Modi meets Putin, Samsung faces strike, Philippines-Japan '2-plus-2'

Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

Several diplomatic events are scheduled this week. On Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, while on the same day Japan and the Philippines hold a meeting between top diplomatic and defense officials. A NATO summit marking the 75th anniversary of the military alliance will be held in Washington on Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics, South Korea's largest company by market value, faces a possible strike by its biggest labor union on Monday.

Get the best of our coverage of Asia and much more by following us on X, formerly Twitter, @NikkeiAsia.

MONDAY

India's Modi visits Moscow

India's Modi will travel to Russia for a two-day visit at the invitation of President Putin. The two countries have held annual summits since 2000, but the last such meeting took place in 2021, when the Russian leader visited New Delhi. This is Modi's first foreign trip to visit a single head of state since he was sworn in for a third term in June. He traveled to Italy in mid-June to participate in the Group of Seven summit.

Samsung labor union gears up for strike

The biggest labor union of Samsung Electronics is set to begin a three-day strike in South Korea. The National Samsung Electronics Union asked its 28,000 members to stage a rally at the company's office in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, demanding that it raise base pay by more than 3% and change its "opaque" bonus policy. The union asked Chairman Lee Jae-yong to meet workers' demands, denouncing him as a "puppet" who refuses to face them.

Japan and Philippines hold 2-plus-2 talks

Philippine and Japanese defense and foreign ministers sit down in Manila for a series of talks meant to bolster their strategic