With the ASEAN countries careful not to pick sides between the US and China despite being mauled by the Trump tariffs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the region’s leaders Sunday that the India-ASEAN partnership, representing nearly one-fourth of the world’s population, is “emerging as a robust foundation for global stability and development” in “this era of uncertainties”.

And with China in mind, he declared 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’. Beijing’s assertions in regional waters and the Indo-Pacific have unsettled many in ASEAN although China remains the grouping’s largest trading partner.

Addressing the ASEAN-India leaders’ summit in Kuala Lumpur via virtual mode, Modi said, “The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN. I am confident that

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