Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach Manila on 16 November for a three-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits. Rudrendra Tandon said, "A strong strategic relationship with the ASEAN member states is good for both of us." The trip focuses on trade, maritime security, and regional resilience.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to the Philippines next week for a three-day visit aimed at deepening ties with Southeast Asia as regional geopolitics continue to shift.
The Indian leader is due to arrive in Manila on 16 November and stay until 18 November. He will take part in the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit, both hosted by the Philippines in its role as chair of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
His programme includes a dinner hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for visiting leaders, the formal summit sessions on 17 November, and a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines. Indian officials have identified maritime security cooperation, trade and investment, and regional resilience as the main themes.
Ahead of the visit, Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) in India's Ministry of External Affairs, said engagement with ASEAN remains a core part of India's Act East Policy. He noted that bilateral trade with the grouping has reached about $122 billion, making it one of India's major trading partners.
"We in India strongly believe that as an Indian Ocean country that abuts this very important Southeast Asian maritime zone, a strong strategic relationship with the ASEAN member states, as a collective as well as individually, is good for both of us," Tandon said. "It will make us more resilient to handle the very rapid geopolitical changes that are taking place around us and will also, I think, contribute to peace and stability in Asia as a whole."
The visit comes as India presses for an early review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement to address trade imbalances. Indian officials say a stronger strategic relationship with ASEAN, both as a group and with individual members, would help both sides manage rapid changes in the region.
A Quad leaders summit is expected on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Manila on 17th November, with the presence of PM Modi, US President Donald Trump, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, though none of the sides have formally confirmed so far. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier suggested a Quad leaders' meeting could take place in Manila, the grouping's first such summit since 2024.
The Manila summits are expected to draw leaders and representatives from nearly 20 countries and institutions under the theme "Navigating the Future." Discussions are likely to cover maritime issues, supply-chain resilience and the situation in Myanmar. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is among those expected to attend related ASEAN meetings.
For India, the trip offers a chance to reinforce its Indo-Pacific outreach at a time of heightened competition and economic uncertainty, while continuing to stress ASEAN's central role in regional architecture. The visit also coincides with 2026 being marked as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation.