India eyeing collaboration across defence, trade sectors during PM Modi’s Malaysia visit | India News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Malaysia from February 7-8 and will hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Anwar Ibrahim. The upcoming visit marks Prime Minister Modi’s third visit to Malaysia and his first since the bilateral relations were upgraded to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in August 2024, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

India is exploring opportunities for cooperation across the defense sector, including the sale of Dornier aircraft and maintenance of Scorpene submarines and SU-30 aircraft, during Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit to Malaysia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi will also interact with members of the Indian diaspora and other business representatives in Malaysia.

Malaysia has an Indian diaspora of 2.9 million, the third largest in the world and the second largest PIO community of 2.75 million. Malaysia is an important partner of India in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region and is a key pillar of India’s Oriental Act.

Located in Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur, the Torana Gate is a gift from India to Malaysia as a sign of ongoing friendship between the two countries. Torana Gate was jointly opened by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on 23 November 2015.

India-Malaysia diplomatic ties were upgraded to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership status during Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India from 19 to 21 August 2024. The bilateral relationship was earlier upgraded to Enhanced Strategic Partnership status in 2015 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Malaysia. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1957.

Prime Minister Modi also met Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the margins of the BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6, 2025. Prime Minister Modi virtually attended the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit convened in Kuala Lumpur on 26 October 2025. The two Prime Ministers also interacted through a phone call on October 22, 2025.

Prime Minister Modi last visited Malaysia on an official visit from 21 to 23 November 2015 and later made a brief stop in Kuala Lumpur on 31 May 2018. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, accompanied by five Cabinet Ministers, visited India on State Visit from 19 to 21 August 2024.

There have been continuous and regular political contacts between India and Malaysia at the highest level since 2022. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Kuala Lumpur from 26 to 28 October 2025 to represent India at the 20th East Asia Summit. He also paid an official visit to Malaysia on 27-28 March 2024.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh visited Malaysia for the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) from 20 October to 1 November 2025. He previously made an official visit between 10 and 11 July 2023. An Indian delegation led by Minister of State Sanjay Seth visited Malaysia in May 2025 to attend the Langkawi International Maritime and Aviation Exhibition (LIMA) and hold bilateral talks.

India-Malaysia defense relations have evolved steadily over the years, from capacity building exercises to military training and defense industry cooperation. HAL’s first regional office was opened in Kuala Lumpur during Raksha Mantri’s visit in 2023.

There were many ministerial visits during Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2025. These include Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s visit to Johor on 20 January 2025 for the ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting; The Minister of State’s visit to Malaysia from 18 to 19 April 2025 to inaugurate the India-ASEAN Tourism Pavilion at the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair in Kuala Lumpur and again in July 2025 for the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting; and Minister of State for Commerce and IT Jitin Prasada’s visit to Malaysia for the 22nd AEM-India meeting, among others.

Economic and trade engagement is one of the pillars of the India-Malaysia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$ 19.85 billion in fiscal year 2024-25. Malaysia is India’s third largest trading partner in ASEAN; India is among Malaysia’s top 10 trading partners. Trade between India and Malaysia can be settled in Indian Rupee (INR) as well as other currencies from April 1, 2023.

To further facilitate people-to-people exchanges, both countries have liberalized their visa regimes for tourists. India is the fifth largest source of inbound tourism to Malaysia. Malaysia has allowed visa-free travel to Indian citizens since December 2023, while India has allowed free tourist visa to Malaysian citizens since July 2024 and is currently valid until December 2026. About 1.4 million Indian tourists visited Malaysia in 2025, while about 300,000 Malaysian tourists – the largest number among ASEAN countries – visited India.

A Chair of Ayurveda has been established at the Tunku Abdul Rahman University (UTAR), Malaysia, following the announcement made during the State Visit of the Malaysian Prime Minister to India in August 2024. The President became operational in September 2024. Similarly, a Thiruvalluvar Chair of Indian Studies was established at the University of Kuala Lumpur Malaya following an announcement by the Prime Minister in August 2024. The President became operational in October 2025.