1. Anupriya Patel represents India at the East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ meeting in Cambodia
Tags: place in news Summits Person in news
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel, attended the East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting on 17 September 2022 in Siem Reap City of Cambodia.
She earlier attended the 19th India -ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nation ) economic ministers meeting held in Siem Reap City of Cambodia.
The East Asia Summit Economic Ministers’ Meeting from all 10 ASEAN countries as well as eight partner countries including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.
The Ministers exchanged views on global and regional economic developments including the outcomes of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference, post-pandemic economic recovery efforts, measures adopted to mitigate the impact of global supply chains disruptions and strong inflation pressure.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
East Asia Summit :
- The East Asia Summit is a regional forum set up by ASEAN (Association of SouthEast Asian Nations) with Regional powers of the Asia-Pacific region Including United States and Russia to further cooperation on strategic and economic cooperation in the region.
- The EAS has 18 member countries. It includes all the 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.
- Whichever ASEAN country is the chairman of ASEAN hosts the EAS related meeting in its country. Currently Cambodia is the chairman of ASEAN.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Kingdom of Cambodia :
- It was earlier called as Kampuchea
- It lies in South -East Asia
- Prime Minister: Hun Sen
- Capital: Phnom Penh
- Currency: Riel (KHR)
2. 19th ‘India-ASEAN’ Economic Ministers meeting 2022 held in Cambodia
Tags: place in news Summits
The 19th India -ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nation) economic ministers meeting was held in Siem Reap City, Cambodia on 16 September 2022. Cambodia is currently the chairman of ASEAN.
The meeting was co-chaired by Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and by the Commerce minister of Cambodia Pan Sorasak.
The meeting was attended by Economic Ministers or their representatives from all the 10 ASEAN countries namely, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
The Ministers noted that trade and economic relations between ASEAN and India are starting to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the two-way trade between ASEAN and India reached USD 91.5 billion in 2021 increasing by 39.2 per cent year-on-year.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
India-ASEAN economic engagements :
- ASEAN is a focus area of economic diplomacy of India. The India-ASEAN Economic ministers meeting is the main body which discusses the trade and investment related issues between the two. The Commerce Minister of India and ASEAN attends these meetings.
Investment between the two :
- Between, 2000-2021, the cumulative Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from ASEAN to India was $117.88 billion.
- These were mainly accounted for by Singaporean investments in India ($115 billion).
- Indian investment into ASEAN since April 2019 till March 2022 is US$ 55.5 billion out of which US$ 51.5 billion investment is in Singapore.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) :
- It is considered to be one of the most successful regional groups in the world.
- It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
- At present there are 10 members in the group. They are:
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- The Headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
3. India, Vietnam holds second security dialogue in New Delhi
Tags: place in news Summits
India and Vietnam held their 2nd security dialogue on 13 September 2022 in New Delhi and discussed ways to enhance maritime security cooperation. The first Security Dialogue was held in Hanoi in 2018.
The Second India-Vietnam Security Dialogue was held at the level of Deputy National Security Advisor/Deputy Minister.
The Indian side was led by Vikram Misri, Deputy National Security Adviser, and the Vietnamese side was led by its Deputy Minister of Public Security, Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
India Vietnam Relation :
- Vietnam has become an important partner in India’s Act East policy and the Indo-Pacific vision as both the countries has dispute with China.
- Vietnam is involved in a dispute with China on the South China Sea Island. China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea islands, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.
- India favours free and open navigation right in the South China Sea which is threatened by China.
- India has oil exploration projects in the Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea. India and Vietnam are boosting their maritime security cooperation in the last few years to protect common interests.
- In 2016, during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Vietnam, the bilateral relations were further elevated to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.
- India and Vietnam signed an important Joint Vision Statement on defence partnership during the visit of the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Vietnam on 8 June 2022.
- During the defence minister's visit India provided a $500 million defence loan to Vietnam.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Vietnam :
- It lies in South East Asia and it is a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
- Capital: Hanoi
- Currency: Dong
- President: Nguyen Xuan Phuc
4. India to invite Bangladesh and other friendly as guest country during its G-20 presidency
The Ministry of External Affairs on 13 September 2022, said that India will invite a number of friendly countries and International Organisation to the G-20 summit as Guest countries to the G-20 Summit meeting being hosted by India on 09 and 10 September 2023 in New Delhi.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Guest Countries :
- India will invite Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as Guest Countries.
