Asean

Rubio to meet China foreign minister in Malaysia amid rising tensions

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping his up his second and final day at a Southeast Asian security conference with a high-stakes meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow between Washington and Beijing over issues from trade to security and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine. After discussions with regional countries at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations forum in Malaysia, Rubio on Friday was close out his first official trip to Asia in his first face-to-face talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the State Department said. The meeting comes less than 24 hours after Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur with another rival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed potential new avenues to jumpstart Ukraine peace talks. The meetings come against a backdrop of global and regional unease over US policies, notably on trade and large tariffs that US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose on friend and foe alike. While Ru

India, Asean adopt new 5-year action plan at foreign ministers' meeting

In a post on X, he described the meeting as productive, which he had co-chaired with Theresa P Lazaro of the Philippines

India must deepen ties with Asean nations, not abandon its trade agreement

Some within the government, as well as prominent voices in industry, have complained that the FTA with Asean allows for the dumping of Chinese goods in India via Southeast Asia

QUAD foreign ministers concerned about East and South China sea situation

The leaders expressed their support for ASEAN and its centrality, the Pacific Islands Forum and Pacific-led regional groupings, as well as the Indian Ocean Rim Association

India, ASEAN to develop cruise tourism in Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean

India will work with ASEAN to develop cruise tourism circuits in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Monday. Sonowal inaugurated first ever ASEAN-India Cruise Dialogue here on Monday, according to a statement. The meet hosted by India is being attended by all the member nations of ASEAN; i.e. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam along with Timor Leste. "India plans to work with ASEAN countries to develop cruise tourism and tourism circuits in the Bay of Bengal as well as the Indian Ocean region. "An integrated cruise network linking Indian ports with ASEAN destinations supported by real-time tracking and modern terminals is being envisaged, which will be deliberated in this meet," Sonowal said. The Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister also said India plans to professionalise 5,000 km of navigable waterways to enhance cruise connectivity with ASEAN nations. The ...

Amid trade disorder, India must reconsider CPTPP, integrate with Asean, EU

While this process may take a while given the state of uncertainty and disorder that prevails in the global trade architecture, to demonstrate India's commitment to a particular direction of travel

Asean stonewalling progress of FTA review talks with India: Official

Asean nations are stonewalling the progress of the ongoing negotiations on the review of the existing free trade agreement in goods signed in 2009, and the talks are moving "very" slowly, an official said on Monday. The review of the agreement is a long-standing demand of Indian industry and India is looking forward to an upgraded pact, which will address the current asymmetries in bilateral trade and will make trade more balanced and sustainable. "So far, nine rounds of talks have been completed. They are going very slow. Very less progress is there. Asean is stonewalling the talks," the official, who did not wish to be named, said. After the implementation of the agreement, India's exports stood at only about USD 38-39 billion annually, while imports from the 10-nation Asean bloc have jumped to USD 86 billion, the official added. Asean countries have opened less number of tariff lines or product categories for India. India has offered duty concessions on over 71 per cent of the .

Ex-Malaysia PM urges stronger Asean ties with China, India to replace US

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hassan also urged quicker regional integration, saying the Asean bloc must act now to reduce the impact of global trade shocks, especially from US tariffs

Asean and our neighbouring countries now drifting closer to China

Deepseek says that in 2023 Asean countries exported goods worth $416 billion to China and imported goods worth $495.7 billion from them

Asean opens summit with Gulf nations, China amid Trump tariffs threat

A regional association of Southeast Asian nations is set to hold a three-way summit Tuesday with China and six Gulf countries in what officials called an effort to bolster economic resilience as they grapple with global volatility and US tariffs. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, opening a summit in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council, said a stronger ASEAN-GCC relationship would be key to enhancing interregional collaboration, building resilience and securing sustainable prosperity. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will join the two blocs in their first such meeting later Tuesday, as Beijing seeks to present itself as a reliable ally to the region. I believe the ASEAN-GCC partnership has never been more important than it is today, as we navigate an increasingly complex global landscape marked by economic uncertainty and geopolitical challenges, Anwar said. Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN

Southeast Asian nations want to discuss tariffs with Trump: Malaysia PM

Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges including economic headwinds from US tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday. Opening an annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Anwar said he is seeking a unified bloc meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss the tariffs. Officials are hopeful it could happen later this year. Malaysia is the current chair of ASEAN. For ASEAN, our peace, stability and prosperity have often depended on an open, inclusive, rules-based international order... These foundations are now being dismantled under the force of arbitrary action," Anwar said. ASEAN has formed a taskforce to coordinate a response to the U.S. tariffs in parallel with bilateral negotiations by some member countries, Anwar said. ASEAN members include bigger economies such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as ones like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos

Govt replaces 'certificate' with 'proof' in Rules of Origin regulations

The amendment, effective from March 18, modifies key rules governing the determination of the country of origin of imported goods - a crucial factor in availing duty benefits under FTAs)

