Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Vientiane, Laos on Wednesday to attend two important meetings – the 14th Indo-Asean summit and the East Asia forum. The Asean countries--- Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand—remain central to India’s Act East policy. Many Asean countries have territorial disputes with China over South China Sea and they don’t see the rise of Beijing as benign. As a bloc, the East Asia summit forum accounts for 55% of the global population and 55% of the global GDP. 4) South China sea disputeIt’s that time of the year when talks on the need for a code of conduct in the South China sea rise to a fever pitch.

Source: Hindustan Times September 07, 2016 15:22 UTC