The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established in 1967 with Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as founding members. Later, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia joined the group making up what is today the ten member states of ASEAN. Its purpose is to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, and promote regional peace and stability.
To mark the 25th anniversary of India’s relations with the bloc, Prime Minister Modi invited the leaders of all the ASEAN countries to be chief guests at India’s 69th annual Republic Day parade on Jan 26, 2018. The acceptance of Modi’s invitation by all ASEAN charter members is an indication of the growing importance of their relations with India – both as a bloc and bilaterally.
The expected chief guests are:
President of Indonesia,
Prime Minister of Malaysia,
President of Philippines,
Prime Minister of Singapore,
(former) Commander of the Royal Thai Army
Sultan of Brunei
Prime Minister of Vietnam,
Prime Minister of Laos
State Counselor of Myanmar
Prime Minister of Cambodia
India is a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, and trade and investment ties between India and ASEAN have been on an upswing. The ASEAN region along with India comprises a combined population of 1.85 billion people — one fourth of the global population — and their combined GDP is over $3.8 trillion. Investment from ASEAN to India has been over $70 billion since 2000, accounting for more than 17 percent of India’s total Foreign Direct Investment. India’s investment in ASEAN companies during the same period has been more than $40 billion.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
