Prime Minister to Visit Manila for the ASEAN-India Summit and East Asia Summit (November 16 to 18)

The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a yearly meeting of the top leaders (Presidents and Prime Ministers) of 19 countries in the Indo-Pacific region. It brings together the 11 ASEAN countries and eight big partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States. Leaders use it to talk openly about big political, security and economic issues of the region. It is the only regular forum where the leaders of all these major powers sit at one table in Asia.

ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a regional group of 11 Southeast Asian countries that work together on trade, security, culture and development. It was formed to keep peace among its members and help the region grow. Each year one member chairs ASEAN and hosts its summits; in 2026 it is the Philippines.

The Act East Policy is India's plan to build strong ties with the countries to its east, mainly Southeast Asia and East Asia, through trade, connectivity, culture and security cooperation. It grew out of the earlier Look East Policy, which was mainly about trade. Act East adds a stronger focus on security, connectivity and the wider Indo-Pacific.