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India is ready to share its "battle-tested" counter-terror expertise with ASEAN and its dialogue partners, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday as he described Operation Sindoor as a declaration of New Delhi's clear approach against state-sponsored terrorist activities. The defence minister also said that India supports an Indo-Pacific that is secure and resilient -- one where peace and stability are not merely aspirations, but the outcome of collective efforts. In an address at a conclave of defence ministers of ASEAN member states and the bloc's dialogue partners in Cebu in the Philippines, he flagged concerns over disruptions in certain maritime trade routes and asserted that India will continue to act as a "trusted net security provider" in the Indian Ocean region and the wider Indo-Pacific. "Today, when global trade routes are facing new types of international threats, merely issuing statements on maritime security is not enough," he said at the ASEAN Defence ...
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has expressed hope that India would emerge as a major exporter of goods and services to China and the ASEAN region in the coming years. Goyal said he held meetings with his Chinese counterpart in Yaounde, Cameroon, and in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. He added that India was open to promoting free and fair trade with every country. "They (China) are also providing us important intermediate goods, important raw materials. If in any particular product, we find that the fair play or pricing is not proper, then there's an established judicial process, which is conducted. Other than that, we believe in the rules of fair play; we believe in the rules of open trade ...we welcome suppliers to meet the growing needs of India," Goyal told reporters here. He was replying to a question on India-China trade relations in the coming years. The minister was here on a two-day official visit. "We are looking to open markets in different
The next edition of the Quad Summit is set to be held on the margins of the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines next month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and leaders of Australia and Japan are expected to attend the summit during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit scheduled for November 16 to 17 in Manila. In an interview, the US Secretary of State told Network 18 that the US hoped the Quad Summit would be held before year-end. "We are going to do it in Manila, at the ASEAN conference. We don't have the specific date yet, but that's going to happen, and we're very enthusiastic about it," he said. "We look forward to being a part of that at ASEAN here in just a few weeks," Rubio added. India had planned to host the Quad Leaders' Summit last year, but it did not take place as there was no clarity from Washington on Trump's visit to the country. To a question on growing ties between the U
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that the world is "extremely turbulent", and it is evident that "no single nation" or "even grouping" can deal with it on its own, underlining the need for deeper cooperation between India and ASEAN. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Manila to attend a meeting of the Quad grouping as well as to participate in deliberations under the framework of the ASEAN bloc, also acknowledged the role of the Philippines as the country coordinator in further strengthening the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The theme, 'Navigating Our Future Together', "captures the sentiment which many of us feel today. The world is extremely turbulent, and it is increasingly evident that no single nation or even grouping can deal with it on its own," the External Affairs Minister said during his opening remarks at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India 2026 on Wednesday. "Let us contemplate the near future and consider how
Southeast Asian countries urged the United States and Iran on Monday to keep going with peace negotiations, enforce a ceasefire and restore the safe passage of ships, seafarers and aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz. The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations made the urgent plea as they held an emergency video conference, the second in recent weeks, to assess the impact of the war in the Middle East, including soaring fuel prices, and how they could cooperate in the face of global crises. The 11-nation bloc reminded "the obligations of all states to resolve their differences through peaceful means, to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in armed conflicts". It called "for the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire, aimed at preventing further suffering and loss of lives, ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation and overflight".
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not endorse elections in military-ruled Myanmar, Malaysia's foreign minister said Tuesday, citing concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation. Myanmar's military-backed political party appeared headed for a parliamentary majority after the second round of voting earlier this month in the country's first general election since the army ousted a civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover triggered widespread opposition that has grown into a civil war. Human rights and opposition groups say the polls were neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimise its rule. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Parliament that ASEAN leaders decided at their summit in October not to send observers to Myanmar because conditions for a credible election were not met, though some member countries chose to do so individually. Myanmar's Information Ministry said last month that ASEAN .