VIENTIANE (LAOS) / NEW DELHI, October 2 — The Indian delegation, led by senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Friday concluded high-level preparatory consultations in Vientiane, Laos, ahead of the 19th East Asia Summit (EAS), reaffirming New Delhi's steadfast commitment to an open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
According to the official communique issued by the MEA, the multilateral summit agenda finalized priorities spanning maritime domain awareness, digital trade facilitation, disaster risk resilience, and transnational counter-terrorism cooperation. The Indian envoy underscored that India's Act East Policy places the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the institutional core of the regional security architecture, calling for strict adherence to international maritime law as codified under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Addressing escalating friction points in the South China Sea, the Indian delegation stressed that any negotiated Code of Conduct (CoC) must be substantive, legally grounded in UNCLOS, and avoid prejudicing the legitimate commercial transit rights of non-signatory third-party states. India reiterated collaboration under its Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), notably the maritime ecology and transport connectivity pillars.
The institutional evolution of the East Asia Summit (inaugurated in 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, comprising 18 member states: 10 ASEAN members alongside Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the United States), ASEAN founding mechanisms (1967 Bangkok Declaration), maritime dispute jurisprudence under UNCLOS, and India's Act East strategy are foundational topics across UPSC Civil Services (GS-II: International Relations & Regional Groupings).