Speaking at the 20th Asean-India summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia, India's prime minister Narendra Modi said his country "fully supports Asean centrality and the Asean outlook".
The meeting, which was held contemporaneously with the 43rd Asean Summit on Sep. 7, saw the assessment of the progress made under Asean-India Dialogue Partnership for Peace, Progress, and Shared Prosperity, in view of strengthening the Asean-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Asean central pillar of India's Act East Policy
"India and Asean have both historical and geographical links — shared values, regional unity, and shared belief in peace, [and] prosperity," Modi said during his speech.
"Asean is a central pillar of India's Act East Policy," he emphasised, adding that Asean has an important role in India's Indo-Pacific initiative.
"Even in today's environment of global uncertainty, we are making continuous progress in our mutual cooperation in every sector. This bears testimony to the strength and resilience of our relations," Modi said.
He asserted that the 21st century is "the century of Asia", and encouraged India and Asean to "make collective efforts" for the "welfare of mankind".
A "free and open Indo-Pacific" and the amplification of "the voice of the global South", according to Modi, is in the common interest of the region.
"New Cold War"
Modi's statement of bolstering Asean-India cooperation and relations came a day after Chinese Premier Li Qiang warned against a "new Cold War".
"Disagreements and disputes may arise between countries due to misperceptions, diverging interests, or external interferences," Li said in a meeting with Asean, Japanese, South Korean leaders.
"To keep differences under control, what is essential now is to oppose picking sides, to oppose bloc confrontation and to oppose a new Cold War," Li added.
Li's comments came as leaders and top officials met at the Southeast Asian hosted summit against the backdrop of intensifying big-power rivalries.
Those present at the summit included Modi, Li, U.S. vice president Kamala Haris, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Neither U.S. president Joe Biden nor Chinese president Xi Jinping were present.
G20 Summit
"Had a very short but fruitful Indonesia visit," Modi wrote in a tweet.
Had a very short but fruitful Indonesia visit, where I met ASEAN and other leaders. I thank President @jokowi, the Indonesian Government and people for their welcome. pic.twitter.com/wY82TMzDvY
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 7, 2023
"We had productive discussions [at the East Asia Summit] on enhancing closer cooperation in key areas to further human empowerment," he said in a separate tweet.
Modi had since returned to India ahead of the G20 Summit hosted in the country's capital New Delhi on Sep. 9 and 10.
This year's G20 theme is "One Earth, One Family, One Future", with regulations on cryptocurrency and the effects of geopolitical uncertainties on food and energy security being some of the key issues addressed in the summit.
Biden will be present at the summit, while Russian president Vladimir Putin and Xi said they will not be attending.
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Top image via Asean.