Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the statement at an informal meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other ASEAN countries’ leaders in Singapore on Thursday. Mr. Modi said India will provide 1,000 scholarships for students from ASEAN countries, establish an ASEAN-India Universities network, and host the renewable energy conference.

PM Phuc praised ASEAN-India cooperation in economics, maritime security, trade, investment, and the highway project connecting India with countries along the Mekong River. He insisted that maintaining maritime peace, stability, and security is essential, and applauded India for standing firm for international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).