New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the 21st century belonged to India and the ASEAN nations, reaffirming the Association of South East Asian Nations as a major pillar of India's Act East Policy.

Underscoring the deep-rooted historical, cultural, and civilisational ties, the prime minister pointed out that India and ASEAN jointly account for almost a quarter of the world's population.

"The 21st century is our century, the century of India and ASEAN," PM Modi said in his virtual address to the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

"India and ASEAN together represent nearly one-fourth of the world's population. We do not just share geography, but are also connected by strong historical ti...