Manila (VNA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung welcomed India's continued recognition of ASEAN as one of the pillars of its Act East Policy, saying the partnership not only advances the interests of both sides but also contributes to peace, stability and development across the region.
Addressing the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with India in Pasay city, the Philippines, on July 22, Trung proposed three major directions for strengthening ASEAN–India ties.
He called for stronger collaboration to safeguard regional peace and stability, with maritime cooperation and security at its core. He proposed exploring the establishment of an ASEAN–India maritime dialogue mechanism and asked India to continue supporting ASEAN's principled position on the East Sea issue.
Trung emphasised the need to enhance economic resilience and promote sustainable growth by concluding the review of the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) as soon as possible to make it more effective, business-friendly and responsive to regional and global uncertainties. He also urged the two sides to accelerate strategic connectivity projects, including maritime and air links, step up coordination in energy security and consider the establishment of an ASEAN–India energy dialogue mechanism.
The Vietnamese official also highlighted the importance of deepening people-to-people ties through expanded cooperation in education, high-quality human resources development, cultural exchanges, heritage preservation and spiritual tourism.
At the meeting, the participating ministers said the ASEAN–India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to gain momentum, generating tangible benefits for both sides while supporting regional peace, stability and prosperity. India is ASEAN's eighth-largest trading partner and ninth-largest source of foreign investment. Bilateral trade surpassed 114 billion USD in 2025, up 6.6% year-on-year, while Indian foreign direct investment in ASEAN reached 7.08 billion USD.
Amid growing regional and global uncertainties, ASEAN and India reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation by aligning development visions and expanding practical collaboration across a broader range of areas.
The two sides also agreed to roll out activities under the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation 2026, with preparations under way for the second ASEAN–India Maritime Exercise, scheduled for September 2026.
On the economic front, the ministers pledged to expedite the AITIGA review to strengthen resilience against external shocks. They also pledged to broaden cooperation in food and energy security, innovation, digital transformation, science – technology, tourism, connectivity and subregional development.
Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said ASEAN and India, home to more than two billion people, should fully harness opportunities in trade, investment, technology, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce risks, diversify partnerships and build a safer, more sustainable future.
He reaffirmed India's commitment to supporting ASEAN in education, human resources development, cultural exchanges, heritage conservation and health care./.
