Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manila next week to attend the ASEAN meetings and the East Asia Summit (EAS), hosted by the Philippines, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday.
However, the MEA did not confirm whether Modi would meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines or whether leaders of the four Quad countries would hold a separate meeting.
"This is a programme that is quickly being developed and we don't have information as of now about it, except that the PM is attending the ASEAN meet in the Philippines," Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said during a special briefing.
Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the four Quad nations had agreed to hold a summit in Manila, which would focus on delivering "concrete actions" rather than being merely a social gathering. MEA officials, meanwhile, said it would be incorrect to assume that Washington had lost interest in the Quad.
Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are also expected to visit Manila. If the four leaders meet, it would be the first Quad leaders-level summit since their September 2024 meeting in Wilmington, Delaware. India was expected to host the next summit as the group's chair, but it did not take place.
A possible meeting between Modi and Trump would be their first since the Republican Party suffered setbacks in the US midterm elections earlier this month. It would also take place amid the continuing uncertainty over the India-US trade agreement, which remains unsigned.
The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France and spoke over the phone in September. They are also expected to meet when Modi visits Florida for the G20 Summit in mid-December.
According to the Philippine government, at least 19 leaders of countries and international organisations will attend the Manila summit. They include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Tandon described India's engagement with ASEAN, now an 11-member bloc, as a key pillar of its Act East policy. He said a strong strategic partnership with ASEAN members, collectively and individually, was beneficial to both sides, particularly given India's proximity to the important Southeast Asian maritime region.
India's trade with ASEAN is valued at around USD 122 billion. New Delhi has sought a review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) amid concerns over its trade deficit with the bloc.
Tandon said the review was taking time because it involved negotiations among several countries, while bilateral trade facilitation measures were being pursued separately.
On the South China Sea, the MEA reiterated that any ASEAN-China Code of Conduct must be consistent with international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Regional diplomats have indicated that negotiations are likely to miss the end-2026 deadline.
India also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Philippines in developing its defence capabilities. In 2022, the Philippines became the first foreign customer for India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, signing a USD 375-million contract for three shore-based anti-ship batteries.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., speaking at a think-tank dialogue in New Delhi last week, said Manila was interested in acquiring additional units. He added that the Philippines had shared a wish list with Indian authorities to adapt the system to its terrain and operational requirements.
On Myanmar, whose military leadership remains excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings, Tandon said isolating the country was "not the right approach". India shares a 1,643-km border with Myanmar and is implementing the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project there. Myanmar will be represented at the Manila meetings by a Foreign Ministry official.