PM Modi in Manila to attend ASEAN-India, East Asia summits

Trump, in Manila, attended the opening ceremonies of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations conference, which began with pageantry and a group photo of the leaders. Then, the announcer intoned that it was time for the leaders to take part in the "traditional" ASEAN handshake.The announcer's instructions briefly baffled Trump, who at first simply crossed his hands in front of him.

You would be happy to know that the @ASEAN opening ceremony included excerpts from the musical Rama Hari, based on the Ramayana. Various parts of the Ramayana were beautifully highlighted in the Rama Hari. This shows our deep historical bonds and shared heritage. pic.twitter.com/hLNQnSmmAs

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 13, 2017

Partnering for change, engaging the world. PM attends the opening ceremony of the 31st @ASEAN Summit; an important pillar of India's #ActEast policy pic.twitter.com/jLCqCvLmKl

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 13, 2017

#Philippines: Music and dance excerpt from the musical Rama Hari, based on the characters of the Ramayana, at the opening ceremony of the 31st #ASEANSummit in #Manila pic.twitter.com/QtWg8kewgw

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017

PM @narendramodi welcomed by President Rodrigo Duterte as he arrives to participate in the opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila pic.twitter.com/Pg9RL2o0S7

— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 13, 2017

#PMinManila - Day 1 pic.twitter.com/3S7hWbS0YR

& mdash; Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) November 12, 2017

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"> Interacting with world leaders in Manila. <a href="https://t.co/qh0pdcFyXP">pic.twitter.com/qh0pdcFyXP</a></p> &mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/929687311184465920?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#WATCH</a>: Leaders attending <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASEANSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#ASEANSummit</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Manila?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#Manila</a> pose for a family photograph <a href="https://t.co/xDtjCAMkvV">pic.twitter.com/xDtjCAMkvV</a></p> &mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/929686677630492673?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The ties between India and ASEAN have been on an upswing in the last few years with focus being on ramping up cooperation in the areas of trade and investment as well as security and defence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in in Manila today on a three-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits where he is likely to reassert India's push for crafting a global approach to deal with growing challenge of terrorism and radicalisation besides pitching for steps to boost regional trade.

PM landed in the Philippines. He will take part in ASEAN-India & East Asia Summits. PM would hold bilateral talks with President Rodrigo Duterte & meet other world leaders. Other programmes include Celebrations of 50th anniversary of ASEAN, RCEP Leaders' Meet & a business summit. pic.twitter.com/NmZDOMpVaa

&mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 12, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday left for a three-day visit to the Philippines during the course of which he will attend this year's India-Asean Summit and the East Asia Summit where he will participate in various bilateral and multilateral programmes.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"> Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">@narendramodi</a> leaves for a three-day visit to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Philippines?src=hash &amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#Philippines</a>, will attend <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASEANSummit?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#ASEANSummit</a> <a href="https://t.co/9EzjBo8S2Z">pic.twitter.com/9EzjBo8S2Z</a></p> &mdash; Times of India (@timesofindia) <a href="https://twitter.com/timesofindia/status/929542652416200704?ref_src=twsrc^tfw">November 12, 2017</a></blockquote>

The 10-member grouping ASEAN and India comprise a total population of 1.85 billion people which is one-fourth of the global population. The combined GDP has been estimated at over 3.8 trillion dollars.

I look forward to interacting with the Indian Community in Philippines. There will also be visits to the International Rice Research Institute and Mahavir Philippines Foundation Inc.

&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 11, 2017

PM Modi would also take part in special celebrations of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders' Meeting and ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

On the eve of his departure, the Prime Minister had said that his visit to the Philippines to attend the India-ASEAN Summit symbolises the country's commitment to deepening ties with the ASEAN member states and the Indo-Pacific region as part of the 'Act East Policy'.