Politics News

At the ASEAN defence talks in Cebu, India offers anti-terror help and Japan answers China

Defence ministers from ASEAN and its partner countries met in Cebu, the Philippines, for the 13th ADMM-Plus. Coverage in two Asian countries focused on very different messages.

India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the meeting that India would share its “battle-tested” counter-terrorism experience with ASEAN partners through joint exercises, capacity-building programmes and intelligence sharing, The Hindu reported. He also proposed a defence “Youth Bridge” with ASEAN countries and raised concerns about disruptions to some maritime trade routes.

India will keep acting as a “trusted net security provider” in the Indian Ocean region. — Rajnath Singh, via The Hindu

The Japan Times reported that Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pledged at the ASEAN meeting to uphold Japan's “defense-oriented” policy, as China continues to accuse Japan of “accelerated remilitarization”. In a separate report, the paper said Koizumi and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a bilateral meeting the same week, committed to more realistic joint military exercises, with China in mind.

How each outlet framed it

• The Hindu — India as a partner: counter-terror know-how, youth links and maritime security.
• The Japan Times — Japan on the defensive in its messaging: reassurance about its security policy alongside closer drills with the US.

What we don't know yet: Neither report describes a joint statement from the meeting as a whole, or how China's delegation responded to Koizumi's remarks.