P M Modi’s inexplicable absence from the ASEAN and EAS Summits in Malaysia (Oct 26-29), particularly in view of the rapidly evolving global relations in a multipolar world, has been viewed as a matter of concern among foreign policy analysts as a step-back of India’s personalized and upfront diplomacy.

While some commentators have normalized the PM’s absence as his preoccupation with domestic commitments, others have belied such assumptions in view of his several visits to countries in Asia, Europe and South America during the year. With both US and Chinese Presidents making marquee appearances which they did sidelining India’s role in the Global South (and by extension its Act East policy), India was left out of reckoning when its role as an alternative to China’s primacy in the region

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