The front page of The Hindustan Times reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit online in Kuala Lumpur this month. The time for the summit with US President Trump has passed, indicating that there may still be gaps in reaching a US-India trade agreement.
US and India have been negotiating a trade agreement for months, but the negotiations have become complicated due to India's import of Russian crude oil, with the US imposing a 25% tariff on Indian products in August. Adding to previous tariffs, the rate reached 50%.
The ASEAN Summit is scheduled to take place from October 26 to 28. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad revealed last week that Trump will visit the country on the 26th. However, the US government has not officially announced it yet.
It is unlikely that the Indian Prime Minister will attend the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia next week.
Meetings related to ASEAN are scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28. Given the trade-related tensions in bilateral relations, this meeting is seen as a possible venue for Modi to meet with US President Donald Trump. It is said that the government's current focus is on the upcoming Bihar state assembly elections, and the Prime Minister is also expected to participate in celebrations for Chhath festival next week.
According to sources on Wednesday, due to scheduling and other issues, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to travel to Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit next week, despite the fact that India has not yet announced its level of participation in this important meeting. Although India has not officially announced, the anonymous sources stated that Modi is unlikely to go to Kuala Lumpur. It is certain that another source said the Prime Minister is expected to participate in the India-ASEAN Summit on October 26 via video conference. The person also said that Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to attend the East Asia Summit on October 27-28.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846776289487872/
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