PM Modi Heads to Manila for ASEAN, East Asia and Likely Quad Summits

The Manila skyline. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Philippine capital from November 16 to 18 for the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits. (Photo: Pexels — representative image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Manila next week for a packed three-day diplomatic visit, headlining the ASEAN-India Summit and the East Asia Summit — with a meeting of Quad leaders also likely on the sidelines. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the visit on Thursday, November 12, calling it a key moment for India's engagement with Southeast Asia at a time of rapid geopolitical change.

The Prime Minister will be in the Philippines from November 16 to 18, 2026. The main summit sessions take place on November 17, hosted by the Philippines in its capacity as the ASEAN Chair for 2026.

Three Summits in Three Days

Modi will attend the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit on November 17. His programme also includes a dinner hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for visiting leaders, along with a series of bilateral meetings with other heads of government.

The East Asia Summit is the premier forum in the Asia-Pacific region for leaders to discuss security and defence issues. This year's meetings are being held under the theme "Navigating the Future", and 2026 is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation.

A Quad Meeting Two Years in the Making

Alongside the ASEAN meetings, a summit of Quad leaders is expected to take place in Manila, likely on November 17. It would bring together Prime Minister Modi, US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

It would be the first leaders-level meeting of the grouping in two years. India was to host the summit in 2025 and 2026, but it did not materialise, and the Manila meeting will be hosted by the United States despite India being the current chair of the grouping. The MEA has not officially confirmed the Quad meeting, and sources say there will likely be no official bilateral meeting between Modi and Trump on the margins.

Trade and Maritime Security on the Agenda

Maritime security and trade and investment ties will be among the key focus areas at the summit, the MEA said. Bilateral trade between India and ASEAN stands at around $122 billion, and the leaders will review progress under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2026–2030.

Other items on the agenda include maritime domain awareness, digital public infrastructure and closer collaboration on maritime surveillance. The visit also marks 35 years of India-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and five years of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Conclusion

The Manila visit puts India at the centre of two of Asia's most important diplomatic gatherings in the same week — and possibly a third, if the Quad leaders do meet. With trade, maritime security and the Indo-Pacific on the table, the outcomes in Manila could shape India's partnerships in the region for years to come.

Do you think the Quad leaders' meeting in Manila will reset India-US ties? Tell us in the comments.