Minister of State for Commerce & Industry C.R. Chaudhury stressed the need of of diversifying India’s exports basket and expansion into new markets.

In his address to 4th India ASEAN Expo & Summit 2019, the minister said that diversification of India’s trade basket and access to new markets was an area of concern for the government.

India and ASEAN, he said, need to create conditions conducive for collaboration in agriculture, fisheries, mining, energy, blue economy and services to cater to the economies of the regions and look beyond their frontiers.

Speaking at the event, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reiterated the Government of India's firm resolve to safeguard national security and expressed the hope that the agreement between India and ASEAN nations to combat terrorism in all its forms will move ahead practically through active cooperation in information sharing, law enforcement, capacity building and anti-laundering.

Singh said that peace and security were pre-requisites for building a robust trade and investment climate. In this context, he commended the shared vision and commitment of India and ASEAN countries to fight protectionism, climate change and terrorism.

The Home Minister said that half of India's foreign trade was with the eastern world and therefore it was important to engage constructively and take India-ASEAN trade and investments to the next level.

He also underlined the need for deepening cooperation for mitigating disasters and the impact of climate change to keep the people of the two regions safe from risks.

He said the summit was an excellent example of industry-government partnership in tackling trade and investment issues and fostering people-to-people connect to further improve the age-old cultural relations between the two regions.

India, he said, was working intensively in building connectivity projects with the ASEAN through land, water and sea.

He mentioned the development of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project and emphasized the need for examining the possibility of extending the project to include Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.