18th India-ASEAN Summit

India participated in the 18th India-ASEAN Summit on 28th October, 2021, held virtually under Brunei’s Chairmanship of ASEAN.

• Highlighting the milestone of 30th anniversary of India-ASEAN Partnership, the leaders announced the year 2022 as India-ASEAN Friendship Year.

Key Highlights

ASEAN in India’s Act East Policy

• The centrality of ASEAN in India's Act East Policy and in India's vision for the wider Indo-Pacific was highlighted.
• The leaders welcomed the adoption of the India-ASEAN Joint Statement on cooperation for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
• India’s support to ASEAN centrality in the Indo-Pacific was welcomed and the leaders said they looked forward to greater India-ASEAN cooperation in the region.

COVID-19

• India has contributed medical supplies worth USD 200,000 to ASEAN’s humanitarian initiative for Myanmar and USD 1 million for ASEAN’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
• The ASEAN leaders appreciated India’s role as a trusted partner in the region especially during the current Covid-19 Pandemic with its supply of vaccine.

India-ASEAN Connectivity

• India announced its support for establishing the ASEAN Cultural Heritage List to further strengthen India-ASEAN cultural connectivity.

Trade and Investment

• The importance of diversification and resilience of supply chains for post-COVID economic recovery and in this regard, the need to revamp the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was emphasized.

Regional and International Issues

• The participants noted the importance of promoting a rules-based order in the region including through upholding adherence to international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• The leaders affirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, safety and security in the South China Sea, and ensuring freedom of navigation and over flight.