Asean leaders at Republic Day 2018: India's stakes high as RCEP hangs fire

The government will be looking to beef up political relations with the bloc and smoothen trade talks

This Republic Day might usher in renewed trade and security ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), whose leaders would be the guests of honour on January 26.

The 10-nation Asean has been moving increasingly closer to China. India has been looking to boost its trade and security ties with the block, and the Republic Day festivities might provide the apt platform.

The Asean is home to approximately 640 million people, 8.8 per cent of the world’s population, more than that of the European Union. In 2015, the organisation’s combined nominal gross domestic product (GDP) had grown to more than