KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 - Joint fight against terror and the need for early settlement of territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea figured prominently in Prime Minister Narendra Modi�s discussions with ASEAN leaders and his counterparts from China and Japan.
The Prime Minister�s emphasis on tackling the scourge of terrorism came even as US President Barack Obama and his Malaysian host, Najib Razak, vowed today to fight the �evil� and �hateful� ideology unleashed by the Islamic State group, especially in the backdrop of last week�s terror attacks in Paris.
Addressing the ASEAN-India Summit here, Modi called for enhancing cooperation with ASEAN to tackle the major global challenge of terrorism.
�Terrorism has emerged as a major global challenge that affects us all here. We have excellent bilateral cooperation with ASEAN members. And we should see how we can enhance our cooperation at the regional and international level, including through support for adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism,� he said.
Meeting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the sidelines of the Summit, Modi said the two countries should raise their strategic coordination to tackle the threat of terror.
Modi said that countries should put aside their political differences and came together to help the affected. He said that both India and China faced the threat of terrorism and there was a need to increase strategic coordination.
On his part, Li said China was against terrorism and cooperation between the two countries on terrorism would help Asia become more safe.
In his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Modi discussed key issues like regional connectivity, maritime security and South China Sea disputes.
Terming connectivity as the pathway to shared prosperity, he said the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway project is making good progress and should be completed by 2018. � PTI
