PM Modi likely to skip ASEAN summit in Malaysia; Jaishankar to lead Indian delegation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the upcoming ASEAN summit in Malaysia later this month due to scheduling conflicts, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expected to represent India at the high-level deliberations, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The summit, hosted in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28, will bring together leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its key dialogue partners, including the United States.

While there has been no official confirmation from New Delhi regarding India’s participation level, officials said India has informed Malaysia that Jaishankar will head the delegation.

There remains a possibility that Prime Minister Modi could join the ASEAN-India summit virtually, maintaining India’s active engagement in the regional forum. Modi has personally led Indian delegations at both the ASEAN-India and East Asia Summits in recent years.

Malaysia has also extended invitations to several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Kuala Lumpur on October 26 for a two-day trip.

India’s ties with ASEAN trace back to 1992, when the relationship began as a sectoral dialogue partnership before evolving into a full dialogue partnership in 1995 and a summit-level partnership in 2002. A decade later, in 2012, the relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership, reflecting the growing convergence on trade, connectivity, and security.

The ASEAN bloc — comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia — has emerged as a vital pillar of India’s “Act East” policy. Both sides have deepened cooperation in areas ranging from commerce and investment to maritime security and digital innovation.

Sources also indicated that an accompanying visit by Prime Minister Modi to Cambodia, initially being considered alongside the Malaysia trip, now stands postponed in light of the revised schedule.