India steadfast in its 'zero-tolerance' policy towards terrorism: Def Secy

India remains steadfast in its "zero-tolerance" policy towards terrorism and robust domestic mechanisms and strong regional cooperation are needed to effectively combat the menace, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh said on Wednesday. Singh was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day conclave of 10-nation ASEAN grouping and some of its dialogue partners, hosted by India in the national capital. The defence secretary said threats of terrorism are increasingly transcending borders, and the use of advanced technology, cyber tools and unmanned systems by terrorist groups necessitates a cohesive and action-oriented approach to combat the challenge. The Indo-Pacific region, given its geopolitical and economic significance, is particularly vulnerable to transnational terrorism and violent extremism, which calls for a comprehensive, adaptive and deeply collaborative response, he said. The conclave of the experts working group (EWG) on counter-terrorism under the framework of the .

India's avg customs duty cut to 10.6%, now moving towards Asean level: CBIC

India has significantly reduced its average customs duty rate to 10.66 per cent from 11.65 per cent and is now moving towards the same levels as prevalent in the Southeast Asian countries, a senior government official said on Monday. CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs) Chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said the rate rationalisation exercise was carried out with the objective of making the tariff structure simple, ensuring competitiveness of Indian industry and simplifying the tax regime. "Now the average customs rate in India has come down from 11.65 per cent to 10.66 per cent and we are now moving towards the average rate in ASEAN countries," he said here at an interaction with industry representatives. The 10-nation bloc ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The exercise was also important for dispelling the narrative of developed countries like the

India helping leverage sales potential in Asean, West Asia: Skoda CEO

India is the most important market globally for Skoda after Europe and the region is helping the automaker to enhance its presence in regional markets like ASEAN and the Middle East, Skoda Auto CEO Klaus Zellmer said on Thursday. Skoda Auto entered the Indian market in January 2000 with the company laying the foundation stone for its plant in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad). "We have built on 25 years of experience in India to make this thriving market the cornerstone of our international growth strategy," Zellmer said in a statement. With its tremendous talent pool, growing consumer demand, and access to other markets, India is becoming the Czech carmaker's second pillar outside Europe and helping leverage further sales potential in ASEAN, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region, he added. On behalf of the Volkswagen Group, Skoda Auto has been spearheading all activities in India since 2018. "As the company celebrates 25 years in the country, the Group's focu

Quad members renew pledge towards working for free, stable Indo-Pacific

India and other Quad member nations on Tuesday renewed their firm commitment to work towards a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous. The foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping made the pledge in a joint statement commemorating the 20th anniversary of Quad cooperation. The foreign ministers said the Quad will work together in responding to the future needs of the Indo-Pacific, an assertion that came against the backdrop of China's increasing muscle-flexing in the region. India, the US, Australia and Japan came together 20 years ago to extend assistance in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The coalition is now known as Quad. "As four partners, we share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, underpinned by effective regional institutions," the joint statement said. The Quad foreign ministers also talked about the centrality of 10-nation grouping Association of Southeast

Focus on trade infra, MSMEs to help India double share in global trade: CII

Deeper integration into global value chains, enhanced digital trade infrastructure and a focus on building the competitiveness of MSMEs will help India more than double its share in global trade from the present 2 per cent, CII said on Wednesday. Chairman of the CII national committee on EXIM Sanjay Budhia said that the chamber is committed to working closely with the government to address critical challenges which hinder manufacturing and export growth. "The journey will require deeper integration into global value chains, enhanced digital trade infrastructure, and a focus on building the competitiveness of MSMEs," he said. To further unlock the potential of exports, he suggested a common online portal for issue of circulars pertaining to various ports and locations. There is also a need to adopt best practices being followed by developed countries and implement the CAARR (Customs Authority on Advance Ruling) Regulation, 2021 as it would contribute to reduction of global trade cos

Mexico, Canada, Asean gained more from US-China trade war than India: GTRI

Mexico, Canada, and 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN benefited more from the US-China trade war than India, economic think tank GTRI said in a report. It said that India has to strengthen its local supply chains and produce critical intermediates to reduce reliance on China, while improving cost efficiency and ease of doing business to enhance competitiveness of domestic industries and increase exports to the US. With Donald Trump again becoming the US President, the evolving trade landscape offers huge opportunities for the Indian industry as he is now planning new tariffs targeting Mexico, Canada, China, and others. The US-China trade war, initiated in 2018 under President Trump with tariffs targeting key sectors, has significantly reshaped global trade flows but failed to achieve its primary goals. "Key beneficiaries of the trade war included Mexico, Canada, and ASEAN nations, which collectively accounted for 57 per cent of the growth in US imports. India also emerged as a

Asean ministers to discuss Myanmar at Thailand meeting, says Indonesia

At the invitation of current Asean host Laos, the meeting will talk about ways to approach the crisis which has gripped Myanmar since a 2021 military coup

Rajnath meets his Asia-Pacific counterparts, US secy of defence in Laos

India and Korea share a Special Strategic Partnership which has made significant progress in recent years and is bound to move to the next higher level, a release said