International Organisations to be invited :
- India will invite the United Nations, International Monetary Fund(IMF),World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO),World Trade Organization (WTO),International labour organization(ILO),Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Financial Stability Board(FSB), Head of African Union, International Solar Alliance ,Association of South-east Asian Nation(ASEAN) , African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD ) CDRI (Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure) and ADB (Asian Development Bank).
- The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises 19 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK, USA and the European Union (EU).
5. Thai Public Broadcasting Service signs MoU with Prasar Bharati
Tags: International Relations International News
The Thai Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS) on 18 August signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India's public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for comprehensive cooperation between Thailand and India to strengthen their bilateral ties.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Thai PBS and Prasar Bharati share the same values as public broadcasters.
The MoU will contribute to better understanding between the peoples of the two countries and is the first step in cooperation in exchange of news and programmes.
Indian Ambassador to Thailand Suchitra Durai represented Prasar Bharati in signing the MoU.
Both countries also signed MoU on Health and Medical Research Cooperation between Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Medical Sciences, Thailand.
India -Thailand relations :
The year 2022 is the 75th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Both countries share a maritime boundary in the Andaman Sea.
Thailand was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with India in 1947.
In 2021, Thailand became India's fourth largest trading partner in ASEAN.
In 2021-22, Thailand was India's 22nd top trading partner, with a total trade of US$6.6 billion.
The MoU on Defence Cooperation between India and Thailand was signed on 25 January 2012.
Since 2015, India has participated in the largest Asia Pacific military exercise Ex-Cobra Gold as an 'Observer Plus' category.
6. India, Thailand jointly inaugurate Indian Embassy Residence Complex in Bangkok
Tags: International News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar inaugurated the Indian Embassy Residence Complex in Bangkok along with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Don Pramudwinai on 17 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Jaishankar is on a visit to Thailand to attend the 9th India-Thailand Joint Commission meeting.
He also paid a visit to the Temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok.
9th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting was held in Bangkok on 17 August.
The meeting was co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs of Thailand and S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India.
Both countries discussed advancing contacts in political, economic, security as well as defence, connectivity and health domains.
The two sides also discussed cooperation within ASEAN and BIMSTEC and shared their perspectives on the Indo-Pacific.
About Thailand :
Primeminister - Prayuth Chan-ocha
Capital - Bangkok
Head Of State - King Vajiralongkorn
Official Language -Thai
Official Name - Ratcha Anachak Thai (Kingdom of Thailand)
7. ASEAN bars Myanmar from ASEAN meetings
Tags: International News
The ASEAN Regional Group has said that Myanmar will not be allowed to participate in any ASEAN meetings until it shows progress on the peace plan.
Important facts
ASEAN has said that Myanmar should act in a way that shows progress has been made in the peace plan.
The regional group expressed concern over the long-running political crisis in Myanmar and the executions of four opposition activists.
ASEAN expressed its deep disappointment at the limited progress and highlighted the lack of commitment of the Nay Pyi Taw officials towards the implementation of the Five Point Consensus.
ASEAN's five-point agreement was reached in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 24, 2021, calling for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and constructive dialogue among all parties to seek a peaceful solution.
On the Rohingya issue, ASEAN reiterated its support for facilitating the voluntary return of displaced persons in a safe and dignified manner in accordance with the bilateral agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
About ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is an international organisation formed in Bangkok,Thailand in 1967.
It promotes economic development, peace, security, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region.
ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.
General Secretary of ASEAN - Lim Jock Hoi, Brunei
Official Languages - Burmese, Filipino, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese
Working Language - English
ASEAN Summit is the supreme policy making body of ASEAN.
ASEAN is third largest market in the world
It is the sixth largest economy in the world, third in Asia.
ASEAN has Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
ASEAN Member Countries
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Vietnam
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia
8. African swine fever confirmed in Kannur, Kerala
Tags: State News
Recently, African Swine Fever has been confirmed for the first time in a private pig farm in Kerala, in the last ten days more than 15 pigs died on the farm due to the disease.
About African Swine Fever
African swine fever is a highly contagious hemorrhagic viral disease of domestic and wild boars.
It was first found in Africa in the 1920s.
