Rajnath Singh Calls for Stronger Protection of Trade Routes
Summary Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reaffirmed India’s commitment to protecting commercial shipping and strengthening maritime cooperation with ASEAN. Addressing regional defence ministers in the Philippines, he emphasised freedom of navigation, international law and…
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reaffirmed India’s commitment to protecting commercial shipping and strengthening maritime cooperation with ASEAN. Addressing regional defence ministers in the Philippines, he emphasised freedom of navigation, international law and sustained operational cooperation to safeguard sea routes linking the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific.
India–ASEAN maritime security cooperation featured prominently in Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s address to the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, on 29 October 2026.
Singh said India would continue protecting merchant shipping irrespective of flag or nationality. He pointed to the Indian Navy’s continuous deployment in the Gulf of Aden since 2008 and its experience escorting commercial vessels and responding to hijackings.
He also reaffirmed support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of navigation and overflight. These principles, he said, protect the collective interests of countries dependent on open sea lanes.
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