations. Both China and India are developing countries and face common tasks of developing economy and improving people’s well being. At a critical stage of deepening reform and advancing modernisation, both countries need to foster a favourable external environment. China and India are neighbours that cannot be moved away. We live under the same sky. As important members of BRICS and the SCO, China and India are committed to advancing globalisation and multi-polarity, and upholding democracy in international relations. We believe that the New India initiative proposed by Prime Minister Modi and the Chinese Dream are closely connected and can be synergized as well.
China attaches great importance to China-India relations. There will be a series of institutional dialogues between the two countries. We need to set long-term goals for our relations such as Free Trade Agreement, the Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and India, “early harvest” on the boundary issue and alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with India’s development strategies. I firmly believe that China and India can move at the same pace towards the same direction. We need to enhance mutual trust and focus on cooperation, while properly managing differences, in a bid to promote China-India relations to a new level.
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