Leaders of India, ASEAN states agree to boost maritime cooperation

The leaders of India and southeast Asia agreed at a summit in New Delhi on Thursday to boost their maritime ties, as they seek to balance the increasing weight of China across the region, Reuters said. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Regional Cooperation (ASEAN) and India agreed “to establish a mechanism for greater cooperation in the maritime domain sector,” said Preeti Saran, secretary in the Indian Foreign Ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pitched for an ASEAN-India women’s navy team which could sail around the world, just as an Indian team is doing currently.