Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 25

NEW DELHI -- India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders vowed Thursday to push forward the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with six ASEAN leaders from Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Brunei who have congregated in New Delhi for the ongoing ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. (India-ASEAN-RCEP)

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COLOMBO -- China will invest 1 billion U.S. dollars to construct the first building complex in Sri Lanka's Port City project in capital Colombo this year, Sri Lankan Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, Champika Ranawaka said here Thursday.

The Port City project is being constructed close to the Colombo Harbor by China Communications Construction Company, the parent company of China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC), and will attract billions of dollars as investments in the coming years. (Sri Lanka-China-Port City)

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ISLAMABAD -- As many as 200 militants of banned organizations, including 15 commanders, have laid down arms and surrendered to the government in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday, local media reported.

According to an official statement, the militants announced submitting to the writ of the state and becoming part of the national mainstream. (Pakistan-Militants-Surrender)

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JAKARTA -- People living in the Indonesian capital's slums were glad to see that their neighborhood has got a facelift with tidy streets and drainage system.

The slum-upgrading projects financed by the Indonesian government's loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have transformed their neighborhood used to be inundated with floods into a clean environment. (Indonesia-AIIB-Fund) Enditem