India Joins 14th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting in Manila

An Indian delegation led by Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, attended the 14th East Asia Summit Economic Ministers Meeting (EAS-EMM) and the 23rd ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultation held at Manila in the Philippines.

Who took part

Economic ministers or their representatives from all eleven ASEAN members attended, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. They were joined by the East Asia Summit partners, among them India, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Russia and the United States.

What was discussed

The sessions allowed an exchange of views on where the regional and world economy stands. The ASEAN Secretariat briefed the meeting on the outlook for 2027 and on what it could mean for trade and investment flows. The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, known as ERIA, tabled a paper on powering the region's next wave of growth, which argued for tying energy infrastructure, digital and industrial demand and consistent trade and investment policy into a single approach to energy security and industrial clusters.

The AITIGA review

At the consultation with ASEAN, India underlined that it wants regional trade agreements to work for both sides. Much of the talk turned on the continuing review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA), which seeks to lift trade flows and correct the imbalances that have built up. India repeated that the review should leave the agreement balanced, more effective, user friendly and easier for business to use.

Trade numbers

Two way trade between India and the ASEAN bloc touched USD 128.38 billion in 2025-26, and the bloc accounted for 10.55 per cent of total Indian trade with the world, which shows how much weight the partnership carries. On the margins of the meetings the delegation met Indian businesses working in the Philippines on 22 September 2026 to hear their export problems, and also joined the ASEAN-India Business Forum 2026 held on 23 September 2026.