Address of
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh
at the 5th India-ASEAN Summit
(Cebu, Philippines January 14, 2007)
Your Excellency, Madam President,
Your Majesty, Excellencies,
Madam President, I thank you for your warm words of welcome and for your
gracious hospitality. I am very happy to be here in the Queen City of the South
Philippines.
It is always a pleasure to be with friends. With ASEAN countries, we have
special bonds of kinship as well as age-old cultural linkages. I, therefore,
value this opportunity to be at this distinguished gathering once again for the
annual India – ASEAN Summit.
India’s
“Look East” policy, when it was initiated a decade and a half ago, marked a
strategic shift in our perspective. It coincided with the beginning of our
economic reform process and provided an opportunity for significantly enlarging
our economic engagement. At the same time, it was also a renewal of time-tested
linkages with our neighbours in South East and East Asia. Our zeal and
determination to pursue this renewal and reach our goal of fashioning the Asian
Economic Community, remains unshaken.
This is amply demonstrated by the
intensification of political dialogue and the steadily enlarging
people-to-people contact encompassing all the countries of the region. Our
bilateral cooperation with the countries of ASEAN has myriad facets and covers
cooperation in diverse areas such as agriculture, fisheries, health, information
technology, space technology, energy, defence and combating international
terrorism.
The results of India’s
“Look East” policy are also amply demonstrated in our growing economic
interaction with the region. India’s trade with ASEAN has risen from US$ 2.4
billion in 1990, to US$ 23 billion in 2005. Our trade with the countries of the
East Asia Summit has, similarly, risen from US$ 8 billion in 1990, to US$ 67.6
billion in 2005. This accounts for nearly 30% of our external trade. At the same
time, the period has also seen an increase in FDI flows, both from India to the
region and from the region into India.
Today, India
is very different from the India of 1991. It is now a vibrant market-place. Our
entrepreneurs are aggressively investing overseas. India has also emerged as a
productive and profitable investment destination. We have a US$ 700 billion
economy that is growing at 7 – 8% every year. In the first half of the current
year, economic growth reached 9.1%. We have actively pursued external
liberalization by cutting down customs duty rates. The current peak rate, at
about 12.5% is quite close to ASEAN levels. We have a policy objective of
aligning our duty rates with ASEAN levels.
While
India
has seen many changes, so has the region. The most significant has been the
process of ASEAN economic integration, and a similar process for deepening
economic integration between ASEAN and its dialogue partners. The convening of
the East Asia Summit last year was a historic development. We acknowledge
ASEAN’s valuable contribution in being the driving force for this positive
development and for inviting India to be there at the start.
In the present phase of our “Look East” policy, we in India seek to deepen our
economic integration by entering into Free Trade or Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreements, both with ASEAN as a whole and with individual countries
of the region. Such agreements are already under different stages of discussion
or implementation with
Singapore, Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia. This web of mutually beneficial partnerships can, we
believe, be brought together in a Pan Asian FTA that could light up the future
of this region.
India
- ASEAN trade recorded an impressive growth of 30% last year. This leaves us in
little doubt about our ability to achieve, and even surpass, the target of US$
30 billion by 2007.
I believe that the India-ASEAN FTA will impart even further momentum to this
growth in trade. We are strongly committed to its early conclusion and
implementation. I am glad to note that at the India-ASEAN Trade Ministers' meet
a few days ago, progress has been made on resolving outstanding issues relating
to exclusion lists and tariff concessions. We should direct our Trade Ministers
to expedite the negotiations so that the FTA can be finalised, as agreed, by
July 2007.
Greater connectivity is also
central to the idea of regional economic integration. The initiative taken in
2003 to liberalize air services has led to a significant increase in flight
connections between India and ASEAN, with concomitant benefits in trade and
people-to-people contact. I recall, at our last Summit, the Prime Minister of
Singapore had proposed that we now look at an open skies policy. We have
examined this proposal and I am happy to announce that we would be willing to
engage ASEAN authorities in a discussion on such a policy.
Excellencies,
Science & technology is an area in which cooperation between India and ASEAN has
added much substance to our relationship. The Technology Summit jointly
organized by India and ASEAN, in New Delhi in November last year has been an
important milestone in this cooperation. It shows that we can pool our
knowledge, and together add to it, to create wealth and improve the well – being
of our peoples.
The Technology Summit discussed the establishment of an India – ASEAN Science &
Technology Development Fund. I propose that we take steps for the early
operationalization of the Fund. The Fund should support the development of
strategic alliances between Indian and ASEAN researchers and lead to further
collaborative R&D by our countries. Our officials should be mandated to
deliberate and decide upon the details of the structure and financing of the
Fund.
I would also like to use this
opportunity to re-iterate that India remains committed to continuing its support
for the Initiative for ASEAN Integration. We are happy, in this context, that
the India
– Cambodia and India – Vietnam Entrepreneurship Development Centres became
operational last year. The India – Laos Centre has been operational since
November 2004. We also have a wide ranging programme of cooperation with
Myanmar, which is our gateway to ASEAN. Such cooperation is, indeed, heartening
as it demonstrates the benefits that the India - ASEAN relationship can bring to
common people.
Human resource development is central to bridging the development gap. I am
happy that cooperation in this area has proceeded well during the course of this
year. We are particularly gratified with the positive response to the 1st
training course for ASEAN diplomats, that was organized by the Foreign Service
Institute in New Delhi
recently. I propose that such cooperation be institutionalized on an annual
basis.
The year 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the ASEAN and the
60th anniversary of
India’s attainment of independence. Together the anniversary numbers total 100,
a perfect square. I would like to offer our young friends from ASEAN countries
an invitation to visit India. We will host 10 students from each of the 10
member countries of ASEAN on a trip of the sights and sounds of modern and
ancient India.
Centres of IT excellence in India will figure prominently in the itinerary.
The age-old India – ASEAN
linkages have been about our peoples mingling and interacting with each other.
This dimension has been given a renewed thrust with the impressive growth of
connectivity and the ever-increasing flows of tourism between India and ASEAN.
This should, I believe, remain a priority area of cooperation and, in fact, be
given even further impetus. We would, in this context, be launching special
tourism campaigns in ASEAN countries during the course of this year. We would
also be happy to facilitate similar campaigns in India from ASEAN countries.
Excellencies,
This is my 3rd Summit Meeting with ASEAN colleagues. I have always been struck
by the warmth and friendship that all of you bear for my country and me. I am
personally committed to the deepening of the India – ASEAN relationship. I look
forward to working closely with all of you for the shared vision of well being
and prosperity for the peoples of our countries.
I thank you.