Duterte set to fly to New Delhi as India seeks stronger ties

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will join fellow Southeast Asian leaders this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Commemorative Summit as New Delhi seeks closer ties with its neighbors in the face of China's growing influence.

 

Duterte is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Wednesday to attend the January 25 summit, which will celebrate 25 years of dialogue between India and the ten-member regional bloc.

 

He is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss bilateral ties. The two leaders are also expected to talk about ways to ensure the availability of cheaper Indian-manufactured medicines in the Philippines. They will also discuss their cooperation agreements in defense, logistics, agriculture, and micro, small and medium enterprises signed last November.

 

The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit is also seen as an opportunity for Modi to implement his "Act East" foreign policy. The policy seeks to increase engagements with Southeast Asian countries to gain access to new markets. Modi had said that India's cooperation with ASEAN was driven by "common priorities, bringing peace, stability and prosperity in the region."

 

Just like Southeast Asian countries Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, India is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China. India and China — the two largest economies in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group — are disputing an area in the Himalayas, a row highlighted by a tense standoff last year.

 

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are disputing China's expansive maritime claim in the South China Sea, a busy sea lane where $5 trillion worth of world trade passes through every year.

As some countries worry about China's expansion, India launched a charm offensive that became evident when Modi invited the ten ASEAN heads of state to the 69th Republic Day on January 26.

 

The move is unprecedented since the event, which commemorates the adoption of India's constitution, only had one guest of honor in the past.

 

Among the prominent leaders invited to the important Indian national holiday were Queen Elizabeth II in 1961; South African President Nelson Mandela in 1995; Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007; Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014; and United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan last year.

 

"For 2018, India decided to invite all ten leaders of ASEAN. That demonstrates the importance that India attaches to ASEAN," Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Hellen de la Vega said in a press briefing last Friday.

 

India has made gains in its effort to boost its ties with ASEAN.

 

In 2016, India remained as one of the regional bloc's top trading partners with total trade volume amounting to $58.45 billion. It ranked as the seventh largest source of foreign direct investments in ASEAN with inflows recorded at nearly $1.5 billion.

 

India was also one of ASEAN’s top five partners in development assistance with funded projects and programs amounting to $55.5 million last year. It also forged a trade in goods deal with ASEAN in 2009 and trade in service and investment agreements in 2014. 

 

Leaders from India and the ASEAN member states will highlight these and other achievements during the commemorative summit under the theme "Shared Values, Common Destiny."

 

The summit will consist of a retreat, where leaders are expected to discuss maritime cooperation and security and plenary sessions, which will tackle regional and international issues and the future of ASEAN-India relations.

 

Leaders are also expected to issue the Delhi Declaration, the outcome document that will contain a road map on enhancing the relationship between India and ASEAN members.