Since 2014, Prime Minister Modi only missed one East Asia Summit (EAS), the 17th edition held in November 2022 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
With just a few days left for the 20th EAS in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was uncertain on Tuesday about whether the PM would attend both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and the EAS.
Modi going to attend ASEAN-India Summit virtually
Malaysian government representatives and the media have said that Modi is expected to attend the EAS, along with US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and several other leaders. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan indicated last week that the Prime Minister of India is “likely” to attend. On Monday, Malaysia’s New Straits Times reported that Modi would be at the summit.
On Monday, Trump confirmed that he will go to Kuala Lumpur for the summit, marking his first visit to Asia during his current term.
Will he skips the Kuala Lumpur?
Sources say the uncertainty about Modi’s plans relates to his travel schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections. It cause from the lack of progress on the India-US trade deal and whether Modi and Trump will meet during the summit.
Modi and Trump last met in February in Washington, DC. Over the past month, tensions between the two sides over US tariffs seemed to have relaxed.
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