Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manila on 16–17 November 2026 for the ASEAN–India and East Asia summits. (File photo)
Modi will be in Manila on 16–17 November, with leaders set to review the first year of a five-year plan for India–ASEAN cooperation.
Key Highlights
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manila at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Both summits are scheduled for 17 November
- The 23rd ASEAN–India Summit will review progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including the 2026–2030 Plan of Action.a
- The visit comes during the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation and follows September talks in Manila on the review of the two sides’ trade in goods agreement.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Manila on 16–17 November 2026 for the 23rd ASEAN–India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit. The Philippines, which holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, will host both meetings on 17 November. Modi is travelling at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The two meetings have distinct agendas. At the ASEAN–India Summit, leaders will take stock of work between India and the Southeast Asian bloc and set priorities for the partnership. At the East Asia Summit, India will join ASEAN and other participating countries for a wider discussion on regional and global issues. Both meetings are part of the programme surrounding the 49th ASEAN Summit, which the ASEAN Secretariat says will run from 14 to 17 November in Manila.
First-year review of the five-year partnership plan
The Manila meeting is the first ASEAN–India leaders’ summit since the 2026–2030 Plan of Action entered its implementation period. Adopted in July 2025, the plan sets out work across political and security ties, economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. It also calls for regular reviews of how the two sides are carrying out their commitments.
The review comes ahead of two milestones in 2027. India and ASEAN will mark 35 years of dialogue relations and five years of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. New Delhi places its ties with ASEAN at the centre of its Act East policy and its approach to the Indo-Pacific.
Trade review follows September talks in Manila
The summit follows a meeting of ASEAN and Indian economic ministers in Manila on 22 September. The ministers reviewed progress in negotiations to update the ASEAN–India Trade in Goods Agreement and called for talks to maintain momentum towards a conclusion. Preliminary ASEAN figures cited at the meeting put two-way trade at US$114.1 billion in 2025, with investment inflows from India into ASEAN at US$7.1 billion
The trade review is one of the ongoing negotiations behind the broader partnership. The September meeting dealt specifically with the goods agreement, while the November leaders’ review covers the wider five-year programme. The Prime Minister’s Office has announced a review of progress under that programme. It has yet to announce a timetable for concluding the trade negotiations.
Maritime cooperation and the wider Indo-Pacific agenda
At the previous ASEAN–India Summit, leaders designated 2026 as the ASEAN–India Year of Maritime Cooperation and called for a joint work plan consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Manila review gives leaders an opportunity to take stock of that work during the first year of the new partnership plan.
Maritime cooperation also has a bilateral dimension for India and the host country. India and the Philippines have an agreement on enhanced coast guard cooperation and procedures for exchanging information on commercial shipping. Their defence ties include a joint committee and agreements covering defence industry and logistics.
The East Asia Summit will bring the discussion beyond India’s partnership with ASEAN. The ASEAN-led forum gives participating leaders a place to discuss strategic, political and economic issues affecting the wider region. The Prime Minister’s Office said Modi would use the meeting to exchange views on issues of regional and global importance.
