Indian Delegation Joins 14th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers' Meeting and 23rd ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultation in Manila

Key facts

• An Indian delegation led by Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, participated in the 14th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers' Meeting (EAS-EMM) and the 23rd ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultation held in Manila, Philippines.
• Economic Ministers or representatives from all 11 ASEAN countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam — attended along with EAS partners including India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Russia and the United States.
• The ASEAN Secretariat briefed on the regional and global economic outlook for 2027, and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) presented a paper on energy security and industrial clusters.
• Discussions focused on the ongoing review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), which India said should be balanced, more effective, user-friendly and trade facilitative.
• In 2025–26, bilateral trade between India and ASEAN reached USD 128.38 billion, with ASEAN accounting for 10.55 per cent of India's total global trade.
• On the sidelines, the Indian delegation met Indian businesses in the Philippines on 22 September 2026 and participated in the ASEAN-India Business Forum 2026 on 23 September 2026.