ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting

• 16 Nov 2018

PM recently concluded his visit to Singapore and attended the ASEAN-India Summit held on sidelines of 33rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.

• Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN is hosting these Summits.
• India also participated in 3rd “Quad” Meeting.

33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Meeting

• About ASEAN
  • The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established in 1967 with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration).
  • The ASEAN members are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos.

• On sidelines of 33rd ASEAN Summit, India-ASEAN Summit was also organized.
• As strategic partners, India and ASEAN have trade and economic relations.
• Trade between India and ASEAN stood at around $ 81 billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10% of India’s total trade. Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11% of India’s total exports.
• India and ASEAN have a combined population of 1.9 billion which is a quarter of the world’s population and the combined GDP of $5 trillion.
• In 2017, India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their engagement and the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit was held on January 25th, 2017.
• India’s relation with ASEAN is marked by 3 C's Culture, Commerce and Connectivity.

More About ASEAN-India Relationship

13th East Asia Summit

• India also participated in 13th East Asia Summit.
• The East Asia Summit (Established: 2005) is a forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security, and prosperity.
• There are six priority areas of regional cooperation within the framework of the EAS: Environment and Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, and ASEAN Connectivity.
• India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority areas.
• The members of East Asia Summit consists of 10 ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos), and 8 other members- Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US.

2nd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit

• The Prime Minister also participated at the 2nd RCEP Summit, they reviewed the progress that has been made in the negotiations of RCEP.

3rd Quad Meeting

• It is the grouping of four democracies –India, Australia, the US, and Japan.
• The Quad association of members who have a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region and rules-based global order.
• Connectivity, counter-terrorism, and cybersecurity was the focus of the conversation at the third meeting of the ‘Quad’ countries.
• The US, Japan, and Australia emphasized “rules-based order” in their statements, which was missing from the Indian statement.
• A serious discussion took place on Sri Lanka and Maldives, both in India’s immediate neighborhood and influenced by China’s expansionism.

More About Quad

Significance of the Meetings

• Such meetings give a platform to India to have a greater role for the economic integration of the region and to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• Such meetings help India to take a closer look at pressing issues in bilateral relations and the overall security and economic situation in India’s extended neighbourhood.
• Many of the ten members of the ASEAN perceive India as a much-needed counterbalance to China.
• India also realises the centrality of ASEAN in its extended neighborhood through its 'Act East Policy'.
• India could work on the implementation of connectivity projects, such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, and building new trade and transport linkages with all the ASEAN states.