Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, scheduled to begin on Sunday, October 26, 2025, due to scheduling constraints. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India at the meetings.

While there has been no official confirmation regarding the extent of India's participation, sources indicate that India has communicated to Malaysia that Jaishankar will be representing the country at the ASEAN meetings. However, there remains a possibility of PM Modi addressing the ASEAN-India summit virtually.

The ASEAN summit is scheduled to take place from October 26 to 28. Malaysia has extended invitations to leaders from various countries that are dialogue partners of ASEAN, including U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump is expected to be in Kuala Lumpur for a two-day visit starting October 26.

PM Modi has regularly led Indian delegations to the ASEAN-India summit and the East Asia Summit in recent years. The only East Asia Summit he has not attended since 2014 was the 17th edition, which took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in November 2022.

The relationship between India and ASEAN began with a sectoral partnership in 1992, progressing to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995, and further to a summit-level partnership in 2002. In 2012, the ties were elevated to a strategic partnership. The ten member states of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

In recent years, India and ASEAN have seen a significant upswing in their bilateral relations, with a focus on enhancing cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, security, and defense. Initial plans included a visit by PM Modi to Cambodia along with Malaysia. However, with the Prime Minister's visit to Malaysia being unlikely, the Cambodia trip has been postponed.