Trade and investment, defense and security and maritime cooperation will be on the agenda for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia on February 7-8, with both sides looking to set an agenda for future engagement and growing business ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File photo) (DPR PMO)Modi, who is visiting at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, will hold bilateral talks and interact with industry and business representatives and the Indian community, the External Affairs Ministry said while announcing the visit. The visit will coincide with the 10th India-Malaysia CEO Forum.
The visit will be an opportunity for the two leaders to review bilateral cooperation including trade and investment, defence, security and maritime cooperation, digital and financial technology, energy, healthcare, education, tourism and people-to-people relations and chart a course for future engagement, the ministry said.
India and Malaysia upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Anwar’s visit to New Delhi in August 2024. The visit helped restore bilateral ties, which had been marked by a shadow of animosity witnessed during the tenure of Anwar’s predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad.
Malaysia is India’s third largest trading partner in the ASEAN grouping, with two-way trade worth $20 billion in 2023-24. Malaysian investment in India, including third-party routes, is estimated at $3.3 billion, and Malaysian construction companies have their largest overseas presence in India. Bilateral ties are further strengthened by the 2.9-million Indian diaspora in Malaysia, the world’s third largest.
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During Anwar’s visit to India in 2024, the two sides signed a landmark agreement on terms of recruitment and employment of Indian workers and decided to link India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Malaysia’s Payment Network (PayNet) for digital payments. The employment agreement was key to Indian efforts to protect the rights of 185,000 Indian workers in Malaysia.
Bilateral defense ties have also grown steadily, from military training to supply of defense equipment. India’s state-run defense aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has opened its first regional office in Kuala Lumpur in 2023.
