Modi hails the century of India and ASEAN, backs ASEAN centrality

KUALA LUMPUR: In a terse but impactful address to the leaders of the 11-nation grouping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed ASEAN centrality and underlined that the 21st century is “the century of India and ASEAN.”

PM Modi may not have been physically present at the 22^nd India-ASEAN summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, but he made up for it with his virtual address in which he promised to work shoulder to shoulder with ASEAN countries to realise the vision of an Asian Century.

“The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN. I am confident that the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will build a bright future for all of humanity,” PM Modi said in his address in the virtual mode. “Alongside all of you, India is committed to working shoulder to shoulder in this direction.”

Outlining “steady progress” in different areas of the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Mr Modi stressed that “this strong partnership of ours is emerging as a robust foundation for global stability and development.”

Unveiling the expanding canvas of India-ASEAN ties, PM Modi called ASEAN “a cornerstone of India’s Act East Policy.”

“We are companions in the Global South. We are not only commercial partners but also cultural partners. India has always fully supported ASEAN centrality and ASEAN’s outlook in the Indo-Pacific.

Alluding to the 2025 ASEAN Summit’s theme, “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” PM Modi highlighted joint efforts in areas of digital inclusion, food security and resilient supply chains.”

Enhancing maritime cooperation figured prominently in his address. Declaring 2026 as “ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation,” PM Modi said: “India has stood firmly with its ASEAN friends in every disaster. Our cooperation in HADR, maritime security, and the blue economy is growing rapidly.”

Backing the Malaysian Chair’s theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, PM Modi announced a slew of initiatives, including extended support for the ASEAN-India Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030) and adoption of the ASEAN-India Joint Leaders’ Statement on Sustainable Tourism to strengthen tourism cooperation. He also announced training of 400 professionals in renewable energy, for supporting the ASEAN Power Grid initiative and extending Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) to Timor Leste, which was inducted as the 11^th member of ASEAN at the 47^th ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Going forward, economic ties between India and ASEAN are set to move onto a higher trajectory. In this regard, PM Modi emphasised that early review of the ASEAN-India FTA (AITIGA) can unleash the full economic potential of the relationship.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also struck an upbeat note on the future of India-ASEAN partnership, saying Asean is hoping to conclude the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement by this year. “So there has been some real progress,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim underlined that Malaysia has a special relation with India partly due to the large demography of ethnic Indians in Malaysia.

Author Profile

Manish Chand

Manish Chand is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO, Centre for Global India Insights, an India-based think tank focused on global affairs.