PM Modi participates in ASEAN Summit in Manila

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit in Manila this morning. After the inaugural proceedings of the summit, Mr Modi will visit the reputed International Rice Research Institute and the Mahaveer Foundation in the Philippines capital.

On the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister will meet the US President Donald Trump and the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte today.He is also likely to meet other world leaders who are in the city to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits. Prime Minister Modi will be addressing the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit this evening and meet the Indian Diaspora in the Philippines later in a community reception being hosted by the Indian Ambassador. 

The ten-member ASEAN include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and



Vietnam. 

In the annual ASEAN Summits, India has been upgraded as a strategic partner since 2012. India has been associated with this key and robust regional grouping in the Asia-Pacific for over 25 years. The ASEAN officials have said, people-centric issues affecting the region would be given more emphasis in the summit. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled bilateral meeting with the US President Donald Trump in Manila comes just around four months since they met in the White House at the end of June this year.

It symbolizes the growing bonds between the two nations based on shared values including democracy and rule of law, reinforced by growing trade relationships.

In the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, Prime Minister Modi will be showcasing India as a credible and promising investment destination.