Asean Nations

East Timor, Asia's youngest nation, officially becomes Asean's 11th member

Also known as Timor-Leste, the country of 1.4 million people is among Asia's poorest and hopes to see gains from integrating its fledgling economy

PM Modi declares 2026 as Asean-India year of Maritime cooperation

The India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. In a virtual address at the India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) annual summit, Modi also said that the grouping is a key pillar of New Delhi's Act East Policy. "India has always fully supported 'ASEAN centrality' and ASEAN's outlook on the Indo-Pacific," he said. "Even in these times of uncertainty, the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress. Our strong partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth," Modi said. The prime minister said India has "stood firmly with its ASEAN friends" in every crisis and the two-way cooperation in the spheres of maritime security and the blue economy is growing rapidly. "In light of this, we are declaring 2026 as the ASEAN-India year of maritime cooperation," he announced. "We are also vigorously ...

Asean team to monitor Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire after deadly clashes

Both sides have agreed to a ceasefire involving all types of weapons and any form of attacks on civilians and military objectives

Heart disease killed over 1.6 million in Southeast Asia in 2021 alone

A 30-year study in The Lancet finds cardiovascular disease burden has become the region's top killer, with men, poorer nations, and younger age groups hit hardest by lifestyle and environmental risks

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

27th Asean-India Senior Officials' Meeting reviews strategic partnership

The officials discussed various key issues, including tourism cooperation, trade agreements, digital and maritime connectivity, health partnerships, and innovation and development

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

PM Modi holds bilateral talks with counterparts from Japan, New Zealand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a "very productive" meeting with newly-appointed Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba here during which they discussed ways to enhance cooperation in different areas, including infrastructure, connectivity and defence. Separately, Prime Minister Modi also met his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon on the margins of the ASEAN-India Summit in Vientiane. Modi, who is in the Laotian capital on a two-day visit, met Ishiba on the sidelines of the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and congratulated him on his new responsibility and wished him success in leading Japan to greater heights. "Had a very productive meeting with PM Ishiba. I'm happy to have met him just a few days after he became Japan's PM. Our talks included ways to enhance cooperation in infrastructure, connectivity, defence and more. Boosting cultural linkages was also discussed," Modi said in a post on X. Ishiba was appointed Japan's prime minister just last week. He replaced Fumio

Act East policy changed engagements with ASEAN, Indo-pacific: Indian envoy

PM Modi is scheduled to visit Lao PDR at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Lao PDR to participate in the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit later this year

Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to tackle Myanmar crisis, disputed sea

Southeast Asian leaders gathered in the capital of Laos on Wednesday for an annual regional forum that will focus on tackling the prolonged civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit will also be followed by meetings with global powers including China, the US and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region. The timing of the meetings in Vientiane makes it likely that talks will also touch on the escalation of violence in the Middle East, although Southeast Asia has faced only indirect fallout. ASEAN's influence has historically been limited even among its own members, but the forum has often served as a platform for dialogues among superpowers looking to engage with the region. The 10 member states of ASEAN Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos will also hold talks with their dialogue partners from elsewhere in the region including

Amid maritime disputes, Myanmar crisis, Asean meetings joined by US, China

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened Saturday in the Laotian capital with their powerful dialogue partners in the last of the three-day regional talks that have grappled with tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalry. Meetings on Saturday will bring together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Saturday in Vientiane to meet with the ASEAN foreign ministers. He is also expected to meet on the sidelines with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as both countries are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith opened the first meeting of the day with China, Japan and South Korea by saying he hopes the cooperation framework, called ..

EAM S Jaishankar calls Asean cornerstone of India's Act East Policy

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the cornerstone of India's Act East Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday, as he sought to expand political, economic and security cooperation with the bloc. Jaishankar is in the Laotian capital to participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In his remarks at the opening session of the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting, Jaishankar said that the current political, economic, and security cooperation with ASEAN is India's top priority. "For India, ASEAN is the cornerstone of its Act India Policy and its Indo-Pacific vision that was thereafter built on it," he said. "The current political, economic and security cooperation with ASEAN is of the utmost priority so is the people-to-people linkages, that we are constantly seeking to expand," he said. It is encouraging to note that the India-ASEAN partnership acquires ever more dimensions with

EAM Jaishankar meets New Zealand Dy PM Peters on sidelines of Asean meet

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Vientiane, Laos. In his post, the External Affairs minister said he "enjoyed" meeting the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand."Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket, " the External Affairs minister said on X.Earlier on July 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a congratulatory phone call from his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, on his victory for the third time in the general elections and the two leaders, during their interaction, reiterated their firm commitment to take bilateral cooperation to new heights in the years to come."Noting that India-New Zealand ties are anchored in shared democratic values and close people-to-people ties, both leaders reiterated their ...

Myanmar violence tops discussion as Southeast Asian diplomats meet in Laos

Southeast Asian foreign ministers and top diplomats from key partners including the United States and China were gathering in the Laotian capital on Thursday for the start of three days of talks expected to focus on the increasingly violent civil war in Myanmar, tensions in the South China Sea and other regional issues. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are expected to hold one-on-one talks on the sidelines of the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, which come as both Beijing and Washington are looking to expand their influence in the region. Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith thanked ASEAN members and partners for their unwavering collective effort that has led to its past achievements and emphasized the importance of the bloc's continuous work to promote peace and stability. In light of the rapid and complex geopolitical and geoeconomic changes, we need to further enhance ASEAN centrality and unity so

Need for tweak: India for distinct tariff plans with all Asean partners

Round-III of review meet from July 29 in Jakarta

India reviews Asean trade pact to address domestic manufacturing anomalies

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has asked for input from the industry to pinpoint products suffering from an inverted duty structure that puts local manufacturers at a disadvantage

Asean finance leaders points challenges from geopolitics, volatile prices

Southeast Asian economies are gaining ground as tourism and exports recover from the shocks of the pandemic, but geopolitical tensions and volatile commodity prices still pose serious risks, regional financial leaders said on Friday. Laos' Finance Minister Santiphab Phomvihane read out a joint statement following meetings among finance ministers at a hotel in the Laotian city of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO heritage site, but he made no other remarks and took no questions. Estimates for economic growth in members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations vary but are generally near a robust 5 per cent for 2024. Nevertheless, there are still challenges due to adverse financial spillovers from geopolitical tensions, volatility in global commodity prices, Phomvihane said, also pointing to climate change, aging populations and rapid development of digitalization as key factors for the region. He did not elaborate, but the repercussions of the war in Ukraine and tensions betwee

Hope to work on untapped areas of cooperation: Asean SG during India visit

Maritime cooperation was one of the key focus areas of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) that was adopted in June 2019

Not an absolute no from India on RCEP, doors open: Asean secy general

Asean Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn CM is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation on a working visit to India