Rajnath Singh Proposes India-ASEAN Youth Bridge at Cebu Defence Meeting
India’s Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, put forward a proposal for an India-ASEAN Youth Bridge at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, before returning to Delhi.
- Meeting
- 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Cebu, Philippines
- Departed
- Friday, 30 October
- Main proposal
- An India-ASEAN Youth Bridge to build people-to-people links, digital innovation and skills among young people
- Bilateral meetings
- Six, including with US, Japanese, Australian, Philippine, South Korean and Singaporean defence ministers
The Youth Proposal
Singh said India and the ASEAN countries share young populations, which gives them a strong base for the future. He proposed the youth bridge to help turn that potential into practical cooperation, and said the idea was reflected in the meeting’s joint statement.
Counter-Terrorism and Regional Security
Singh reaffirmed India’s commitment to regional security and counter-terrorism cooperation, citing Operation Sindoor as an example of how India deals with terrorist infrastructure. He said India’s experience in counter-terrorism came from decades of confronting cross-border threats, and he called for firm action against state-sponsored terrorism.
Diplomatic Engagements
Beyond the formal meeting, Singh visited a gurdwara and a Hindu temple in Cebu to meet the Indian diaspora. In bilateral talks, he met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Philippine Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr., South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul and Singapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.
About ADMM-Plus
The ADMM-Plus brings together the ASEAN defence ministers with eight dialogue partners, including India, to strengthen security and defence cooperation. India has been an ASEAN dialogue partner since 1992, and the first ADMM-Plus was held in Hanoi in 2010. The Philippines chairs the platform in 2026, and India co-chairs its counter-terrorism expert working group with Malaysia for 2024 to 2027.
