PM Modi’s Upcoming Visit to Laos Highlights India’s Support for ASEAN Centrality in the Indo-Pacific

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Laos this week emphasizes the critical role of ASEAN member countries in India’s Act East policy and its broader Indo-Pacific Vision, underpinned by the Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) initiative.

PM Modi is set to be in Vientiane on October 10-11 to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit at the invitation of his Lao counterpart, Sonexay Siphandone, the current ASEAN chair.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “The ASEAN-India Summit will review the progress of India-ASEAN relations through our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and chart future cooperation.” The East Asia Summit serves as a premier forum for leaders to discuss regional issues and build strategic trust.

This visit comes as India celebrates a decade of its Act East Policy. PM Modi has consistently advocated for ASEAN centrality, asserting that a strong and unified ASEAN is vital to the evolving dynamics of the Indo-Pacific.

Last year, PM Modi visited Jakarta just days before the G20 Leaders’ Summit, highlighting India’s commitment to engagement with Southeast Asia. His recent trip to Indonesia for the 20th ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia Summit reinforced this message, reflecting India’s vision for a collaborative Indo-Pacific amid current geopolitical shifts.

The ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta was significant as it marked the first meeting since India-ASEAN relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2022. During this summit, PM Modi discussed deepening cooperation and reaffirmed ASEAN’s central role in the Indo-Pacific framework.

The Indian government, under PM Modi, has pursued three main objectives in its engagement with ASEAN: enhancing connectivity (physical, digital, and people-to-people), strengthening the ASEAN organization, and expanding practical cooperation in maritime affairs. Many ASEAN nations, concerned about China’s strategic expansion in the South China Sea, are seeking stronger defense ties with India and other like-minded partners.

At the ASEAN-India Summit in Jakarta, PM Modi engaged in extensive discussions with ASEAN partners on enhancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and emphasized the synergies between India’s Indo-Pacific Ocean’s Initiative (IPOI) and ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). His 12-point proposal focused on various areas, including connectivity, digital transformation, trade, economic engagement, and addressing contemporary challenges.

In his remarks at the 20th ASEAN-India Summit, PM Modi stated, “The 21st century is Asia’s century. To achieve this, we must build a rule-based post-Covid world order for human welfare. The progress of a free and open Indo-Pacific and elevating the Voice of the Global South is in our common interest.”

At the 18th East Asia Summit, he reiterated the importance of the EAS mechanism, reaffirmed India’s support for ASEAN centrality, and called for a free and open Indo-Pacific. He also emphasized the need for an effective Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while considering the interests of non-participating nations.

With the regional landscape facing significant changes and uncertainties, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summits in Vientiane this week.