Historically, infections have been reported in Africa and parts of Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
However, since the year 2007, the disease has been reported in domestic and wild pigs in several countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.
It has a mortality rate of around 95-100% and there is no cure for this fever, so the only way to stop its spread is to kill animals.
African swine fever does not pose a threat to humans, as it only spreads from animal to animal.
African swine fever is a disease listed in the Animal Health Code of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
World animal health organisation
It is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for improving the health of animals around the world.
It currently has a total of 182 countries as its members. India is one of its member countries.
It develops standard documents relating to the rules by which member states can protect themselves from diseases and pathogens. One of these is the Regional Animal Health Code.
Its standards are recognized by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as reference to the organisation's International Sanitation Rules.
Its headquarter is located in Paris (France).
9. 9th ASEAN-India meet on transnational crimes
Tags: International News
The 9th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes was held in a virtual mode on 20 July.
Important facts
Both sides strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, stressing the need to promote international cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crimes.
The consultation was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism), Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, Mahaveer Singhvi, from the Indian side.
Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore Government, Puah Kok Keong co-chaired the Consultation from the ASEAN side.
Both sides stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crimes in a comprehensive and sustained manner.
They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the areas of terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, transnational economic crimes and cybercrime within the framework of the ASEAN-India Action Plan to combat transnational crimes.
Institutional linkages and capacity building programs between the two sides were also discussed.
The 10th ASEAN-India SOMTC Consultation on International Crimes will be held in Indonesia in 2023.
ASEAN-India dialogue
It was initiated in 1992 with the establishment of the Regional Partnership, which evolved into a Full Dialogue in December 1995, a Summit-level Partnership in 2002, and a Strategic Partnership in 2012.
At present, the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership stands on a strong foundation.
ASEAN is central to India's Act East Policy and the Comprehensive Indo-Pacific Strategy.
This multi-faceted partnership includes several regional dialogue mechanisms and working groups that meet regularly at various levels and include annual summits, ministerial and senior officials' meetings.
Ongoing India-ASEAN cooperation is guided by the 2021-2025 Action Plan that was adopted in 2020.
About ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is an international organisation formed in Bangkok,Thailand in 1967.
It promotes economic development, peace, security, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region.
ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.
General Secretary of ASEAN - Lim Jock Hoi, Brunei
Official Languages - Burmese, Filipino, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese
Working Language - English
ASEAN Summit is the supreme policy making body of ASEAN.
ASEAN is third largest market in the world
It is the sixth largest economy in the world, third in Asia.
ASEAN has Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
ASEAN Member Countries
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Vietnam
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia
10. ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meet
Tags: Popular International News
India is hosting the special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi from June 16-17 to mark the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations. It also marks the 10th anniversary of India's strategic partnership with ASEAN.
The year 2022 has been designated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year.
This is the first time that India is hosting such a special meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers.
External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar and Vivian Balakrishnan, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Singapore will co-chair the meeting.
Myanmar's foreign minister is unlikely to attend the 24th ASEAN-India Ministerial Summit.
Foreign Ministers of other ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Secretary General will participate in the meeting.
The theme of the meeting - Building Bridges in the Indo-Pacific.
ASEAN-India dialogue
It was initiated in 1992 with the establishment of the Regional Partnership, which evolved into a Full Dialogue in December 1995, a Summit-level Partnership in 2002, and a Strategic Partnership in 2012.
At present, the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership stands on a strong foundation.
ASEAN is central to India's Act East Policy and the Comprehensive Indo-Pacific Strategy.
This multi-faceted partnership includes several regional dialogue mechanisms and working groups that meet regularly at various levels and include annual summits, ministerial and senior officials' meetings.
Ongoing India-ASEAN cooperation is guided by the 2021-2025 Action Plan that was adopted in 2020.
About ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is an international organisation formed in Bangkok,Thailand in 1967.
It promotes economic development, peace, security, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region.
ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.
General Secretary of ASEAN - Lim Jock Hoi, Brunei
Official Languages - Burmese, Filipino, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese
Working Language - English
ASEAN Summit is the supreme policy making body of ASEAN.
ASEAN is third largest market in the world
It is the sixth largest economy in the world, third in Asia.
ASEAN has Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
ASEAN Member Countries
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Vietnam
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia
For more details please visit News of 13 May 2022
