New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Philippines’ capital Manila on 16 November to attend the 23rd India-ASEAN summit and is likely attend a leaders’ summit of the Quad grouping.
The Prime Minister will be in Manila for three days, starting from India in the early hours of Monday, before returning on Wednesday. Apart from attending the ASEAN-India summit, a format that includes the 11 members of the regional organisation, Modi will also attend the 21st East Asia summit, which brings together 19 global leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
As part of India’s engagement with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs called for greater engagement with Myanmar, and said that the “isolation” of Nyipyitaw is “not the right approach”.
Speaking at a special briefing ahead of Modi’s visit to the Philippines Thursday, Tandon highlighted that maritime domain awareness, digital public infrastructure, trade and collaboration with ASEAN on maritime surveillance are all on the agenda.
The Secretary (East) said that apart from the India-ASEAN summit and the East Asia Summit, Modi’s agenda, especially on other bilateral and the Quad summit is “not confirmed” at this time. However, sources confirmed to ThePrint that the Quad summit is likely to be held on 17 November.
#WATCH | Delhi: Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Rudrendra Tandon says, "Prime Minister Modi will be travelling to Manila, in the Philippines, to attend the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st meeting of the ASEAN-led East Asia Summit process. The… pic.twitter.com/alC0nABDBx
— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2026
It will be the first leaders level summit of the grouping in two years. Questions surrounding the grouping have arisen in the last year, as US President Trump has focused on stabilising ties with China since returning to the White House in January 2025. While a number of foreign ministers’ meeting of the grouping have been held since January 2025, the leaders’ summit, which was to be hosted by India, has not happened yet.
The leaders’ summit in Manila will be hosted by the US, despite India being the current chair of the grouping. If the Quad summit is held, there will likely be no official bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump on the margins of the summit.
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‘Isolation of Myanmar not right approach’
One of the major issues facing ASEAN and India is the ongoing civil war within Myanmar. The civil war that began in February 2021 led to the leaders of the military junta being barred from attending ASEAN leaders’-level summits.
Min Aung Hlaing, the newly elected President of Myanmar and former head of its armed forces, had visited New Delhi earlier this year in his official capacity, marking an inflection point in ties between India and the military leadership in Myanmar.
“On Myanmar, our position has been very clear. Isolating Myanmar is not the right approach, because if we do, someone else will fill that vacuum. There is no alternative to engagement. We strongly support ASEAN engagement with Myanmar. This is a country with a complex society. Patience and engagement with Myanmar are very important,” explained Tandon on Thursday.
ASEAN announced a five-point consensus in 2022 for the reintegration of Myanmar into the regional organisation. Since April, Myanmar’s President has been received by the leaders of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
The thaw in bilateral ties between the new government in Myanmar, which was elected in elections held at the end of last year and earlier this year, and ASEAN has seen Naypyidaw call for the restoration of its rights within the grouping.
Trade, maritime cooperation on agenda
The Secretary (East) underlined the importance of ASEAN for India’s Act East Policy, pointing to the almost $122 billion trading relationship between New Delhi and the regional grouping.
A number of ASEAN countries have over $25 billion in bilateral trade with India, with the grouping as a whole accounting for roughly 10 percent of New Delhi’s global trade.
“Our trade is (worth) approximately $122 billion. ASEAN is a major trading partner for India… We in India strongly believe that as an Indian Ocean country, and given this very strong maritime zone, a strong relationship with the ASEAN member states will be good for both of us,” Tandon said.
He added, “At a bilateral level, we are holding discussions on trade facilitation… The trade interests India has in the region are being looked after.”
India and ASEAN signed a trade in goods agreement (AITIGA), which has been in force for over a decade. Since 2020, India and ASEAN have been reviewing the agreement, which has yet to be completed. The agreement came into force in 2011. Since the implementation of AITIGA, India’s trade deficit with the 10-member ASEAN grouping (Timor-Leste is not yet a party to the agreement) has grown from $7.5 billion in 2011 to $44 billion in 2023.
India continues to push for greater market access with ASEAN member states such as Vietnam and Indonesia, which have not lowered tariffs in a number of sectors, as envisioned in the original agreement in 2011.
Tandon was circumspect on the completion of the AITIGA review during Modi’s visit to Manila. The Secretary (East) pointed to the “complex” nature of the review, given the involvement of 10 ASEAN members. Tandon, however, said that the focus remains on “developing a consensus” for the completion of the review.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
Also Read: Washington returns to Myanmar. Will India lose strategic space?
A Quad Leaders’ summit on the sidelines of a multilateral summit will be more of a photo op. Performative diplomacy.