Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next week. While India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has not yet officially confirmed the visit, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and local media outlets have indicated Modi's attendance. The ASEAN summit is scheduled for October 26-27, followed immediately by the East Asia Summit.
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a crucial platform for dialogue on regional and international issues concerning peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. Leaders from China, Russia, Japan, India, Australia, and New Zealand are expected to participate. This year's summit gains additional significance as Brazil's President Lula da Silva and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa will be present as observers at the ASEAN-related summits.
If Modi attends, a potential highlight of the trip could be a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, which could give a political push to trade deal negotiations. It would be their first face-to-face encounter since Modi's visit to Washington D.C. in February.
Modi's participation in the EAS underscores India's commitment to ASEAN's central role in the Indo-Pacific regional architecture and its Act East Policy. India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative and ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific share a common approach towards a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. At the 19th East Asia Summit in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in October 2024, Modi emphasized the importance of a development-based approach rather than one pivoted on expansionism.
The Prime Minister has been a regular participant in the East Asia Summit since 2014, only skipping the 17th edition in 2022. In October 2024, he invited EAS countries for a Heads of Higher Education Conclave to be held at Nalanda University. He also stressed that terrorism, along with cyber and maritime challenges, poses a serious threat to global peace and security, requiring countries to come together to combat them.
Besides the ASEAN-East Asia Summit, Modi's schedule may include discussions on the way forward for the Quad and BRICS groupings, as India is set to host both summits in the coming months.
