By Manash Pratim BhuyanManila, Nov 14 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi todaycalled for intensifying regional cooperation to effectivelydeal with terrorism and pitched for a rules-based securityarchitecture for the resource-rich region, seen as a veiledreference to China's expansionist posturing in the Indo-Pacific.
In an address at the ASEAN-India summit here, Modiidentified terrorism and extremism as the major challengefacing the region and said time has come for the countries ofthe region to join hands to collectively deal with it.
"We have individually strived very hard to fightterrorism and violent extremism. It is time that we jointlyaddress this challenge by intensifying cooperation in thiscrucial area," he said.
The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings inthe region and India and several other countries including theUS, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.
In a clear reference to the South China Sea (SCS) disputewhich has cast a shadow over the summit talks, Modi said Indiawill continue its support to the ASEAN for establishing arules-based security architecture in the region.
"India assures the ASEAN of its steady support towardsachieving a rules-based regional security architecture thatbest attests to the regionÂ’s interests and its peacefuldevelopment," he said.
China's aggressive military build up in the SCS was oneof the focus areas of the deliberations at the ASEAN summit.
China claims sovereignty over all of SCS, a huge sourceof hydrocarbons. However, several ASEAN member countriesincluding Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei have counterclaims.
India has been supporting freedom of navigation andaccess to resources in the SCS in accordance with principlesof international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on theLaw of the Sea.
The ASEAN have been pushing for a legally binding code ofconduct for all stakeholders in the SCS but Beijing has beenopposing such a framework asserting that it will resolve thedispute with respective countries under bilateral mechanism.
Prime Minister Modi also talked about shared values andcommon destiny between India and ASEAN, adding 1.25 billionpeople in India were eagerly waiting to receive leaders of theASEAN at the Republic Day celebrations in January next year.
He said India is also holding a commemorative summit withASEAN on January 25 next year.
The ties between India and ASEAN have been on an upswing.
The ASEAN region along with India together comprisescombined population of 1.85 billion people, which is onefourth of the global population and their combined GDP hasbeen estimated at over USD 3.8 trillion.
Investment from ASEAN to India has been over USD 70billion in the last 17 years accounting for more than 17 percent of IndiaÂ’s total FDI.
IndiaÂ’s investment in ASEAN during the same period hasbeen more than USD 40 billion.
Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei are the membersof the ASEAN.
Prime Minister Modi also participated at a meeting ofleaders of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP).
The RCEP, comprising 10-member ASEAN bloc and six othercountries -- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia andNew Zealand, is engaged in negotiations for a free trade pact.
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This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.